Summer Corn and Avocado Salad

First of all, I hate salads. So it really says something that I've made this three times in the last month. 

Summer in a bowl

I lump this into the "salad" category along with others like chicken salad, potato salad, pasta salad and other delicious but not traditional salads (no mayo in this, I promise!). I think the bed of leafy greens most salads rest on is what I find so unappealing so this summer corn salad is the perfect compromise. Plenty of veggies but just enough junk to make me happy.

Feast

Because this dish is so cheap, easy, and delicious, it's perfect to make for large groups. So far, I've made it for two casual dinner parties and one potluck. Each had a very different theme, demonstrating the versatility of the dish. Summer goes with everything. It works equally well for grilling out as it does for a Mexican meal (above) or a hot dog bar potluck.

And it has all the right buzzwords: avocado, fresh mozz, summer veggies. Done. 

This is a throw everything together and eye ball it type of recipe so work with me if the proportions are a little vague. Feel free to adjust it based on your likes and add/subtract to your heart's desire. Some thoughts: pancetta, feta, zucchini, beans, red onion, jalapeno. Go crazy!

Express Yourself

Summer Corn and Avocado Salad

Serves 10-15 as a side

Ingredients:

8 ears of fresh corn (or one bag of frozen corn)

2 bell peppers (mix up the colors to make it pretty), diced

Half a pack of cherry tomatoes, halved

2 avocados, cubed

One and a half balls of fresh mozz, broken into bite-sized pieces

5 tbsp of Garlic Expressions dressing (Found at Fresh Market and Lowe's and potentially others. If you can't find this, then a roasted garlic vinaigrette would work.)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add husked corn. Remove the corn once the water comes back to a boil (about 4 minutes). Let corn cool for a few minutes then sliced the kernels off the cob into a large mixing bowl. 

Dice the bell peppers and halve the cherry tomatoes while waiting for the water to boil. I usually drain the tomatoes in a colender to get rid of excess liquid. I just add more with the dressing later so I don't want it to get soupy. Add to corn.

Right before serving add the cheese, avocado, dressing and s&p to taste. Mix well and serve chilled.

Scallops with Lemon Orzo and Beurre Blanc

I'm sorry! 

I really dropped the ball here. Between my new job and moving houses (all of one block, but whatever) I've barely had time to breath, let alone cook. By the time I get home at night all I want to do is crush a glass of wine (or three) and spend no more than 15 minutes to get dinner ready. Enter a disgusting amount of freezer meals. I'm ashamed and probably malnourished so now that I've gotten a handle on my life, I'm going to try to eat like a normal human being again.

Or my version of what a normal human eats, which apparently is a questionable amount of seafood. The week of July 4th was much more laid back than others so I took the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the kitchen.

During the day, we went to Annapolis to get into some crabs. Great decision. Cantler's was the perfect spot to spend America's birthday sitting outside, hammering on some Maryland crabs, and keeping cool with summer shandys. It was a much more mature July 4th celebration than in the past for sure.

<3 Old Bay <3

The seafood didn't end there. For dinner I decided to cook some scallops before heading down to the Georgetown waterfront to catch the fireworks. I really need to do scallops more often especially with my new work schedule. They are one of the simplest things to cook (all you need is S&P) and can be done in a few minutes. The key is to make sure to buy dry packed or pat them reallllly dry with paper towels so you can get a good sear. There's nothing less sexy than a squishy scallop.

I've had a beurre blanc obsession since Junior year of college when we went to Blue Heaven in Key West for Spring Break. It was our one nice dinner of the trip, and I still think about that snapper. Well not so much the snapper as the sauce. It was smooth and rich without being heavy and tasted like BUTTER. But better.

SB2K10

Basically the scallops were just an excuse to make beurre blanc again. It goes so great with seafood! Just don't dwell too long over the amount of butter in this dish or you'll cry. Toss in some quick-cooking orzo, and it's ready in under 30 minutes. Fancy enough for a dinner party or date but easy enough for just you. And the best part is it goes perfect with a bottle glass of white wine.

Scallops with Lemon Orzo and Beurre Blanc

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

For the beurre blanc:
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cubed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the orzo salad:
1/2 pound dried orzo pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives

For the scallops:
Sea scallops, preferably dry-packed, 4-5 per person
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the beurre blanc, bring the wine, wine vinegar, and shallots to a boil in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Cook the mixture until reduced to a very thick glaze (about 2 tbsp), about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the pan. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and return the liquid to the saucepan.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Vigorously whisk in the butter, cube by cube, not adding another piece until the last is almost fully melted. If the butter stops incorporating, return the pan to low heat and continue adding the remaining cubes. The sauce should be thick, creamy, and glossy. (If not, whisk in a few more cubes of butter if desired.) Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Hold on lowest heat, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.

While the beurre blanc is reducing, cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain well. Toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the chives. Season with salt and pepper, and adjust other oil and lemon to taste.

For the scallops, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, pat the scallops dry and dust the tops with kosher salt and pepper. (Be generous, as you will loose 40% of the seasoning to the pan.)

Add a glug of canola or vegetable oil to the pan. Once it is shimmery and hot, add the scallops, salted side down, around the outside of pan in a clockwise direction starting at 12:00. (This allows you to know which scallop to flip first and continue turning in the same clockwise direction.) Once they are in the pan, dust tops now facing up with more salt and pepper.

