Spicy Coconut Creamed Corn

Now that we’re in the middle of fresh corn season, I see myself making the “Spicy Coconut Creamed Corn”, page 366, on a regular basis. Nothing could be simpler, prettier, or more delicious. Creamy and yellow, with flecks of red and green, and, as the recipe notes say, “definitely not your mother’s creamed corn”. The recipe calls for three cups of corn, part of which can be (optionally) puréed for a creamier texture. I used 1 ½ cups of fresh corn (which is all I had), and 1 ½ cups of frozen corn (which I opted to purée). The corn, coconut milk, minced green chiles, and soy sauce are added to sautéed red bell pepper, green onions, and garlic, cooked slow until hot and creamy, and seasoned with a pinch of cayenne, salt, and pepper, to taste.

Had I made this recipe as written, using olive oil and coconut milk, it would have been quite high in fat, and saturated fat. I skipped the oil altogether, and used a nonstick skillet and a little water, as needed, to sauté the veggies. Instead of coconut milk, I used plain, unsweetened soymilk and added ½ teaspoon of coconut extract. As written, this dish would have contained 67 grams of fat (45 grams saturated), and 962 calories. With the changes I made, the fat content dropped to 10 grams (only 1 gram saturated), and 478 calories. I enjoyed this dish so much, I can’t imagine I would have liked it any better with the extra fat and calories.

Hint: I puréed the frozen corn with the soymilk-coconut extract-mixture in the blender, just enough to break up the corn, not liquify it, before adding it to the remaining ingredients.

This would make an excellent addition to an Indian food themed dinner, or as a side dish to any meal.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Instead of oil, use a nonstick skillet to sauté the veggies, with just enough water as necessary to prevent sticking.
• Replace the coconut milk with 1-cup of nondairy milk (soy or almond seem to be best) mixed with ½ teaspoon coconut extract