Why Frozen Sweetcorn Makes the Perfect Office Lunch
Surprising benefits of this humble vegetable
‘Susty’ adjective An abbreviation of the word ‘sustainable’ used to quickly tag any positive, environmentally-sustainable action, thought or deed.’
‘Lunchbox’ noun Container used to help fruit get out of the house for a day and return safely in the afternoon. Also used figuratively here to represent any workday lunch, whether working from home or in a workplace.
SDG’s The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is what my work is based on. Specifically in finding the harmonious intersection between human health and planetary health. As represented by SDG 3: Human health and wellbeing and SDG 12: Responsible consumption.
‘Reduce, Reuse and Repurpose’ This is part of the mantra of going zero-waste and a very important part of being susty. We should aim to use what we have first, avoid single-use plastics, recycle and compost compost compost.
I HAD NO IDEA THAT FROZEN SWEETCORN WAS SUCH A SUPERSTAR until I started researching it for an article. But it turns out that this humble freezer staple packs quite a nutritional punch.
Fresh corn comes in a myriad of different beautiful hues, but we tend to only see the yellow or white corn. In this newsletter, I am specifically referring to fresh yellow or frozen sweetcorn as opposed to canned. Canned sweetcorn comes packed in a salty liquid and we don’t need anymore added salt. Fresh sweetcorn at the height of the Summer season is glorious, but in the colder months we can still enjoy frozen sweetcorn. Frozen sweetcorn is picked at its peak and the nutrients are preserved by the freezing process, so you are not losing out.
When I am designing menus and recipes for workday lunches they have to tick a few boxes. Some of which are: be delicious and easy to transport, energy giving and satisfying, good for gut health, and moderate in calories and environmental impact. A food or dish might not get a gold star in each category, but should score well overall.
So onto the good news! Why yellow sweetcorn makes the perfect weekday lunch:
Yellow sweetcorn protects your eyes from the damaging effects of blue light from computer screens: excellent news for those glued to screens all day! Sweetcorn is rich in antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which are thought to protect the photoreceptor cells of the eyes against blue light damage.
The fibre in sweetcorn is excellent for your gut microbiome. The friendly bacteria in our gut thrive on dietary fibre, of which sweetcorn has plenty. Just don’t overdo it, especially if you are not used to a high fibre diet.
Sweetcorn is a good source of slow-release energy. Sweetcorn contains resistant starch, which is excellent for sustained energy. Making it ideal to get you from lunch through the afternoon slump.
Despite its sweet flavour, sweetcorn is pretty low in sugar. There is so much confusion about sugars in fruits and vegetables - it is not the same as having a fizzy drink! But to be accurate, sweetcorn has less than half the sugar of a banana and a third of the sugar of an apple.
Sweetcorn keeps you fuller for longer while being low in calories. It adds bulk to meals and is very satisfying while only having 86 calories per 100g. This matters if you are trying to maintain a healthy weight, while leaving space for treats.
It is a super versatile vegetable. From soups, salads, and dips to fritters, salsas, muffins and breads, there is an astonishing variety of recipes and cuisines that feature sweetcorn. Even the Irish sandwich counter favourite: tuna mayo and sweetcorn!
Sweetcorn is big on flavour but low on cost. Super budget friendly, sweetcorn is the ideal veggie to always have in the freezer. Saving money on an item like this, means you have more to spend on organic and artisan foods where it matters.
Frozen sweetcorn equals zero-waste. As it is not a fresh vegetable that can spoil, frozen sweetcorn prevents food waste. It is also a good way to stretch leftovers further, saving more food from going to waste.
Cooking sweetcorn enhances its nutritional value. There are certain fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, where the nutrients actually become more bio-available once cooked. Sweetcorn is one of these, and even high temperatures don’t destroy the nutritional benefits.
Sweetcorn has the potential to be a good organic crop. Current large scale, monoculture corn farming methods are not good for the environment. But sweetcorn has the potential to be a sustainable crop, with a wide range of heirloom varieties to promote biodiversity.
