YouTube Idols and a Fresh Grilled Corn Salad

It's been about five years since the first time I put pen-to-paper so to speak and began writing about my cooking experiences. There was been a lot of changes in those five years, different social media sources, those clever super sped up cooking videos, and YouTube. YouTube is a goldmine of information and videos to watch, everything from a short clip of a single recipe to fully produced 30 minute "shows" by everyone from amateurs to professional chefs getting in on it. During the last year I really got to thinking of YouTube as a great way to keep up with some of my personal favorites, like Rachel Khoo, since I am rarely able to catch her shows on American satellite tv, and a YouTube favorite, Hilah Cooking. The brainchild of Texas cook and YouTube sensation Hilah Johnson, Hilah Cooking is a fun and "real woman" cooking show and companion blog that I find highly entertaining! Besides her great sense of humor, her recipes are killer! Hilah makes real food- fresh, pretty much in live-time and her recipes are not filled with pricey ingredients, she doesn't use an army of ridiculously expensive and unnecessary tools and gadgets, and the finished dishes look like something I want to eat. Right now. 

Recently I watched a Hilah Cooking video in which Hilah was making a fresh corn salad, starting with slightly charred ears of fresh corn. Raw corn. Still sweet and juicy and touched by a little grill heat to give you just a few bits of grilled taste. Her video is hilarious, taking a jab at that current Pinterest trendy phrase "Mexican street corn" and bringing out the giggles in me. I would soooo love to hang out with this woman! Her recipe sounded delicious, with that corn that's not really cooked. I was immediately convinced I needed to make this- or something a lot like it. I mean, come on, I am a Minnesota turned Iowa girl after all- we are all about the corn. Hilah's recipe sounds totally delicious with a nice kick of heat from those fresh Serrano chilies. I am going to switch up her recipe a bit and add some avocado maybe or even toss some pan seared scallops in there to make it an entree salad. I cheated and roasted my corn and scallions over the burner on my gas range- worked like a charm! Here is how I did it.

Tex Mex Iowa Sweet Corn Salad with Scallops

4 ears fresh Iowa sweet corn
3 scallions
1 Jalapeno or Serrano chili
1 cup halved heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 avocado, cut into cubes
1 package large scallops, thawed if frozen
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 limes
1/2 cup cotija cheese
1/4 olive oil, plus more
2 cloves garlic, grated
salt and pepper
1 package arugula
1 small bunch fresh cilantro

Clean the ears of corn, removing as much of the silk as possible. Rub each ear of corn with a small drizzle of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat a grill to high, or heat a heavy skillet or grill pan over high heat. Add the corn and grill over high heat, turning so that you get char on all sides. Set corn aside to cool. Throw the scallions on there for a just a minute or two to get some char marks and flavor. Set them aside. 

Place the scallops in a bowl and squeeze half of one of the limes and a tablespoon of olive oil over and sprinkle with the chili powder. 

Sear the scallops in a hot skillet until just cooked and they have the beautiful golden brown crust. Remove to a plate and set aside.

This is the golden brown sear you're looking for.

Cut the corn off the cobs and discard the cobs. Place the corn in a large bowl, add the tomatoes, avocado, and the scallions, which have been chopped. Add a handful of chopped cilantro.

In a small bowl or jar, juice the remaining limes. For an intense lime flavor you can also add some of the zest to the dressing. Whisk in the 1/4 cup olive oil, grated garlic and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cotija cheese crumbles like a charm.

Drizzle half the dressing over the vegetables, toss to coat everything, then add the cheese, toss again, and serve the corn salad on top of a handful of arugula with remaining dressing on the side. Top the salad with the scallops.

So fresh! This is a great party recipe for when you are having friends over on a summer evening- very limited indoor cooking IF you go the skillet route and lots of fresh flavors. Like that super trendy, if not slightly irritating recipe for Mexican street corn, this dish has a TexMex hint of flavor but it's totally Iowa with that crunchy sweet corn. I love it because it doesn't have any mayonnaise in the recipe, and I find the whole idea of cooking mayo on an ear of corn completely yuck. I hope you'll try it. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Tex Mex Chile Lime Rice Bowls

My nephew moved away this week. My fun foodie nephew Jeremy who you all have met in a few posts over the years, as a guest chef, and when we visited the World Food Festival. I'm both sad and a little envious at the same time. Sad, because Jeremy and I shared a special bond with our interest in food and cooking and the Transformers, and envious because his path of life has led him to The Lonestar State, Texas, the first state I moved to as a young adult. My first big move away from home. The biggest city I had ever lived in at the time. The state where I would teach myself to master crepes, pate choux, brining a turkey and won my first cooking competition.