Allow the scallops to sear, undisturbed, for a minute or so. When you start to see a golden brown crust beginning to rise up the side of one, it is ready to flip. (If you cannot visibly see a crust, or if you have to lift the scallop to peek at the bottom, it is not ready to flip.) Once the scallops are flipped, continue cooking for about another minute or so, until they are firm but still a tad uncooked in the center. (They will finish cooking with the residual heat.) Transfer the scallops to a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any cooking juices.

Serve the scallops atop the lemony orzo with a generous drizzle of beurre blanc (lots of extra on the side!)

 [Recipe from the Kitchn]

Crispy Avocado BLT Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette and Spicy Ranch Drizzle

I officially love salads.

So what if this salad has crispy fried avocado, ranch, bacon and cheese? Don't care. It's all served in moderation so I still consider this a healthy meal option. Avocados are good fats, remember?

I've seen recipes for fried avocados before, and I'm not exactly sure why it's taken me so long to hop on the bandwagon. These were delicious as a salad topping but could also be great as an appetizer served with mayo a dipping sauce of some kind. The trick here is that your avocado can't be too ripe otherwise it will fall apart. Another secret of the pros is to use paper plates/bowls for your frying goods to make for much easier clean up.

If frying scares you, don't let it! It just requires a few simple steps:

Flour, egg, Parmesan and panko

Salt-N-Pepa

Dredge in flour, egg and then Parmesan panko mixture

Fry in hot olive oil

Let drain on a paper towel

Your food should be a vehicle for condiments, and this salad has two. Since the honey-lime vinaigrette is the main star here, I don't feel too bad that this salad has a little ranch drizzle on it. Moderation, people. I'm refusing to eat a salad with only one dressing from here on out.

Crispy Avocado BLT Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette and Spicy Ranch Drizzle 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the crispy avocado:

1 whole avocado, semi-firm, not mushy

Pinch of salt and pepper

⅓ cup flour

1 whole egg beaten

½ cup panko

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil, for frying

For the honey-lime dressing:

2-½ tbsp honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsps fresh squeezed lime juice

Pinch of salt and pepper

For the spicy ranch drizzle:

⅓ cup ranch dressing

½ tsp or more of chili with garlic sauce (or you can use Sriracha)

For the salad:

Arugula or your fave lettuce

Tomato

2 tbsp shaved Parmesan cheese

2 slices cooked bacon, Crumbled

Directions: 

For the crispy avocado:

Halve your avocado and run a sharp knife gently around the perimeter of each half to loosen the meat from the skin. Gently remove the skin and the seed. Slice each half into wedges. You should be able to get 8-10 wedges from the avocado, depending on its size. Don’t slice them too thin; you want them to hold up to the breading and frying. Sprinkle the wedges with a bit of kosher salt and pepper.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Place the egg (beaten) in another bowl and the panko and Parmesan cheese in another bowl. Dredge each piece in the flour, gently shake off any excess flour. Dip into the egg mixture, then finally into the panko mixture, coating all sides well. Set aside.

Heat your oil in a frying pan. Place just enough olive oil in your pan to just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium high heat until oil becomes hot enough to fry. You can test with a little piece of excess batter. Gently set your avocado pieces in the oil. Fry on all sides until browned, a total of about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Gently remove from the pan, set on a paper towel-lined plate.

For the honey-lime dressing:

Combine honey, vinegar, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper in a bowl; whisk until fully combined. Drizzle over salad.

For the drizzle:

Combine the ranch dressing and chili with garlic sauce in a small bowl and mix until fully incorporated. Adjust to your taste. Drizzle over salad.

For the salad:

Assemble your salad(s) with the greens, tomatoes, shaved Parmesan cheese, and crumbled bacon. Top with crispy avocado and dressings.

[Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen] 

Corn and Zucchini Fritters with Goat Cheese & Bacon Salad

I'm all about simple on weeknights - simple but treaty. These corn and zucchini fritters do the trick. They, no joke, took about 20 minutes. I adapted my recipe slightly from Cook Like a Champion's Corn Cakes with Goat Cheese, which I stumbled across on Pinterest. This is basically where I find the inspiration for all of my kitchen concoctions. 

I felt healthy because it's technically a salad with veggies on top but full and not deprived since there was bacon and cheese. Compromise.

Bacon is good for me!

Corn and Zucchini Fritters with Goat Cheese & Bacon Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Veggie Fritter:
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (I used frozen since corn is not in season. Worked like a charm!)
1/2 cup diced zucchini (about half of a small zucchini)
Sprinkle of cumin
Sprinkle of paprika
Coarse salt and white pepper
1 green onion, very thinly sliced
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Panko (The original called for cornmeal, but I'd never use that again so I didn't want to buy it. I had Panko on hand.)

Salad:
1 slice of bacon cumbled (plus reserved grease - don't judge)
Goat cheese, crumbled, for serving
Leafy green of your choice
1 tablespoon sundried tomatoes
A few very thin slices of raw red onion
Good EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the corn and zucchini and season with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes before mixing in the green onion, egg and panko.

Cook bacon in same pan used to heat veggies. Once it is crispy, set aside on paper towel. Don't throw away the grease! Add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil to bacon grease in the pan and heat oil over medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop mixture into skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the bottom is nicely browned. Flip and continue cooking an additional 2-3 minutes until cakes are completely cooked through. 

While these are frying cooking, make your salad. Whisk together good EVOO and Balsamic (my dad gave me Tuscan Herb oil and Balsamic aged 18 years from Taste the Olive). Transfer fritters to a plate and sprinkle with goat cheese and dress the salad. Serve immediately.

[Recipe adapted from Cook Like a Champion]