Make-Ahead Mexican-ish Soup
8 servings
This is one of the favourite recipes from my cookery classes. Full of flavour, colour and texture, it will brighten up any workday lunch! This soup freezes really well, and with so many topping ideas, you will never get bored with it. And did I mention that it is really pretty to look at? We feast with our eyes after all and you deserve a good-looking lunch.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (I favour red onion)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 red pepper, diced
1 courgette, diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1.25 litres stock (vegetable or chicken stock)
1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (you can also use black beans)
250g frozen sweetcorn kernels
salt and pepper
Toppings:
cooked, shredded chicken (heated up)
grated mature Cheddar cheese
sour cream or crème fraîche (I prefer crème fraîche)
fresh coriander
lime wedges to squeeze over
a dash of hot sauce
tortilla chips
Method:
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based soup pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and spices until fragrant. Add the red pepper, courgette, sweet potato and tomato paste. Stir well until the vegetables are coated in the spices and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the tinned tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook partially covered with the lid, for 20 minutes.
Add the beans and corn and cook for a further 8 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Ladle into bowls and serve with your choice of toppings: cooked shredded chicken, grated Cheddar, sour cream, fresh coriander, lime wedges, hot sauce and tortilla chips.
Make Ahead: With a slotted spoon, lift the veggies out of the soup and divide equally between 8 freezer-safe containers. Pour the liquid into a jug and distribute equally between the containers, making sure that the veggies are covered in liquid. Leave the lids off and allow to cool on the kitchen counter for 60 minutes. Cover and transfer to the fridge for 4 hours. Date and label the containers and freeze for up to 2 months.
Mini Sweetcorn Fritters
Makes 12-14
These little sweetcorn fritters or pancakes are ideal for a lunchbox: tasty, nutritious and robust enough to travel. Sweetcorn is filling, full of fibre and good for slow-release energy. These are great to make ahead; they keep very well in the fridge for a few days. I use frozen sweetcorn or leftover cooked sweetcorn which is a great zero-waste tip.
100g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten in a small bowl
150ml milk of choice
285g frozen sweetcorn, rinsed under the hot tap and left to drain in a colander
2 spring onions, finely chopped (or half a small red onion)
salt and pepper
Olive oil or sunflower oil, to fry
To serve:
sweet chilli sauce
sriracha
fresh tomato salsa
avocado
feta cheese
fresh coriander
Method:
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, egg and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sweetcorn and spring onions.
Put the sweetcorn batter in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Heat a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Pour in a little oil. Blob four spoonful's of batter into the pan. Don't make the fritters too large.
Watch closely, and when you see bubbles around the edge of the fritter you can flip them over with a spatula. Cook until they are a deep golden colour on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper.
Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the next two batches. You should get at least 12.
Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Succotash Sweetcorn Salad
6 servings
This salad is inspired by a delicious corn-based Native American Indian dish comprised of corn, lima beans and squash. Made with fresh corn in the Summer and dried corn in the Winter, it lends itself very well to frozen sweetcorn. My recipe is a very simple side salad that lasts well in the fridge for up to five days.
250g sweetcorn kernels (I use frozen)
1 tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, finely diced
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 spring onions, finely chopped (or half a small red onion, diced)
1/2 cup of soft fresh herbs of your choice or a mixture: basil, coriander, mint, tarragon
1/2 cup of chopped spinach or Swiss chard (optional but I like it)
Dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed
juice of 2 limes
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Method:
Dressing: mix all the ingredients together and season to taste.
Salad: combine the sweetcorn, kidney beans, courgette, tomatoes and spring onion. Pour over the dressing.
Just before serving, sprinkle over the fresh herbs and spinach.
South African Sweetcorn Beer Bread
Makes 1 loaf
This is my version of a much-loved South African recipe that most households would make a version of. I've added a few little extra cheffy touches, so feel free to get creative and add your own. We normally serve this at braais (BBQ's) but this bread also makes an excellent bread to go with soups.
500g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped, fresh rosemary
375ml beer
200g frozen sweetcorn, rinsed under the hot tap and left to drain in a colander
125g mature Cheddar, grated
50g sunflower seeds, to sprinkle on top
1 tsp coarse sea salt to sprinkle on top
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a small loaf tin.
Mix the flour, salt and rosemary together in a mixing bowl.
Pour in the beer and mix until fully combined.
Stir in the sweetcorn and most of the cheese, keep a little to sprinkle on top.
Transfer the dough to the loaf and smooth out the top.
Sprinkle over the remainder of the cheese, the sunflower seeds and the sea salt.
Bake for an hour until golden on top and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out on a wire rack to cool for a further 20 minutes. If you slice the bread too soon it will fall apart.
Slice and serve with plenty of butter.
If you make any of the recipes, please do post a pic on Twitter or Instagram and tag me: @RozanneStevens on both. And any questions, just DM me, always happy to have foodie chats.
Happy cooking!
xoxoxox