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We're having warmer weather at the moment, but last week things were still on the chilly side.Con and I were also still adjusting to the new school year - papers to write, papers to grade, a new theater schedule, homework, homework, homework, lesson planning, etc.
It seemed like a good time to pull out another comfort food meal.
This summer, I wanted a recipe for corn pudding, and as I perused various sites, I found a highly rated recipe for "Corn Casserole" by Paula Deen. I'm not usually a fan of Deen's cooking, due to the copious amounts of butter, etc., but I decided to try this one and then figure out how to make it reasonable.
Deen's version was extremely rich. Too rich for me on every single level.
What I wanted was something that was doable nutritionally and that had a bit of spice to go with Deen's overly-sweet version. The changes below worked beautifully, and a delicious dinner was had by all. I also had some kale and tatsoi from my last farm share that I wanted to use, so I took 2 strips of Ernst Farm bacon, cut them into small pieces, and sauteed them, adding the greens (chopped) when the bacon rendered. The smoky taste of the bacon was a great complement to the greens, and we had a perfect side in about 7 minutes. This was definitely a supper of Southern-style comfort foods.
Jen's Corn Pudding
Ingredients
Corn kernels from 4 ears of corn, or 4 cups frozen kernels
1 package of Jiffy Mix corn muffin mix
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar
2 links Amy Lu chicken Andouille sausage, sliced in half lengthwise, and then chopped into pieces
1/2 tsp Frank's Redhot or other hot sauce (Clancy's might be good here)
oil or cooking spray for greasing casserole dish.
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish (I used an 8X12 dish that was just the right size - 13X9 makes things a bit thin and 9X9 is too thick, and the pudding won't set as easily).
2. In a large bowl, stir together the corn, the corn muffin mix, sour cream, buttermilk, melted butter, sausage pieces and hot sauce.
4. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Take out of the oven and top with the shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Bake for another 5 - 10 minutes until cheese is just melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.
Variations:
Sweet version - leave out the hot sauce and use Amy Lu's Apple Maple Sausage.
Vegetarian - leave out the sausage - it still tastes great. You could also put in some sauteed, chopped summer squash for added nutritional boost.
Note: The reason I'm promoting the Amy Lu sausages is only because their fat and calorie counts are much lower than other chicken sausages. That's only important in terms of the nutrition info here.
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 364.9
Total Fat 18.9 g
Saturated Fat 10.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.2 g
Cholesterol 55.1 mg
Sodium 639.7 mg
Potassium 223.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 40.4 g
Dietary Fiber 1.6 g
Sugars 10.7 g
Protein 11.9 g
As always, nutrition information supplied by the recipe calculator at sparkrecipes.com.
34 comments:
This looks terrific. I agree about Paula -- her food is really good, but really rich and can always be adjusted!
WEds over here always make my tummy rumble...
You really can adjust just about anything to make it healthier but still taste good. And Paula's stuff looks amazing, but I do prefer a bit less sugar and a LOT less butter! ;-) I have enormous respect for her, though - what she's done with her life has been remarkable.
PM - we crossposted! Yeah, and now it will just be Wednesdays, I think. ;-)
yum. that looks amazing!
Paula's food is very rich in butter but perfectly fine for the occasional calorie splurge.This is so homey it draws me in.
Thanks, Brian!
Val - this is true, but I always think we can change things a bit to make things healthier. ;-)
Such a great way to enjoy fresh corn! Thanks for sharing :)
This is exactly the kind of recipe I've been craving! I can make a lot of it at once, and it will make excellent leftovers on days when I'm at school the whole day (Monday and Thurs). I'm so glad you posted this!
it sounds fabulous. I love corn in general. I made a somewhat similar dish with hashbrowns, ricotta cheese and chorizo. I have to experiment this one with corn. Sounds like the perfect brunch meal.
Oh I don't know if you've noticed, I started a bread contest. You should submit one of your recipes. The winner gets a $179 Super Bread bread knife from New West Knifeworks. You can get more info here:
http://www.phamfatale.com/id_516/title_Pham-Fatale-Bread-Contest/
Your addition of spice & smoke was truly inspired: this looks like a delicious innovation. Yum!
Karine - you're very welcome!
