Roasted Mexican Corn and a New Year's Resolution

I'm not a big on resolutions.

I can't remember any of the resolutions I've made before.

That said, I do have a resolution for 2013: Cut dairy products out of all my savory cooking.

I can't do it when it comes to sweet cooking. I had chocolate mousse at midnight on New Year's, and I loved it. It was filled with heavy cream. It was heavenly. So I'm keeping dairy there.

I'm already meat-free, which I figure makes me challenging enough for friends willing to have me over for dinner, so I'm keeping dairy in my diet when I eat at friends' houses. We'll see when it comes to going out for dinner. I'll try to avoid cheese-laden dishes at restaurants, but I'm not going to drive myself crazy.

With that in mind, the savory recipes you see posted here coming up should be a little different. No cheese, no milk, no butter.

Still delicious.

For a food blogger, changing something in your diet forces you to cook all new recipes. I can't fall back on all my old cheese-filled favorites. Hopefully it will lead to lots of variety and new recipes up here.

I'm five days in and still sticking to my goal! Thursday I hosted my first small dinner party since deciding to cook dairy-free, and I went with a Mexican theme. This roasted Mexican corn dish was our side for the meal. It's adapted from a recipe for elotes, that delicious, creamy, mayonnaise and cheese-filled corn dish, that's one of my favorite Mexican dishes.

This adaptation felt light and fresh. I could go back for seconds without a touch of guilt.

Butter-Glazed Radishes

I don't quite have the hang of this "cook long before the holidays so you can post a recipe in time for people to actually make it for said holiday" phenomenon. In theory, I love the idea, but I just never seem to plan ahead enough.

If you're looking for real Thanksgiving recipes that will contribute something substantial to your Thanksgiving dinner, you'll have to look elsewhere. Some of my recent favorites include Sixteenbean's Pumpkin Cheesecake, Ryan Bakes' Pecan Pie (admire the careful pecan placement!), Sassy Radish's Quinoa Salad with Brussels and Pumpkin, or these Cranberry Nut Rolls from Tracey's Culinary Adventures, just to name a few.

These butter-glazed radishes are my contribution to your Thanksgiving meal. It's certainly a side dish, and not a very filling one at that, but it's somewhat unusual and quite easy to make. They're a gorgeous rosy pink color when finished. The butter soaks through to the core of the radish, and it removes the harsh bite that some radishes have.

With all the browns on the typical Thanksgiving table--turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes--these bright-colored beauties will be a welcome addition.