The Goods on Corn

Corn is actually both a vegetable and a grain which makes it a bit of a unique food and it’s found in a lot of what we eat: tortillas, chips, popcorn and cereals. Yellow corn is high in potassium which can help lower blood pressure. This gluten-free veggie is also richer in antioxidants than other grains such as wheat, oats and rice. And when in season and fresh, it tastes delicious as a side!

Dr. Ashely Gordon is a Squamish-based Naturopathic Physician and owner of Garibaldi Health Clinic, an integrative health care facility offering safe and effective care including Naturopathic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Massage, Midwifery and Physical Therapy. Dr. Gordon’s treatments focus on the whole person, from the physical and mental to the emotional and spiritual realms. To learn more about what Naturopathic Medicine can do for you, or to make an appointment, visit www.garibaldihealthclinic.com or call 604 898 1999.

Summer Sweet Corn Salad

Adapted from
Taste of home



Ingredients

Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/4 tsp Salt
1 - 1 1/2 cups fresh corn
1 - 1 1/2 grape tomatoes
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp fresh minced basil
1/4 cup crumbled Feta
Optional:
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

Directions

De-cobb your corn and separate to remove any remaining corn silk.

Cut your grape or cherry tomatoes in halves and chop your cucumber into equivalent pieces. You can also use Zucchini for this, you just may need to make a little extra dressing to compensate for it being less juicy than cucumber.

In a large skillet, cook and stir corn in 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until tender.

Transfer to a salad bowl; cool slightly.

While it cools, In a small bowl, whisk 4 teaspoons oil, lime juice, salt and hot pepper sauce.

Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil to the corn. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving or refrigerate until chilled.

Sprinkle with the feta cheese crumbles just before serving.

Makes about 4 servings.

March Against Monsanto: "This is our mess"

Join us this weekend - Saturday, May 24th!

Monsanto is a company often in the news for its controversial genetically modified crops. Genetic Modification uses enzymes to splice together desirable traits into a seed or plant that would not naturally occur. “March Against Monsanto” is a major international grass roots movement in over 50 countries. I reached out to Victoria, B.C. March organizer, Laura Weileby, to get her views on some of latest issues to hit the news.

"The point of any protest is always to raise awareness. In this instance it’s to bolster awareness of the evil corporation, Monsanto, and the dangers of genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”). The participants of March Against Monsanto want their right to know what’s in their food respected, and GMOs clearly labeled. The global [march] encompasses many objectives, including speaking on behalf of the environment, our bees and butterflies and all living beings unable to speak for themselves, severely at risk from Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide."

Corn, for example, has the highest production of any GMO crop and has been altered to resist both pests and herbicides. One modification causes the corn plant to produce a “dormant” insecticide that only reacts with an alkaline (the opposite of an acid) environment. The human stomach is naturally acidic, so it doesn’t activate the poison. This of course, doesn’t take into account people who have acid reflux and take alkaline medications on a regular basis to lower the acidity level in their stomach. Would taking these medications either before or after consuming GMO corn activate the poison and what effect would that have on the human body over a long period of time?

GMO corn also differs in nutritional value from organic corn. Organic corn has 7 times more manganese, which helps regulate blood sugar, protect against free radical damage, increase skin integrity, and prevents calcium loss from bones. It also has 437 times more calcium than GMO corn! If calcium is being removed from our food, no wonder we have to rely on supplements in our orange juice. GMO corn does contain one substance in greater quantities than organic corn; it contains 200 times the amount of formaldehyde. Yum.

So why aren’t products being labeled as GMO on our shelves? “Everyone has a right to know what they are eating and feeding their families. Health issues abound in the world today. GMO corporations fight labeling to make it difficult to trace these issues back to their product. The only reason acquiring labeling in Canada and the U.S. is such a struggle is because North America is home to the GMO corporate giants. Their roots are here, and they’re strong ones.”

In fact, there are over 64 countries around the world who require mandatory labeling of GMO products and it is up to grass roots organizations like March Against Monsanto to let the government know that we want it too! “Thanks to the internet, ignorance of this situation is weakening and the power of public awareness is slowly kicking in and killing these GMO giants who once thrived on the ignorance of all. This is our mess we let happen. It only makes sense we should have to put in the most effort yanking out the deepest, most prolific roots.”

Recently, Monsanto has also started their foray into more “traditional” methods of crop modification which have been used for thousands of years. Namely, crossbreeding – identifying plants with traits they want to cultivate, cross breeding them with each other, looking for those traits in the offspring, and re-planting from those offspring until those traits show up in 100% of plant offspring.So far they have introduced five new produce items to grocery stores, under unassociated company names of course, with at least two more getting closer to market. So far there are the: Beneforté, Bellafina, Melōränge, EverMild, and the Frescada.

