Jalapeño Corn Cakes

These corn cakes are quick and simple, thanks to the help of Jiffy Mix!! Use them as canopies for a party appetizer. Or, serve them along side my Gazpacho with Crab and Shrimp, like I did.



1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 Jalapeño - finely dice, seeds removed
Cumin
Chili Powder
Garlic Salt
White Pepper
1 Egg
3/4 cup Milk

Heat grill pan and grease with non stick cooking spray.

Mix everything together (you can add 2 T melted butter or shortening, if desired). Don't over mix, the batter will be lumpy.

Use a tablespoon to evenly place the batter on the hot grill pan. Leave room between each cake, so that they don't stick together.

Gazpacho w/ Crab and Shrimp

Gazpacho is a tomato based Spanish soup prepared with raw fruits and vegetables and is served chilled. It's super lite and refreshing. This soup is a wonderful summer meal from the garden.



Traditionally, gazpacho is made with chunks of bread blended in it. This adds texture to the soup and makes it more hearty. I didn't add bread to this recipe because I wanted a lighter, smoother soup. Instead, I served this gazpacho with silver dollar sized Jalapeño Corn Cakes. This allowed the diners to dip, top, or crumble the bread into their soups individually. I like interactive food, it adds a lot of fun to the dinner table!

Gazpacho

7 Tomatoes
3 Cucumbers - peeled
1 Jalapeño - seeds removed
1 small Onion - grated
1/4 large Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Garlic Clove - minced or pressed
Juice from 1 Lemon
Hot Sauce
Salt
White Pepper

Set two bowls out in your work station, one large and one smaller. Dice all of the fruits and veggies. Place about 1/3 of each in the small bowl and the rest in the large bowl.




Once the veggies are chopped, blend everything that's in the large bowl together until it's smooth. Use a blender of food processor and work in small batches to insure a consistent texture. Once blended, place the soup in a large serving or storing bowl.




Stir your diced fruits and vegetables, from the small bowl, into the blended soup.

Season the gazpacho with lemon juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Taste as you're seasoning and adjust as needed.

Now, your soup is done. You just need to chill, garnish, and serve.

At this point, the gazpacho is gluten free and vegetarian. To keep it this way, serve in a chilled glass topped with petite diced veggies and garnish with a lemon wedge and/or cucumber slice.

To make your gazpacho a little more fancy (and fun), top it with seafood!

This seafood topping was inspired by The Sample Room's Gazpacho that we ate last summer.

Tomato, Swiss Chard, and Asparagus

After going out to a big breakfast this morning, and anticipating a decent Sunday dinner, I wanted something light and quick for lunch. I started by boiling about a cup of veg stock in a sauce pan with a small pad o butter (just for fun). Then, I added 1 diced tomato, 1 large roughly chopped garlic clove, and a 1/4 cup or so of chopped rainbow char stems with s/p. For extra flavor, I threw in a bay leaf and a slice of jalapeño, which I discarded before serving. After tasting for seasoning and adding a pitch of salt, I reduced the tomato mixture by half.



Then, I added a hand full of chard leafs and sliced asparagus. This cooked covered for a minute or two over low heat, till the char just wilted.



This would be nice on pasta or rice. It would also make a great vegetarian meal simply mixed with a can of warmed beans. For this lunch, I incorporated breakfast leftovers by mixing diced turkey sausage into the veggies. I served the colorful dish with reheated hash browns mixed with a little feta cheese to add a creamy element to the dish.



It took me about 20 minutes to cook this gluten free meal, not bad for a three hour cook. Tony didn't need that much time to eat it though. His plate was clean in about 2 minuets!