Beet & Corn Hash

This post seemed have gotten lost in the shuffle somewhere. Seems a little out of place now that we're almost heading into November but it was delish so here it is nonetheless!

I love meals that really represent the transition of seasons, especially summer to fall. Lately I've been diving into fall produce while still trying to use up some of late summers best offerings. I feel like the addition of sweet fresh corn really adds a touch of summer to an otherwise heavy fall dish. 

No recipe this time, just hoping to inspire you to take a breakfast staple like hash and give it a good ol' seasonal twist!

Empanadas

We just arrived home from our amazing 2 week vacation and I'm feeling rather weird.
I barely got any sleep on our red-eye flight, my stomach is still struggling to adjust to digestion without acidophilus (although I'm so thankful for it's help in saving me from sickness in Cuba), I'm excited to get back into the swing of things yet don't really want to do anything at all, I'm exhausted but I can't sleep, I'm in the middle of load #3 of probably 6 loads of laundry, I'm hungry but have no groceries...
Am I painting a vivid picture of my day so far? Phew. I wish I could just fall asleep.

But on a positive note I felt so thankful this morning to be back in our little home, to climb into our bed that feels just right, to be able to make a cup of my favourite tea, listen to CBC radio and most importantly to be able to reach into the freezer and pull out one of these black bean empanadas for a quick and completely effortless lunch.

Corn Stock

So have you been freezing any delicious local corn lately? If not, you still have time to head to the market this weekend and get some, and then you can use the leftover cobs to create the tastiest corn soup stock ever. I really can't wait for that snowy winter night when I can take this out of our freezer along with some frozen corn and make a sweet corn chowder that will make my kitchen smell just like summer.

I read about corn stock on Local Kitchen the other day and was totally inspired. Why on earth haven't I been using those corn cobs to make myself some super flavourful soup stock?? It feels like I'm getting that much more bang for my buck to be able to make something out of (what feels like) nothing. But I guess that's the beauty of making stocks in general. Using up vegetable scraps, and or poultry or fish carcasses that would otherwise be throw out to create something so useful, and of course delicious.

Frozen Vegetables

Last year I decided to freeze some of the sweet corn available at my local farmers market so we could enjoy it in the winter. I cut the kernels off of about 8 ears of corn, packed it into a ziploc bag and stored it in my refrigerators freezer.
I had good intentions...but did I really think one little bag of frozen corn was going to last very long??
I probably froze it in late August and I'm pretty sure the bag was gone by October. Oops.

This year is going much better! We invested in a large upright freezer (I think it's about 12 cubic feet) and have been stocking up on vegetables like they're going out of style.
Broccoli, zucchini, corn, green beans, peas, and cauliflower are just some of the vegetables we've begun freezing.
Obviously frozen vegetables have somewhat of a limited range of use once thawed but they'll be great in soups, curries, stir frys, and pasta sauce, to name a few.

Here are some tips for successful frozen veggies:

- Only use unblemished perfect produce. If it's starting to become overripe, don't bother freezing it.
- Clean veggies well.
- Prep the veggies as you would if you were about to cook them. Trim beans, shell peas, chop broccoli, etc. They should be completely ready for use straight from the freezer.
- Remove as much air as possible from freezer bags.
- Label bags with name and date.
- Dry veggies thoroughly after washing or blanching.
-Vegetables that should be blanched include corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower and leafy greens. Green beans, peppers and zucchini can be frozen raw.

To blanch, place prepared veggies in a colander over a pot of boiling water. Blanch for 3-5 minutes (or until produce colour just becomes bright, but not fully cooked). Toss blanched veggies in an bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry.

For more information on preserving food by freezing check out "The Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home" by Janet Chadwick.

Bean & Corn Salad

I know you probably won't believe me when I say I've been lacking some serious kitchen inspiration lately, but it's true!
Despite the stack of cookbooks on my dining table, hoards of bookmarked recipes on my computer, and a fridge full of local produce just begging to be eaten, I just can't seem to get excited about cooking lately.
Actually I should rephrase that. I haven't been excited about "everyday" cooking (such as making myself and my husband healthy and delicious lunches everyday). Planning meals for dinner has been less of a problem, thanks to cooking classes I've been taking with the Feisty Chef. But for the food we eat during the hours of 11am - 4pm, I've been drawing a blank.

Last night I finally mustered up the motivation to inspire myself and I weeded through recipes I've bookmarked for the last few years and found some new ones I haven't tried, namely this one.

Potato Leek Soup with Bacon and Corn

This creamy comforting soup is just what my body wants as soon as the temperatures drop and the winds pick up. It's rich and hearty but I feel like the corn adds some light crunch with a hint of sweetness. 

Spicy Vegetable Soup

This should be called the about-to-leave-for-vacation-empty-the-fridge-soup.


I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary. Just wanted some nice hot soup, and needed to get rid of some veggies before leaving for vacation. I didn't even really have a vision in mind of what this would taste like, but I did know two things.
First I wanted it to be fairly tomato based. A good friend of mine got me hooked on tomato based vegetable soups last year, and I just can't shake em. Second, I started to crave a spicy vegetable soup with an indian influence, just like the ones my husband used to make me when we first met.