This summer, our favorite thing to eat is Grilled Romaine and Grilled Pizza. Last summer it was Grilled Panzanella, and the summer before that, it was Corncakes with Tomato Salsa. I recently made these, and we remembered how much we L O V E D them.
Four great things about this dish: 1) it can be served as an appetizer or as a side, 2) it can be served cold, 3) it utilizes delicious heirloom tomatoes, 4) it harks back to traditional southern cuisine, but in a healthy way.
You can also substitute the avocado for plain-yogurt or sour cream. I've added plain-yogurt with chopped herbs, which is my favorite, but P likes avocado, so thats what I used for this recipe!
I used blue corn meal, but you can also use yellow corn. If you can find blue corn meal, I would highly recommend it! Blue corn meal provides extraordinary health benefits! To start, it is one of the only corn varieties that has been relatively untouched by genetic modification, and therefore has maintained high levels of phytonutrients and flavonoids. Through the years, corn has been developed for its sweetness and tenderness. In fact, corn has strayed further from its native ancestor more than any other edible plant. Sweeter corn means a higher sugar content, which leads to spikes in blood sugar. It also lacks protein and nutrients.
Blue corn contains a high amount of anthocyanin, which gives it thirty times more antioxidant value than modern white corn. Anthocyanin gives blue corn its color, it also acts as a sunscreen for the plant. Specifically, blue corn contains an anthocyanin called 'cyanidin-3-glucoside' (CG3). In animal studies, CG3 has been shown to block inflammation, lower cholesterol and blood sugar. Remarkably, a study in Japan found that CG3 extracted from blue corn prevented diabetes and obesity, as well as mitigated hyperglycemia (Tsuda et al., 2003). Another study showed that CG3 significantly inhibited the growth of mammary, liver, colon, and prostate cancer cells (Urias-Lugo et al., 2015).
When you can, choose native, colored, corn!
Let me know what you think about this recipe!! Serve it at your next cook-out! Leave me a comment below! Take a pic and post it on instagram, tag me @corrielanderson, and use #itsallofit!
What are your favorite summer recipes??
Blue Corncakes with Avocado Frosting and Tomato Salsa
Recipe Author: Corrie Anderson
Recipe Type: Side or Appetizer
Serves: 4
7 tablespoons corn meal (blue corn if you can find it)
1/3 cup brown rice flour (all-purpose flour will work too!
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 egg
sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 – 2 cups mix of heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, diced
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed or finely chopped
½ cups herbs, chopped
½ avocado
½ lime, juiced
CORNCAKES
Add corn meal, brown rice flour, and baking soda to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to incorporate ingredients. Next add the buttermilk and egg and mix, there may still be lumps in the batter but that is ok!
Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat up a large pan over medium high heat, add coconut oil. Pour small circles of batter onto pan. Wait until the edges dry and bubbles start to come up, and then flip the corncake. Continue until all of the batter is gone!
TOMATO SALSA
Add tomatoes, olive oil, pressed garlic, and herbs to a bowl and stir. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
ASSEMBLY: Add avocado and lime juice to small bowl and mash. Frost corn cake with avocado frosting, add dollop of tomato salsa. EAT!
References
1. Tsuda T, Horio F, Uchida K, Aoki H, Osawa T. Dietary cyanidin 3-O-? -D-glucoside-rich purple corn color prevents obesity and ameliorates hyperglycemia in mice. J Nutr. 2003;133(7):2125-2130.
2. Urias-Lugo, D., Heredia, J., Muy-Rangel, M., Valdez-Torres, J., Serna-Saldívar, S., & Gutiérrez-Uribe, J. (2015). Anthocyanins and Phenolic Acids of Hybrid and Native Blue Maize (Zea mays L.) Extracts and Their Antiproliferative Activity in Mammary (MCF7), Liver (HepG2), Colon (Caco2 and HT29) and Prostate (PC3) Cancer Cells. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition Plant Foods Hum Nutr, 70(2), 193-199. Retrieved August 8, 2015, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11130-015-0479-4#