A Mexi-CAN'T Miss Meal

So, as many of you know, I LOVE FOOD!  Hmmmm, is that what landed me on WW?  When I see a recipe, I don't mess around...that sucker is what we havin' for dinner!  I am a lover of The Cheesecake Factory.  Say what you will peeps, I know it's a chain, but that's some dang good food!  Portion sizes...AMAZING!  Hello?  Who else serves you a piece of cheesecake the size of a small child, and doesn't judge when there is nothing left? 

In our house, on Tuesdays, I love doing Taco Tuesday.  It's easy, it's delicious, and it ain't nutritious.  But, this week, after seeing this recipe, I thought, "why not mix it up a little"? 

http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/





This recipe, that I made for dinner the other night, comes straight from The Cheesecake Factory...but with a twist.  RANDOM THOUGHT: Don't you always feel like the first time you make a recipe, it takes you 3 hours because you have to go back and re-read every step three times just to make sure you're doing it right?  Well, this is one of those recipes.  Let's just say, I started this recipe at 3:30, after I put Jacob down for a nap...and when he woke up 2 hours later, I was still working on it.  Brian came home from work around 7:00, right as I was pulling the steak off the grill.  Using a grill in 30 degree weather just isn't the same as a warm summer night, btw. END OF RANDOM THOUGHT 

Ok, so this recipe is off the appetizer menu from The Cheesecake Factory.  Remember those Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes?  Well, I sure do...and I must say, my way tastes just as good, but is WAAAAY healthier.

Corn Cake Pancakes

Makes about 10 medium cakes

2 cups frozen yellow corn kernels, thawed

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp skim milk

Dump 2 cups of thawed corn into a food processor and pulse until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky.  If you don't have a food processor, substitute with 2 cups of canned creamed corn.  Makes clean-up a lot easier, too! 

Transfer the pureed corn to a large bowl.

Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and pepper to the corn. Mix well.

Add the lightly beaten eggs and milk, and stir to combine.

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with nonstick spray. (I might have killed this low-fat concept by adding olive oil to the pan, instead.  SOOOO much better that way!)

Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of batter into the hot skillet.  Cook the cakes 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.

 

Avocado Salsa
Makes about 2 cups

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

1 avocado, pitted and diced 

Mix all of the ingredients (except the avocado)  together in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Then, just before serving it up, add the avocado and mix carefully.  You don't want to mash the avocado too much!  If you want, to make it as close as The Cheesecake Factory Recipe as possible, drizzle a small amount of sour cream over your final product.  To thin it out, so it drizzles easily, all you need to do is add a little water to your sour cream. 

I made the salsa first, and then the corn cake pancakes.  I did it in this order, so the cakes were crispy and warm, for serving. 

Earlier in the day, I marinated some skirt steak, that I had picked up from Fresh Market, to serve with the Corn Cakes.  As Rachel Ray would say, YUMMO!!!

Carne Asada

2 pounds skirt steak

Salt and black pepper

Marinade:

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, leaves and stems are fine

salt and black pepper

2 limes, squeezed for juice

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and Pepper each side of the flank steak.  Mix all remaining ingredients together, and cover with plastic wrap.  Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 hours.  Then, all that's left is to grill it up!  Always cut skirt steak, or flank steak, for that matter, across the grain, diagonally.

    This was my final product.  So delicious!    

TAKE THAT, TACO TUESDAY!