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Corn season only last so long, and so my quest for new recipes including the sweet and tasty veggie continues. And I think I have another keeper:
Last time around, the great combination was corn and tomatoes, but let me assure you, corn and black beans are an equally good pair. Both are filling and almost meaty, giving this vegetarian pizza heft enough to stand up to any barbecue fare.
And if the great taste isn’t enough, think about a few of the nutritional benefits of adding fresh corn to your summer menu, via World’s Healthiest Foods:
- Corn is a good source of thiamin (vitamin B1), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), folate, dietary fiber, vitamin C, phosphorus and manganese.
- Cardiovascular benefits: Folate, which you may know about as a B-vitamin needed to prevent birth defects, also helps to lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is an intermediate product in an important metabolic process called the methylation cycle. Homocysteine can directly damage blood vessels, so elevated blood levels of this dangerous molecule are an independent risk factor for heart attack, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease, and are found in between 20-40% of patients with heart disease. It has been estimated that consumption of 100% of the daily value (DV) of folate would, by itself, reduce the number of heart attacks suffered by Americans each year by 10%. Folate-rich diets are also associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer. A cup of corn supplies 19.0% of the DV for folate.
- Lung benefits: Consuming foods rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid found in highest amounts in corn, pumpkin, papaya, red bell peppers, tangerines, oranges and peaches, may significantly lower one’s risk of developing lung cancer. A study published in Cancer Epidemiology showed eating the most crytpoxanthin-rich foods showed a 27% reduction in lung cancer risk.
- Memory benefits: Corn is a good source of thiamin, providing about one-quarter (24.0%) of the daily value for this nutrient in a single cup. Thiamin is an integral participant in enzymatic reactions central to energy production and is also critical for brain cell/cognitive function.
- Energy benefits: In addition to its thiamin, corn is a good source of pantothenic acid. This B vitamin is necessary for carbohydrate, protein and lipid metabolism. Pantothenic acid is an especially valuable B-vitamin when you’re under stress since it supports the function of the adrenal glands. A cup of corn supplies 14.4% of the daily value for pantothenic acid.
