Two New (Sweet!) Ways to Enjoy Summer Corn and Cucumbers

By: Christine F

Hi everybody!  This is Christine here with not one but two vegan recipes to get your summer started right!  Fresh corn in ice cream?  Savory herbs in a cocktail?  You betcha!  These unusual flavor combinations breathe new life into classic summer veggies.

The Sweetness of Corn, Minus the Corn Syrup

Ever eaten at a eco-friendly restaurant?  I was lucky enough to dine at Square 1682 in Philadelphia last weekend, and was really impressed by their environmental policies.  But what I really couldn’t stop gushing about was the Sweet Corn Ice Cream.  Imagine your childhood excitement surrounding a big bowl of frosted flakes or corn pops.  Now take that processed corn taste and transform it into fresh, buttery ice cream.  Amazing.

Most sweet corn ice cream recipes I discovered are fairly simple combinations of fresh-corn infused cream, egg yolks, and sugar.   I used coconut milk for the fattiness of the cream and cashew butter for the richness of egg yolks.  A touch of maple syrup, salt and vanilla lent a buttery taste to the animal-free substitutions.

Vegan Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 can (about 2 cups) coconut milk
• 1 cup unsweetened soy, almond, or rice milk
• 2 cups fresh sweet corn, shucked from about 3 ears
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• pinch of salt

In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, soy milk, sugar, and corn.  Gently heat to boiling.  Turn off heat and let for about an hour to let the flavors combine.  Puree the corn into the mixture until smooth, and strain out any chunks.

In a small bowl, mix together the flaxseed and water and let sit until thickened slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cashew butter, vanilla, maple syrup, and flax mixture.  Slowly pour in the warm corn mixture and whisk to combine.

Return to saucepan, and heat on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until thickened.  Add a pinch of salt to taste.  Let the mixture come to room temperature, then chill for 2 hours.  I am usually pretty loose with chill times, but here it is important that it is as cold as possible before putting into the ice cream maker.  Follow the directions in your ice cream maker, then freeze again before serving.  If you don’t have an ice cream maker, try following the directions here.

Move Over, Bloody Mary

There’s a new veggie cocktail in town.  I was inspired by the delicious “Hendricks and Honeydew” I had at James on 8th in Philadelphia, not to be confused with Jim’s Cheesesteaks, where our cab driver first took us!

At James, the drink was made with candied thyme as a garnish.  Since Hendrick’s gin is traditionally served with cucumber, my version includes a whole fresh cucumber pureed with honeydew, lime and thyme-infused simple syrup.  With a shot of liquor and a splash of soda water, you’ve got yourself a spa-worthy summer cocktail.

Cucumber-Thyme Cocktail

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 6-8 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup honeydew melon
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 12 oz liquor of your choice, preferably gin or rum
• 24 oz club soda or seltzer

In a saucepan on medium heat, combine water and sugar until dissolved, about 3 minutes.  Add the sprigs of thyme and simmer for 7 more minutes, or until the syrup reduces to about 1/4 cup.  Remove the thyme sprigs.

In a blender, combine the thyme-syrup, cucumber, melon, and lime.  Puree until smooth.

For each glass, add 1.5 oz (1 shot) of liquor, 1.5 oz puree, and 3 oz soda.  Top with ice and fresh thyme sprigs to garnish. Makes 8 cocktails.  I only actually served 4 drinks, so I froze the remaining puree in an ice cube tray to use for smoothies.

New Harvest Omega-3 Supplement Giveaway Winner is now closed.

The winner of last week’s New Harvest contest is Heather!  She is a new vegetarian herself, so hopefully a new vegetarian source of EPA omega-3’s will start her off on the right foot!  Don’t fret if you didn’t win, because you can still use this secret coupon for $2.00 off the supplement at GNC stores.

You know you had a great trip when two weeks later you’re still talking about the food!  Thanks again to New Harvest for the Omega-3 Supplement Giveaway and delicious weekend.

xoxo Christine