Calabacita Squash with Corn, Tomato & Onion

During my first month at home with a new baby, someone gave me a copy of an Oprah magazine. I was intrigued by an article featuring Jennifer Anniston's celebrity chefs. They cook healthy meals--now, as much as I enjoy time in the kitchen (it's stress relief to me), to have a celebrity chef prepare healthy meals for my family and not to have to worry about dishes or clean up is the thing dreams are made of...well, I clipped Jill Elmore's favorite recipe on preparing squash and finally got to make it. What a wonderful way to use up summer's bounty--it's a delicious side dish! So, so, good!

You don't feel like you're eating healthy in a frustrated way....you can use whatever cheese you have around--I used Swiss and enjoyed it. It's a flexible recipe--I used 3 large zucchini and a bag of frozen corn with good results. And because I was in a hurry, I didn't drain the zucchini. I think it would make a difference so I definitely will not skip that step next time. This vegetable recipe would make a great side dish or something different to bring to a potluck dinner.

You might be asking what calabacita/calabasita is. And I have seen it spelled both with a 'c' and with an 's'. It means 'little squash' in Spanish. It's a lighter skinned, shorter (squattier), summer squash used in Mexican and Hispanic cooking. I have read that it has a less bitter skin. I used this kind of zucchini squash. It was labeled as 'calabacita' in my Hispanic grocery store, but you can find it in regular grocery stores too. I imagine that any zucchini would work, really. Not really sure which is the proper way....but in any case, at last you can eat like Jennifer Anniston with this dish (ha).

CALABACITA SQUASH WITH CORN, TOMATO, AND ONION
Adapted from The Family Chef by Jewels and Jill Elmore
Serves 5

• 4 small zucchini, diced
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 ears corn, kernels sliced off
• 2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, diced
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella or feta (optional)

Place diced zucchini in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; toss and let stand 20 minutes. (This draws the excess liquid out of the zucchini.)

Transfer zucchini to a kitchen towel and pat dry. (This step is optional but worth the time: Drying zucchini prior to sautéing it keeps it from becoming watery, and Jill think this step removes its occasional bitterness.)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 to 5 minutes until soft. Do not brown. Add zucchini and corn kernels. Saute 6 to 7 minutes until vegetables are almost tender. Add diced tomato; sauté 2 to 3 minutes until softened and zucchini is tender.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese if desired.

Per serving: 143 cal, 4 g pro, 21 g car, 4 g fiber, 7 g fat (1 g sat fat), 0 mg chol, 602 mg sod

Jill's Tip: She says she loves adding leftover calibasita to scrambled eggs in the morning for a breakfast burrito. Add a dash of hot sauce, roll it up in a tortilla and hit the road!

Super Succotash

My child and I have a love for lima beans. And now succotash. I recently learned that this dish came about during the Great Depression because of widely available and inexpensive ingredients. This is my version below. It makes for an awesome summer lunch. Flavorful, fresh, and resplendent with grilled meats and potatoes. Another example of how a vegetarian dish can be full of flavor. Also, it makes a great meal to pack for work.

Keep in mind that the version below is a bit fresher than traditional succotashes which saute the onions and bell pepper--feel free to do so and toss with the corn and beans if you prefer. Also, if you really want to 'kick it up a notch' (as our friend, Emeril, says)--add about 3-4 pieces of crumbled cooked bacon (we use turkey bacon). Feel free to add more butter--it really makes for a better taste with the creaminess of the lima beans and sweetness of the corn. We love this--hope you do too!

SUPER SUCCOTASH

Serves 4-6

• 1 (10 oz) package frozen lima beans
1 big red bell pepper, diced
3-4 green onions, chopped--white and green parts
• 3-4 ears of cooked corn--kernels cut off OR 2 cups of corn from either cans (drained) or cooked from frozen
• 2 Tbsp. of sesame seeds (heaping)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. light butter (melted) or extra virgin olive oil (can use Earth Balance spread for vegans)
• Juice of half a lemon or lime (optional)
• Salt & pepper to taste (a bit heavier on the pepper)

