Three Corn Recipes for Exercising
Corn recipes provide our bodies with much-needed energy for action and exercise. Furthermore, it’s a food rich in nutrients, with a balanced sugar and protein content.
Besides being a good source of vitamin B8, corn also provides the body with iron, zinc, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. And, it’s gluten-free, so that celiacs can eat it without any concern.
Corn recipes
Corn is an incredibly versatile ingredient in the kitchen; it can easily be included in a variety of salty dishes, as well as in cakes or ice cream. Next, we will look at three corn recipes that will also help to sustain you through exercises.
Beef, aubergine and corn burgers
Burgers are usually in the junk food category; however, if you make them with the right ingredients, and avoid saturated fats, they can be a rich and healthy choice of food.
Ingredients (for six burgers):
- 3 pounds of ground beef
- 3.5 ounces of corn
- 2.4 ounces of red pepper
- 5.3 ounces of eggplant
- 1.7 ounces of fresh onion
- 3.5 ounces of tomato
- 1/2 teaspoon ground dried garlic
- Ground coriander and coriander leaves
- Parsley
- Two eggs
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Breadcrumbs
- Whole bread for hamburgers
Preparation:
Place the corn in a pot with plenty of water and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Simultaneously chop the eggplant, add a little salt and garlic, together with a touch of oil, so that they don’t stick to the tray. Put the plate in the oven for 10 minutes at a temperature of 482 degrees Fahrenheit.
Dice the onion, pepper, and tomato into small cubes. Add cilantro, parsley, and the minced meat; beat the eggs and add the breadcrumbs to the bowl with the other ingredients.
Place the hamburger meat on a preheated pan, with a little oil, and cook for five minutes on each side. The last step is to put the meat in the hamburger bun: you can also place a layer of eggplant and corn kernels, as well as slices of tomato and onion on top of the meat.
Final considerations
There are other ingredients that you can use to accompany the hamburgers too, such as cheese spread, goat’s cheese, different sauces, etc. Another option is to use canned corn if you don’t have enough time to prepare this grain traditionally.
Corn “arepas” with cheese and avocado
This is a typical South American dish, widely used in different breakfast dishes. The “arepas” have crossed the Atlantic and have found their place among the culinary tastes in Spain. This is one of the best corn recipes out there!
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds of dried corn grains
- 2 pounds of grated cheese
- One avocado
- Salt to taste
Preparing the flour:
After washing and cleaning the corn, place it in a pot with enough water to submerge it, and then boil it. Next, let it simmer for about an hour until the grains are soft. Remove the grains from the stove, stir them, cover them and let them soak for 12 hours.
Once the 12 hours have passed, rinse the corn in a colander, and remove the husk from all of the grains. Finally, put the corn grains into a grinding or crushing machine. Alternatively, another option is to buy canned corn and mash it.
Preparing the arepas:
To make the dough, add two parts of the already crushed corn, two cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. The mixture will be ready when you can mold small dough balls without having them stick to your hands. Then, by patting softly with your hand, try to mash them into the shape of a circle.
Place them on a preheated pan for five minutes on each side. For the final step, bake the arepas in the oven for 10 minutes. Ideally, you want to eat them while they’re still hot, but before that, cut into them and open them in half, place the grated cheese and the sliced avocado inside the arepa. This dish goes perfectly with a good salad.
Final considerations
If you want to skip the preparation of the flour, a quick alternative is to use precooked corn flour. Simply, knead the dough and bake it and, in less than an hour, your homemade arepas will be ready.
Homemade popcorn
This option is ideal for those looking for corn recipes that are quick and practical to snack on while exercising. Popcorn is a highly recommended snack to have before, during and after practicing sports.
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces of corn
- Olive oil
- Honey to taste
Preparation:
Place a pan on the stove and add a teaspoon of olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the corn and cover it with the lid. You can remove the pan from the stove when the kernels stop popping. Finally, pour the honey over the popcorn and bake in the oven at a temperature of 482 degrees Fahrenheit for two minutes.
