Corn Healthy Food Guide

While nothing quite beats eating quickly boiled or grilled corn on the cob with butter dribbling down your chin, taking a slightly exotic approach can be nice too. Corn goes south of the border when grilled and topped with a spicy, tangy sauce and a light sprinkle of salty Mexican cheese. The Louisiana favorite Macque Choux is a colorful family-friendly saute. Corn gets sophisticated with a touch of bacon and meaty mushrooms. Tangy lime juice and coconut milk make Coconut Creamed Corn something special.

And don't let all the talk about how corn has ruined our food supply deter you from getting your fill of sweet corn in the summer. The corn that makes ethanol and high-fructose corn syrup is not the same corn you buy on the cob. In fact, of the more than 94 million acres of corn grown in the U.S. in 2007, less than 1 percent of it was sweet corn, the kind that we eat.

Show your support for those farmers who are still growing corn to feed the people. It's easy to find a farmer in your area, since sweet corn is grown in all 50 states (yes, you can even grow corn in Alaska) and it's plentiful at farmstands on dusty dirt roads in the heat of summer. So get shucking-while corn is available year-round (thank you, globalization), nothing beats fresh-from-the-field corn from your local farmstand in summer and fall.