Cook lima beans according to package directions (either on the stovetop or in the microwave). While still warm, toss the onions and bell peppers with the lima beans--this softens the 'bite' of the onion. Add the corn and sesame seeds and garlic powder. Pour the melted butter (or oil), citrus juice (if using) over the ingredients and gently mix it all together. Season with salt and pepper--taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Fiesta Chowder

I know, it's the day of the superbowl and everyone is eating dips and chips or ordering pizza or having barbeque sandwiches. Well, I figured I'd share a delicious Fiesta Chowder recipe, courtesy of Southern Living, that would bode well for a super bowl party. We had company over the weekend and everyone really liked it. It's one of my favorite soups and definately a good one to keep warm in the crock pot while people are over.

The original recipe called for cooked, chopped chicken, but I boiled and shredded mine this time--I wanted to see if it would work and it did. But I like either method just fine and included both methods.  I've even made this soup with Fri-Chik (vegetarian chicken). If you can't find a can of corn with red and green peppers, just use regular corn. I'll often use Rotel tomatoes and chilies and regular corn instead of the Mexican stewed tomatoes and chilies. It's really a fail-proof recipe! And a hit with all ages and sexes.

We served this soup with my hot corn dip (see recipe here), cheddar-chili bread (previous post), a wonderful strawberry orange almond salad (that my friend, Lindsay, brought over), and warm apple crisp with vanilla bean ice cream (courtesy of my friend Chelsea). I'll see if I can procure those recipes for you all sometime. Dip, soup, bread, salad, comfort dessert, beer for the guys? Who's not going to be happy, right?

FIESTA CHOWDER
Adapted from Southern Living
The ingredient list may be long, but the results are fast and delicious.


Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (1.4-ounce) package fajita seasoning, divided
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use olive oil when I do fry the chicken)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives (optional-but good!)
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed nacho cheese soup (I used cheddar cheese soup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice (I squeezed half a lime)

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions (my favorite), breadsticks (optional)
*Combine flour and 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat. Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often, 4 minutes or until browned.

Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn, next 5 ingredients, and, if desired, olives.

Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove lid, and stir in nacho (or Cheddar) cheese soup, chopped cilantro, and lime juice.

Garnish and serve with breadsticks, if desired (they recommend breadsticks, I recommend cheddar-chile bread--recipe to follow).

*Or use shredded boiled or roasted chicken and follow the recipe as follows (skipping the flour coating and frying, but adding all the fajita seasoning in with the soup).

NOTE: I threw everything except the condensed cheese soup in the crock pot (chicken was cooked this time) and left it on the lower setting for about 6-7 hours. An hour before serving, I added the nacho/Cheddar cheese soup and mixed it all in. It was a real winner in my book. So, you can try it that way too. Email me if you have any questions.

Savory Ricotta Basil Corn Pudding

Another fabulous holiday recipe that I can thank Ina Garten for---I've been making it for years now and this savory corn pudding has become a family tradition and makes an appearance at Thanksgiving. Of course, I have adapted it to make it somewhat lower in fat--all Ina's recipes are terrific--the same way restaurants recipes are terrific. Mainly, because all the recipes have a ton of butter and cream--haha! Even with the tweaking, this dish is still very good--I hope you enjoy it.

SAVORY RICOTTA BASIL CORN PUDDING (aka Sagaponack Corn Pudding)

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter (I use 1/2-3/4 stick LIGHT butter)
5 cups fresh yellow corn kernels cut off the cob (6 to 8 ears) (or frozen or canned--I'm not cutting corn from a cob!!)
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
4 extra-large eggs (or 5 large eggs) 
1 cup milk (skim) 
1 cup half-and-half (fat-free) 
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup ricotta cheese (part-skim)
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (6 ounces) grated extra-sharp cheddar, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the inside of an 8 to 10-cup baking dish.

Melt the butter in a very large saute pan and saute the corn and onion over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and then the ricotta. Add the basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked corn mixture and grated cheddar, and then pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with more grated cheddar.

Place the dish in a larger pan and fill the pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish with hot tap water. (I have SKIPPED this step and it turned out just fine) Bake the pudding for 40 to 45 minutes until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.


Serves 8-10 people.