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The kernel's secret recipes

Available fresh, frozen or canned, sweetcorn is rich in fibre, B group vitamins, vitamins A and C, magnesium, phosphorous and manganese.

This delicious and versatile vegetable is abundant in antioxidants such as anthocyanins, ferulic acid, coumaric acid and zeaxanthin that help fight diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers.

Sweetcorn chicken soup

A staple on many restaurant menus, this soup is very simple to make and is a great way of using up leftover cooked chicken and chicken stock.

Ingredients (Serves 6)

1.5l chicken stock

380g can/ tetra-pack cream-style sweetcorn

250g sweetcorn kernels

100g cooked chicken, cut into small pieces

2 tsp light soy sauce

ground white pepper to taste

1 tbsp cornflour

2 eggs, beaten

2 spring onions, chopped

Method

1 Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the two types of sweetcorn and bring to the boil.

2 Meanwhile, place the chicken in a small bowl, add the soy sauce and ground white pepper. Mix well and set aside.

3 In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a little water to form a smooth paste. Slowly add this to the stock and sweet corn, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

4 Slowly drizzle the beaten eggs into the soup, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

5 To serve, divide the marinated chicken into individual bowls then ladle in the soup and sprinkle some spring onions over the top.

Nutritional information per serving: 260kcal, 1093kJ, 16.5g protein, 6.4g fat, 37.6g carbohydrates, 1.4g fibre

Sweetcorn frittata

A frittata is an Italian-style omelette to which a variety of ingredients, such as vegetables, cheese, meat, potato and pasta, can be added. This recipe uses sweetcorn, but you can embellish the basic version by adding any other combo of ingredients you like, or whatever leftovers you have on hand in the fridge.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

250g sweet corn kernels

1/2 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

4 eggs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

Method

1 Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a small nonstick frying pan, add the onion and garlic and stir-fry over a low to medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the onions have softened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

2 Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, then mix in the sweetcorn, onion, garlic, spring onions and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

3 Over a medium to high flame, heat the remaining oil in the frying pan you cooked the onions in.

4 Pour in beaten eggs and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 7-10 minutes, or until it's set underneath and almost set on the top. Run a spatula around the edges of the pan to stop the frittata from sticking.

5 Take pan off the heat and carefully slide frittata onto a plate. Put another plate on top of frittata and turn the plates upside down. Lift up the top plate and slide the frittata, uncooked side down, back into the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes.

6 Slide the frittata out of the pan onto the plate. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing it into wedges or squares to serve.

Nutritional information per 100g: 164kcal, 686kJ, 8.0g protein, 9.9g fat, 11.5g carbohydrates, 0.8g fibre

Wynnie Chan is a British-trained nutritionist. If you've got a question for her or would like to be featured in this column, e-mail [email protected]

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