Brittany - I'm so glad! D has been bringing the leftovers to work, too. This is pretty rich, so a little goes a long way.
Jackie - The hashbrown-ricotta variant sounds wonderful too! I have seen the bread contest - my problem is that all my breads are based on Zoe Francois's Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day, so I don't really feel like they're "mine". For something like this recipe today, it's different, because I really changed it up, but since I use Zoe's no-knead methods, it feels... different. I might see what I can do, though. I bake bread at least a couple of times per week!
It worked out pretty well, Anno. D and C both feel this one's a keeper!
I'm addicted to comfort food! That dish looks so good! Perfect for the fresher days...
Cheers,
Rosa
Sounds DELICIOUS, Jen! I love the combination of flavors here!
Rosa - I'm definitely getting into fall mode. Even if I'm still mixed about it! ;-)
Jenn - I was pleased with the end result.
looks really good. we meant to make a southern style meal this summer, but we never got around to it. southern food is not something i know a lot about, but yours looks quite tasty and good job on making it healthier.
yeaaaay for warmer weather!!!! I told you not to announce fall too soon ;).
corn pudding huh? sounds very exotic. We can hardly find corn ingredients here.
Twins - I'm no expert on Southern cooking myself, but Deen sure is. ;-) It's more what I wanted in terms of the "feel" of the dinner. BTW... there are some GREAT Southern places up in Harlem. I'm going to check with friends on the names. They really, really rock and aren't too expensive.
Goofball - corn is almost ubiquitous here. Well, actually, it is. You can also easily do this with frozen corn kernels if you have those.
Did you read my mind? I've been craving something corny these days, and this pudding will hit the spot!
A great way to enjoy fresh corn.
burp - it must be that time of year!
Ivy - thanks very much!
Jen! Oh, the corn pudding!!!! I should never read recipes when hungry! Oh, I must try yours. I usually do something with corn muffin mix and creamed corn (sounds awful, doesn't it?)
Thanks for this!
Wow, that sounds amazing. I'm speechless and feel the need to go out and buy corn and buttermilk right away :)
I only use corn for salads (the sweet one that goes in cans) but would love to try other culinary ways. Thanks for the recipe Jen! It looks so different and apetizing :D
Wait... a Paula Deen recipe that was too rich? I don't believe you. These should have been battered, deep fried, and then covered in whipped cream.
Jen, I've never had corn pudding. it sounds amazingly tasty. Thanks for the great recipe.
Never had corn pudding before. But this sounds so intrigung. I must buy the last fresh corns of the season from our local farmer's market to give this a try.
This looks amazing, Jenn, and I'm sure I'd prefer your version to Paula Deen's any day of the week and twice on Sunday ;)
I hear you about Paula Dean's cooking. There's a few recipes I like, but my system can't take that much butter. (Which is sacrilegious for a Wisconsinite, I know).
This looks really good! I'm bummed that our corn is all done now, but I have some frozen that should work.
I saw Paula Deen on The View the other day and died laughing at the look at her face when Barbara Walters told her she was contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic!
I'm going to try this because I definitely have kids that love corn. Going to try to put in veggie sausage instead! :)
Sorry I got behind on comments, all:
Oh - actually, Paula's original recipe called for that exact combination, but I like this far better, honestly.
Liz - this was a good (and CHEAP) recipe - just loving it!
Nuria - if I can actually teach YOU something in terms of a new way to use an ingredient, I will be honored, indeed, since you've taught me so much!
Yeah, Peter, those were the parts I left out. ;-)
Teresa - this is a homey one, and easy for adaptation for two.
Zerrin - it's much tastier with fresh corn, but frozen works, as well.
Michelle - thanks so much!
Virtual - I'm with you on that one. I do much, much better with lower fat dishes, in general.
Los A - now that's all over the net, but how can she NOT know she contributes with those recipes? Yikes! I also make this with chopped summer squash mixed in - can sneak in more veggies that way in terms of MY boy. ;-)
I love the look and I should try this! And I've summoned the IT Guy twice already to show him the 2 recipes (this and the one above) because I want us to try them.
Corn pudding has been a staple on our Thanksgiving table for more years than I care to admit. Thanks for all the variations.
I am sooo going to make this when Korie comes to visit....she will love it and I will save my fat grams to make sure I can eat it! YUM!
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