If I’m home alone and the house is silent, one of my favorite things to do is have the Food Network quietly on in the background. Somehow it inspires me without sucking time away or distracting me from getting my work around the house done.

A few weeks ago, I caught a glimpse of Giada at Home making corn cakes and I knew I had to create a vegan friendly version!

My husband and I both really enjoy a solid kick of heat in our food. It’s a great way to boost flavor without adding a lot of calories and fat. As an added bonus from nature, peppers are full of vitamins.

There are two small hot pepper plants growing in the corner of my kitchen with a couple of ripe peppers dangling from their branches. Their fiery red color mixed with the vibrant yellow of the corn and grassy green onions makes the delicate corn cakes mini works of art.

While crafting the corn cakes, I threw the peppers into the food processor whole, seeds and all. To cut back on the heat you could remove the seeds and membranes of the peppers, where much of the heat is found.

The patties are delicate and need to be handled with care, but let me assure you it is well worth the effort because it produces a crisp, crunchy texture on the outside, with an ooey gooey delicious inside.

Please enjoy!

Spicy Corn Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups whole wheat bread crumbs, divided into ½ and ¾ cups
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 2 small Red Belgian peppers, or 2 small hot peppers or 1 medium size
• ½ cup daiya mozzarella style shreds
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salsa, for serving (optional)

Directions

If you are opting to make your own bread crumbs add whole wheat bread to a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Remove bread crumbs from food processor and set aside.

Add the corn and peppers to the food processor and pulse into a thick chunky consistency.

In a large bowl, add corn-pepper puree, ½ cup breadcrumbs, daiya mozzarella shreds, green onions, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and stir until combined.

Divide mixture into approximately 7 balls and flatten into thick patties. Refrigerate patties for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat a griddle pan to 350F, or a grill to medium-high heat.

Brush griddle pan or grill with olive oil.

In a small bowl, add remaining ¾ cup bread crumbs. Carefully coat the delicate patties in breadcrumbs on both sides and place on the griddle. Cook for approximately 5 minutes on first side. Drizzle the tops of the patties in olive oil and very gently flip the patty over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the outside is crisp and a deep golden brown color.

Serve spicy corn cakes with a side of salsa.

p.s. I’m still collecting pumpkins :-)! How about you?

With love & gratitude,
Wendy Irene