“I don’t care what they sell. I, for one, will always be seeking ways to be more mindful of what my grocery money goes to support, and Monsanto will always remain a company I do not trust.”

Hypothyroidism, Salt, and Iodine

Periodic Table - Iodine

The government began adding iodine to salt to prevent Iodine deficiencies over a century ago. This worked great until we started moving towards Sea Salt and other gourmet options for cooking. 

So, suddenly we have iodine deficiency conditions on the rise again, especially for infants whose mothers were already iodine deficient. To combat this, try consuming natural sources of iodine like eggs, navy beans, pinto beans, lima beans, corn, and seaweed or kelp on a more regular basis.

Coconut Corn Salad

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ears of corn, shucked
sea salt, to taste
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 cup big coconut flakes, well toasted
1 cup sliced almonds, well toasted
3 tablespoons chopped red onions
generous amount of fresh lemon or lime juice, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, and then add in the corn, sprinkling with salt. Stir well to ensure the corn is coated in both the butter and salt.  Cook for a minute or two, just until the corn is no longer raw, and stir in half the thyme.

Transfer the corn to a large bowl. Just before serving, add most of the coconut flakes, most of the almonds, the rest of the thyme, red onions, and citrus juice. Stir well. Taste, adjust salt to taste, and top with the remaining coconut and almonds. Easy, delicious, and perfect for a summer meal.

Baked Corn Fritters

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 cobs corn, cooked and cut off the cob

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Add egg and milk to dry ingredients and stir until uniform. Mix in the corn.

Drop batter by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until just barely brown. Be careful not to overcook.

Black Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS

Juice of 1 lime, or about 2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp fresh oregano, diced
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cobs corn, steamed and cut off the cob
2 avocados, diced
1 field cucumber, peeled and diced
3 green onions, diced
1 tomato, diced

DIRECTIONS

In a jar, combine lime juice, olive oil, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper. Shake well to combine.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over and toss gently. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemon-Mint Green Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS

3/4 lb green beans, ends trimmed
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1/3 of a lemon
1/4 cup of lemon juice
2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garlic, pressed
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
160 g feta, crumbled
2 ears of corn, grilled and kernels cut from cob
Fresh chopped mint for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt. Add the green beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a bowl of ice water. At 4 minutes, quickly toss one green bean into the ice water. If it is crisp-tender, drain the green beans and add them to the ice water immediately to stop the cooking. If not done to your taste at 4 minutes, cook the beans for one more minute, then move to the ice bath. After a few minutes in the ice water, drain the beans and pat dry.

Make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, mint, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the green beans, tomatoes, feta, and corn in a large bowl. Sprinkle on additional chopped fresh mint if using.

Fresh Corn Fritters

INGREDIENTS

1 large egg, separated
2 ears of corn, cut from cob and drained (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
Dash black pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Optional toppings: Powdered sugar, or dill or chili powder in sour cream

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, beat egg white until stiff; set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg yolk. Add corn, flour, salt, baking powder, and pepper. Stir until blended (mixture will be thick). Fold in egg white.

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Drop corn mixture into skillet by heaping tablespoons, forming patties. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook about 2 minutes more. Drain on paper towels; keep warm.

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a mixture of sour cream and dill or chili powder.

Fresh Corn Patties

INGREDIENTS

1 large egg, separated
1 cup corn cut from cob and drained (about 2 ears)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash black pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
powdered sugar (optional)
sour cream and chopped fresh dill or chili powder (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, beat egg white until stiff; set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat egg yolk. Add corn, flour, salt, baking powder, and pepper. Stir until blended (mixture will be thick). Fold in egg white.

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Drop corn mixture into skillet by heaping tablespoonfuls, forming patties. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side, turning once. Drain on paper towels; keep warm.

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a mixture of sour cream and dill or chili powder to taste.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 heads of corn, cooked and pared from stock
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 red or yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped (optional)
Cilantro sprigs or red onion wedge, for garnish

DRESSING

3/4 cup Italian salad dressing
3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

In large bowl, combine corn, beans, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, and Jalapeno pepper.

To make the dressing, combine Italian salad dressing, hot pepper sauce, chili powder, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro in a jar with a close-fitting lid. Close lid. Shake to mix well. Pour dressing over corn mixture. Stir to mix. Refrigerate, covered, at least 6 hours, or overnight. To serve, put corn mixture in attractive salad bowl. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro or a thin wedge of red onion.