Beat high blood pressure with tex-mex corn pudding

Something like a soufflé, only easier to make and far more flavourful and colourful, this zesty side dish really jazzes up a simple meal — Texas style! This recipe is a heart-healthy dish you'll love adding to your repertoire.

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 50 minutes

Serves 6

• 50 ml (1/4 c) fat-free dry milk
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) flour
• 250 ml (1 c) low-fat (1%) milk
• 125 g (1/2 c) diced red pepper
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) chili powder
• 10 ml (2 tsp) sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) cumin
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
• 750 g (3 c) frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Stir dry milk and flour together in a medium pot. Whisk in low-fat milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the pepper, chili powder, sugar, salt and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

2. Lightly beat whole egg and egg white in small bowl. Whisk about 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) of hot sauce into eggs to warm them.

3. Remove pot from heat and stir in warmed egg mixture. Stir in 500 grams (2 cups) of corn and scallions. Puree remaining 250 grams (1 cup) corn in food processor and stir into pot.

4. Transfer mixture to shallow 1.25 litre (5 cup) baking dish. Place baking dish in a larger baking dish or roasting pan and set on oven rack. Pour hot water into larger dish to come halfway up sides of smaller dish. Bake until pudding is set and top is light golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

• Make this dish even hotter in flavour by adding 1 diced jalapeño pepper to the batter. Canned jalapeños may be milder than fresh because they're seeded and packed in liquid, but they still have heat.
• Serve this dish with grilled turkey burgers and roasted asparagus.

• Rather than using several whole eggs, this recipe calls for one egg and one egg white — a trick that elimimates 5 grams fat and 200 milligrams cholesterol.
• Adding fat-free dry milk to low-fat milk adds about 50 milligrams calcium.

Each serving provides:

Key nutrients: 130 Calories, 20 Calories from Fat, 2 g Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 7 g Protein, 22 g Carb, 3 g Fibre, 115 mg Sodium

Blood pressure nutrients: 27 mg Vitamin C, 16 mg Magnesium, 177 mg Potassium, 104 mg Calcium