Scalloped Corn and Oyster Casserole for the Holidays

I used to make a scalloped corn and oyster casserole for the holidays, but haven’t for the last number of years.  I love corn and I love oysters, and in combination, but my casserole lacked pizzazz.  I decided to give it a makeover.  As I contemplated the revision, the creamed corn came to mind.  Canned cream corn tastes over processed and really uninteresting (sorry, Del Monte).  I decided that was the place to start.  "And that has made all the difference" to quote Robert Frost in his poem, "The Road Not Taken".  

My goals in cooking, if you haven’t already noticed, are to use whole foods and natural ingredients, and cut out white flour and sugar.  For the most part, Ritz Crackers being the exception, this recipe fits that bill!  Also, keeping in mind that organic milk and milk products are much healthier than their counterparts in the conventional realm.  

Amazingly, this casserole didn’t take much time to make and was easy peasy to put together.  It can be made the day before and refrigerated.  And best of all, it tastes fantastic!  A great addition to any holiday meal!

Here you go…

Scalloped Corn and Oyster Casserole

Creamed corn from recipe below

1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cream

3/4 cup milk

black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon maple sugar or honey, optional

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup oysters, drained and chopped into smaller pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Butter a casserole dish.

Combine the ingredients.

Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Creamed Corn

2 1/2 cups frozen corn

1/2 onion, diced

1 tablespoon butter

2 pinches kosher salt

1+ teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves or 1/4 dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup heavy cream

Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion in butter and salt until translucent.

Put corn and honey into food processor and chop up, resulting in a milky, pulpy liquid with the chopped corn.

Add the corn and honey pulp mixture to the saucepan with the onion. Add the rosemary and turmeric. Stir and heat for a minute or two. Sprinkle the cornmeal onto the corn and combine well. Add the heavy cream and cook until the corn has softened, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Lo mejor para usted y su familia!

Quinoa, Brussel Sprout, Scrambled Egg, Hummus Breakfast, Tout de Suite!

This recipe was a real find!  It is so quick and easy!  If you make the quinoa a head of time and keep it in the fridge, you can have a made-from-scratch, hot, healthy breakfast in 5 minutes.

A word about quinoa, (pronounced KEEN-wah):  It is technically a seed not a grain, but we use it in the same way we would use a grain.  It was cultivated in the Andes for over 5,000 years.  Quinoa has been referred to as the "mother of grains."  So many of our grains have been genetically modified, but quinoa is not hybridized, nor is it genetically engineered.  Quinoa remains pure, wholesome, and easy to digest as it is naturally gluten-free.

Here is the way I like to cook Quinoa as found in the following website:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-63344

How To Cook Quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (any variety — white or golden, red, or black)
Olive oil (optional)
2 cups liquid, such as broth or water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure quinoa and liquid. Measure out 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups liquid.

2. Rinse the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing, and rinse for at least 2 minutes under the running water. Drain.

Why rinse quinoa? Rinsing removes quinoa's natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Although boxed quinoa is often pre-rinsed, it doesn't hurt to give the seeds an additional rinse at home. Some cookbooks suggest soaking the quinoa but, in our experience, this is unnecessary.

3. Dry and toast quinoa in saucepan. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, letting the water evaporate.

4. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Stir in the liquid and the salt (if using) and bring to a rolling boil.

5. Lower heat and cook covered for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

6. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered.

7. Fluff and eat! After 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork, and serve. (You should see tiny spirals (the germ) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds.)

Enough about that, let’s move on to breakfast!

To give credit where credit is due, this recipe is from the blog of a friend and coworker.  This and more can be found at the following website:

bakingserendipity.com

Now, the quick and easy part, the cooking...

Quinoa, Brussel Sprout, Scrambled Egg, Hummus Breakfast, Tout de Suite!

Ingredients:

3 brussel sprouts
butter
2 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
large spoonful of red pepper hummus

The ingredients are very flexible in amount.  Wash brussel sprouts. Slice them into rounds and ribbons. Saute in a little butter until slightly browned.  Remove brussel sprouts from skillet.

Scramble eggs, also in a little butter, in same pan (makes for an easier cleanup!) over medium heat.  When scrambled to your liking, add quinoa and brussel sprouts and stir.  Top with a healthy dollop of hummus.

Dig in!