Savory Corn Cakes with Rhubarb Avocado Salsa

My never ending quest to eat rhubarb in different ways (other than baked goods) came in the form of a simple salsa yesterday. After sweating some red onions and rhubarb, I gently tossed it with avocado and seasoned with sea salt. It was a mild and delicious combination that paired great with these corn cakes.
 

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Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, these corn cakes are filled with just that- corn! Topped with a cooked rhubarb avocado salsa and you've got yourself a new and unusual way to eat rhubarb.

Savory Corn Cakes
makes 8-10 medium sized cakes
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 1/4 cup almond or coconut milk
1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed corn kernels, divided
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
1/2 cup minced green onions (green parts only)
3 tbl cilantro, roughly chopped
3 tbl canola oil, for frying

In a food processor, combine the mashed banana, 1/2 cup corn kernels, milk and olive oil and blend until smooth. Add the flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. By hand, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup corn, red bell pepper, green onions and cilantro.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat a large non stick pan with canola oil. Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon and drop balls of dough into the pan. Use a spatula to flatten out each cake. Saute until golden brown on both sides, 10 minutes total. Transfer all of the corn cakes to a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Rhubarb Salsa
1 tbl canola oil
2 large stalks rhubarb, 1/2" sliced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 ripe avocado, cubed
salt, to taste

Saute the rhubarb and red onion in oil until tender but not complete mush, about 7 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then toss with the avocado and season with salt to taste.

Morel & New Potato Hash

This hash could really be served anytime of the day. I chose to spice it with the same seasonings one would taste when eating breakfast sausage or tempeh bacon so it has more of a breakfast feel to me.
If you've never tried sea beans, the time to get them is right now! Don't expect your grocery store to carry them, instead head to your local farmer's market and ask around for them. They are thin and crunchy and naturally salty which is why you will notice there is no additional salt in this recipe. Between the sea beans and the tamari, this dish is plenty salty.

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Since Morel's are hollow on the inside, they work perfectly for this hash. Cooked alongside the potatoes they soften then crisp up at the end pairing perfectly with tempeh and plenty of woody herbs.

Morel Hash
serves 3
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
12oz tempeh, medium dice
4 small yellow potatoes, unpeeled, medium dice
1 cup morels, halved lengthwise
2 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbl tamari
1 tbl agave or maple syrup
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 cup sea beans, roughly chopped

Saute the tempeh, potatoes and morels in a large skillet for 5-7 minutes until the potato start to get tender. Add the water and garlic and cook until the water has evaporated. Season with basil, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, tamari, agave and liquid smoke. Saute 5 minutes more until the potatoes are fully cooked through and most of the sauce from the tamari has been absorbed.
Toss with fresh sea beans and serve.

Barbecue Tempeh Bowl

Normally when making a bowl like this, I like to make everything from scratch. Today was an exception. I wanted to eat more than I wanted to cook so I took some help from the grocery store and purchased BBQ sauce and baked beans. From there I simply cooked the tempeh in the sauce and made a quick slaw while the collards were steaming.

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Crisp cubes of tempeh simmered in tangy barbecue sauce with baked beans, collard greens and a refreshing slaw filled with snap peas, beets and carrots.

Barbecue Tempeh Bowl
serves 3
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
16oz tempeh, medium cubed
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup water
1 bunch collard greens, steamed
1-15oz can vegan baked beans
Beet & Carrot Slaw

Saute the tempeh in olive oil until brown and crispy, 5-7 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce and water and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce is thick.
Serve the tempeh in a bowl with steamed collards, baked beans and slaw.

Beet & Carrot Slaw
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded raw beets
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced sugar snap peas
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tbl dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all of the slaw ingredients together and chill for at least 15 minutes before serving. When ready to eat, taste and season with salt if necessary.