Roasted Corn Salad with Fresh Herbs

Real summer is still a ways off, but we’ve been eating like it’s already here. An over-sized watermelon eaten in wedges, grilling every evening for dinner, and lots of fresh greens and herbs. This roasted corn salad includes a lot of quintessential summer ingredients. I wanted to publish it early in the season so you could take advantage of the first corn at the market. Grilling the corn and red bell pepper give a great toasted/caramelized flavor, while using a mix of herbs—basil, cilantro and parsley—add freshness to every bite. I used queso fresco, but if you’re unable to find that at your local grocery store, try feta or goat cheese crumbles.

Roasted Corn Salad with Fresh Herbs

Published June 4, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-5   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

4 corn cobs

1 large red bell pepper

1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

1/4 heaping cup cilantro leaves

1/4 heaping cup parsley leaves

1/4 heaping cup basil leaves

1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Remove husks and silk from corn. Cut bell pepper in half and remove stem and seeds.
3. Place corn and pepper on grill. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until outside is brown in spots. Remove from heat.
4. Allow pepper and corn to cool enough to handle (you can speed up the cooling process by placing them in a bowl with cool water).
5. Dice roasted pepper, and place in serving bowl. Cut corn kernels from cobs, and place in bowl.
6. Add queso fresco, herbs, red onion, olive oil, and vinegar to bowl, and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve.

Roasted Summer Veggies with Parmesan Polenta

Ina Garten’s recipe for parmesan polenta got me over my aversion for all things polenta. I had never been a fan of the gooey textured stuff before, but I had been missing something key: enough butter, cream, and parmesan. That, and the right toppings. This meal brings it all together—a creamy polenta base, which serves a two-part role as sauce and substance; and roasted summer veggies, which benefit from (and compliment) the creaminess of the rest of the dish; pine nuts, which add much-needed crunch. I’ve made it four times in the last month, a testament to how well I’ve been converted from polenta-hater to lover. Maybe it will convert someone you know, too.

Roasted Summer Veggies with Parmesan Polenta

Published May 30, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

For Roasted Summer Veggies:

1 medium eggplant

1-2 small to medium zucchini

2 red bell peppers

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 medium red onion

Leaves from 2 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2-3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil

Salt & Pepper

For Parmesan Polenta:

4 cups water

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup coarsely ground or stone ground cornmeal

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 heaping cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1-2 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)

Ground black pepper to taste

For Serving:

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Garnish: additional shredded Parmesan cheese, additional sprigs of thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Prepare veggies: dice eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Slice zucchini into half moons. Slice bell peppers into strips. Slice red onion into wedges.
2. Place chopped veggies and cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan in a single layer. Use two sheet pans if veggies are over-crowding the pan. Drizzle liberally with oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme leaves.
3. Place veggies in oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.
4. When the veggies have 15 minutes left to cook, begin preparing the polenta. Bring 4 cups of water in a pot to a boil. Add salt and garlic.
5. When water is boiling, add cornmeal, whisking immediately to prevent clumps from forming. After a few minutes, polenta should begin to thicken. Continue whisking, and remove from heat. Continue stirring almost constantly for about 10 minutes.
6. Add butter, Parmesan cheese, and cream to polenta, stirring to incorporate. Polenta should become thick and creamy, and will continue to set as it cools. Season to taste with pepper.
7. Serve: scoop polenta into serving bowls, and top with roasted veggies. Sprinkle with pine nuts and parmesan and a garnish with a sprig of thyme. Serve hot.

Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Tacos

It started with a business trip to Texas in 2016. It was my first real business trip. My co-worker (Libby, who is somewhat of an aviation food connoisseur) asked if I wanted to stop by Root Down, a restaurant in the terminal. We got sweet potato fries with curry sauce and I realized that whatever I had previously thought about airport food was wrong. (Fruit cups, low fat yogurt, and granola bars? Move aside!)

Fast forward to 2017: I’m traveling to Ecuador for a client. I had been on a few business trips since that one to Texas, but none as cool as this one — Ecuador! South America! Hadn’t I graduated with a Spanish Degree just for this?! Going into Marketing I had pretty much thought those international opportunities were behind me. Anyhow, I was on my own, so the world was my oyster and the schedule was whatever I said it was. Which means there was time to stop at Root Down, and breakfast was in order. I sat at a table for one with a view of the tarmac and ordered tacos. In that moment I felt awkward by myself, and took solace in those tacos, taking my sweet time. Each taco was small — made on a 4-inch tortilla - and stuffed with greasy chorizo and fluffy scrambled eggs.

My next encounter with those tacos was this August. It was 6am as we rode the bus to the airport, and by the time we made it to security our stomachs rumbled for breakfast. It was Oliver’s idea, that day, to stop at Root Down but of course I didn’t protest. We both ordered the tacos and coffee and finally, digging into our breakfast, we were on vacation.

This taco recipe is my home rendition: chorizo crumbles, scrambled eggs, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and queso fresco. I replaced the pickled red onions with minced fresh red onions that star on Root Down’s menu, because at home it’s easier (and I like the fresh flavor). And added avocado, because we weren’t going to make tacos without avocado.

When you make these, it might be easier to just cook up an entire pound of chorizo versus the exact amount you need. It will store well in your fridge, and can go into future meals (great in soups!) or make it easier for you to get breakfast going tomorrow. You could also plan to serve a crowd: make a breakfast taco bar!

Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but these tacos for breakfast feel a bit like a vacation. Enjoy!

Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Tacos

Published November 8, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 3   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

6 six-inch corn tortillas

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1/2 cup chorizo crumbles, cooked and heated

1 Roma tomato, diced

1/2 an avocado, sliced

1/4 cup queso fresco crumbles

1 tablespoon minced red onion

2 tablespoon minced cilantro

Optional: hot sauce of choice, to taste

Optional, for serving: lime wedges

Directions:

1. Prep your ingredients first in this recipe, as once the eggs are cooked, you’ll want to immediately start assembling your tacos. So, dice that tomato, slice the avocado, and mince the cilantro and red onion now. Reheat or cook the chorizo.
2. Warm the tortillas. There are plenty of ways you can get this done: place them in a preheated oven for a few minutes, warm them in a toaster oven, or heat them in a dry skillet. Whatever you do, watch them closely so as to avoid burning them or drying them out too much. Just a few minutes will do.
3. Now, crack eggs into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper and whisk until they are a creamy yellow color and slightly frothy.
4. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet. When oil sizzles, pour in eggs. As eggs begin to set (it will take a minute or two), use a wooden spatula, to pull the eggs across the pan, stirring them. Continue until no visible liquid egg white remains, and then move the pan off the heat. (Tip: If there are other things to do or prepare, I sometimes will pull the pan from the heat a little bit early, say 30 seconds, to avoid over cooked eggs. They will continue to cook in the pan until you serve them.)
5. Assemble tacos: take tortillas out of the toaster, and top each with a heaping tablespoonful of chorizo. Divide egg mixture evenly amongst tortillas, and then top each with diced tomato, a slice of avocado, queso fresco, minced red onion, and cilantro.
6. Serve hot with hot sauce on the side, and lime wedges if using.