Jeremy and I had a great chat the day before he left. I'm proud of all of my nephews but especially proud of Jeremy for taking control of his destiny and hitting the road for new adventures. How many of us toil away day after day and yet wish we had to chance to do the same thing? The company he works for offered a transfer to Texas and he embraced the opportunity. He shared regular updates from the road, where they were, and also what they were eating. The first day of travel got him all the way to Norman, Oklahoma where they stopped for some sleep and some kickass ramen. His first meal in the Lonestar State was, what else? Barbeque! The Goat (my secret nickname for Jeremy) had his first Texas barbeque from Dickey's Barbeque Pit in San Antonio and the picture looks like he had some pretty tasty grub.

The next day meant more miles to drive and more sights to see. He shared pics of the Texas Motor Speedway, the Dallas skyline, which made me horribly homesick for Fort Worth. Jeremy is headed for San Antonio, where I have never been, so I'm super excited to see pictures of where he lives and where he hangs out. Texas is a fantastic place for a foodie to live. Austin is widely considered the Food Truck Capital of the World. Texas is also a huge beef producing state with cattle ranches dotting the landscape outside of the cities. Then you have Texas style barbeque which is HUGE, and Tex Mex everything. I'm a big fan of Tex Mex flavors and I think this regional cuisine has really evolved over the years.

REALLY better- and not salty either. My favorite brand.

Tex Mex is one of those delicious fusions of cuisines- southwestern American and Mexican. It's been around for well over a century and takes cues from Mexican, American and Spanish dishes to create a whole new world of flavors. Texas chili, street tacos, giant burritos and fajitas are just a few of the dishes included in Tex Mex cooking. Lots of cilantro is used and that's definitely an acquired taste for some people. Things can get pretty cheesy too, and sometimes a little too cheesy, so for our recipe today we are taking the focus away from the cheese and making some Iowa pork the star.

I started with a pork loin roast and cut it into cubes.

I'm taking my newest Tex Mex dish in line with another new trend- the rice bowl. Pinterest is loaded with rice bowl recipes and they are perfect for lunch bowls and meal prep days. I am braising tender chunks of pork loin with garlic and chili spices, combining with zesty lime and serving with rice and all kinds of tasty and healthy toppings that add lots of flavor and texture but not a lot of extra calories- avocado, chopped tomatoes, onion, whatever you like. I'm going to go with some pan-roasted corn kernels, avocado, chopped tomatoes and onion. I might add cheese.....but you really don't need it.

Chile Lime Pork Rice Bowls

1 boneless pork roast, about 2 lb.
6 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 lime
2 bunches scallions, sliced
1-2 tablespoons chili powder, to taste
oil
cooked rice for serving
toppings: avocado, chopped red onion, chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, salsa or pico

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut the pork roast into one inch cubes and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside for now.

Mince the garlic cloves. Zest the entire lime and juice. Slice the scallions. Set aside.

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a heavy Dutch oven. Add the pork cubes in small batches and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and continue until all pork is browned, adding more oil if needed. Remove last of the pork and set aside.

Add the garlic to the pot and cook, stirring for a minute or two until softened. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the chili powder and continue cooking one minute until fragrant. Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to boil, stirring to bring up the stuck on bits at the bottom. Return the pork and any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Stir in the lime juice, half the scallions and zest. I threw in the squeezed lime halves as well, and removed them after cooking. Cover and place in the oven. Braise for 2 hours until very tender. You can also cook this on the stovetop at very low simmer.

Prepare the rice and other toppings while the pork is braising. Slice avocados, coarsely chop cilantro, chop red onions and tomatoes. Shred some good cheddar or Mexican cheese. 

Remove the pork from the oven. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry (1 Tb cornstarch and 1 Tb water).

Serve the meat over rice in bowls with the toppings of your choice.

We had our pork with brown rice, pan-roasted Iowa sweet corn that I had frozen in the summer, avocado, tomato, sliced scallions and just a little bit of shredded cheese. You can customize your rice bowl with the toppings you like. The pork was so tender and flavorful. Even The Chef raved about it and threatened to steal the recipe! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."