Okay, this is one of those love-it-or-hate-it moments. Personally, I love sweet corn tomalito.
What is sweet corn tomalito? You know those really inauthentic (yet delicious) Mexican restaurants that seem to specialize only in the greasiest Mexican food and over-sized margaritas (I’m looking at you, Chevy’s & El Torito)? You know that little scoop of bright yellow sweet corn on the side of everything you order at those restaurants? That’s sweet corn tomalito.
And I love it.
If that doesn’t ring any bells, then just picture a really sweet dish somewhere between cornmeal and cornbread . . . who can say no to that?!
You can actually buy a powdered mix that El Torito produces – I’ve had it many times and quite enjoy it! But the first ingredient is sugar. Problem number one. And it’s a processed bag of powder-y corn and you pour a can of creamed corn in it. Problem number two.
So it’s time to make my own. Shouldn’t delicious sweet fresh summer corn be the most prominent ingredient?! YES.
serves 6
3 ears fresh summer corn
1 C fine ground cornmeal
1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
3 T agave nectar*
2 T vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t kosher salt
3 T unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/4 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk (any non-dairy milk will do)
*my version of this is not nearly as excessively sweet as the restaurant version. If you want it that way, you should double the agave
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cut the kernels off the corn cobs. But that’s not all we’re doing! What’s left on the cob is filled with this creamy sweet goodness, so we’ll get all that out! Stand a cob up in the bottom of a large bowl. Take the back of your knife, and run it down the side of the corn cob – and put some muscle into it! Do that on all sides, and you’ll get this sweet corn juice out too! Then pour that in a food processor or blender, add half the corn kernels and puree.
Combine that puree, the whole kernels, and the rest of the wet ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, and then combine the two. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan, and cook for about half an hour.
I like to serve it really hot from the oven, and scoop it out of the loaf pan with an ice cream scoop. For an extra-indulgent treat, top with a dab of Earth Balance so it melts all over . . . and maybe a bit of maple syrup. Mmmm!
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 265; Calories from Fat: 55; Total Fat: 6.1g; Saturated Fat: 1.0g; Sodium: 257mg; Total Carbohydrates: 49.9g; Dietary Fiber: 4.3g; Sugars: 11.5g; Protein: 5.4g
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