Grilled Corn with French Onion “Butter”

Grilled corn on the cob is probably my favorite summertime veggie. When the husks burn on the outside of the corn, the kernels practically get a steam bath and become infused with a wonderful smoky flavor. When I grill corn on the cob, I make sure to grill a lot of it! Leftovers can be reinvented into so many delicious dishes… the options are truly endless.

You can cut off the perfectly charred kernels to throw into a salad, use them to make a cold corn soup, (whew… recipe for another day, pure deliciousness!) make a salsa or dip, or even just reheat them with a little salt and butter for an easy side dish on a busy night.

Grilling corn is super easy. There are a lot of theories on how to grill the perfect ear of corn but this one seems to work best for me. Sorry there aren’t any pictures…

First, with kitchen scissors, I trim the silk fibers that are poking out of the top of the ear. Then, I peel off the first entire layer of the husk. After that, I throw the ears on to the grill, set at medium-high heat, for 25-30 minutes, turning every once in a while. Once they come off of the grill, totally black and super messy, I peel back the husk and take off the silk fibers. I guess that’s called shucking?! Ahhhhh-mazing!

Nothing can beat an ear of grilled corn slathered in melted butter and dusted with salt. But for the sake of not boring my family with the same ole’ side dish, just because I love it so much, I started doing some experimenting.

Normally I don’t have French onion dip in the fridge. Chip dip is just something I never buy. I’d rather use Greek yogurt and sour cream to make my own. I like controlling my own flavors and nutritional content when it comes to things like that. But, alas, the 4th of July left us with a tub and I figured I could use it. What was born was truly delicious and I hope you enjoy it.

Grilled Corn with French Onion “Butter”

Servings: 2
Time: 2 minutes
Level: Easy

2 ears of corn, grilled and shucked
2 tbsp. French onion dip (I used Dean’s brand)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more…)
1/2 tsp. lime or lemon juice

Mix dip, cayenne, and juice together. Spread over all sides of the corn. Yum!

Tips
– I bet you could use any dip flavor… dill, ranch, etc.

Simple Sabroso Salsa

Sabroso means tasty in Spanish… I’m not sure if I used it in the right context or not, but hey, I only have a minor in the language so I’m not expected to know, right?

This salsa is called Sabroso Salsa because it is simply that, a tasty sauce… especially the next day, once all of the flavors sit and have a chance to mingle with each other.

If you have any leftover grilled corn, use it! If not, no worries! Canned corn will do just fine.

I served this salsa with tortilla chips but it would also be delicious served on crackers or bite sized baguette slices topped a little avocado and cheese. Appetizers, anyone?

Don’t forget to check the tips section for 2 great ideas for using up leftovers!

Simple Sabroso Salsa

Time: 5 minutes
Servings: A lot! It made about 3 -4 cups of salsa.
Level: Easy

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
1 can Rotel, drained
1 tbsp. jalapeños, diced
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lime juice

Mix all ingredients together and let sit in the fridge until ready to serve. Yum!

Tips
– Play with the spices. You can add as little or as much of each as you’d like!
– I spooned leftover salsa over grilled chicken for dinner the next day. Yum!
– Another idea for leftovers!!!! I used the rest of the leftover salsa to make a simple pasta dish. I heated the salsa in the microwave and mixed it with cooked, drained pasta shell noodles and leftover shredded chicken. It was so yummy!!

Mexican Tortilla Pizza

I was going to make quesadillas… but then I figured it would save me almost 100 calories if I left off the top tortilla. Ahh, Mexican Tortilla Pizza is born.

Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips make this dish super quick and easy. I use these pre-cooked chicken strips a lot!

I’ll be making this pizza again, for sure!

Mexican Tortilla Pizza

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy

1/3 c. Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips
1/4 c. corn, frozen
1/4 c. peppers and onions, frozen
1/4 c. mushrooms, sliced, optional
1 tbsp. jalapeños, diced, optional
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. chili powder
salt, to taste

2 tortillas
1/2 c. refried beans
1/3 c cheese, shredded
salsa, to top
sour cream, to top

In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken, vegetables, and spices, until chicken is completely thawed.

Turn oven to Broil. Spread refried beans on each tortilla, top with chicken mixture, then sprinkle with cheese.

Broil in oven until cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy.

Top with salsa and sour cream, if desired. Yum!!

Tips
– Try using different veggies, meat, or spices to mix things up.
– Leftover taco meat, enchilada sauce, or fajitas? No problem! This pizza would be good topped with any of those leftovers.

Chicken Torta

A torta is basically a sandwich. This Cuban/Mexican sandwich can be made using any type of protein. Chicken, steak, pork, and even scrambled eggs can top this veggie packed delight.

I decided to try and recreate this delicious torta after eating one with friends at Las Delicias. Las Delicias makes the BEST tortas. The one I had the other night was made with eggs… yum!

Tonight’s version is made with chicken. Either way, it is oh so good and you MUST try one soon.

Chicken Torta

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy

chicken, cooked and shredded (enough for 2)
1/3 c.  enchilada sauce
1/4 c. refried beans
sour cream
2 soft but crusty rolls or baguette
avocado slices, optional
tomato slices, optional
onion slices, optional
jalapeño slices, optional

Heat chicken with enchilada sauce. Cook until meat is thoroughly saturated with sauce.  Spread refried beans on one side of the split bread and spread sour cream on the other. Toast until slightly crispy. Top bread with meat and veggies.

Yum!

Tips
– Try different meats and sauces. You could use leftover fajita meat that has been marinated and cooked… that would be yummy.
– If you choose to use scrambled/omelet eggs, you can omit the enchilada sauce. Add a little hot sauce or salsa to your eggs instead.
– I topped mine with hot sauce.
– I used a whole wheat baguette but it wasn’t soft enough and made the sandwich messier than normal.
– I served mine with a side of corn, bell peppers, onions, and  jalapeños seasoned with a little salt, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder.

In Honor of Cinco de Mayo…

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Cinco de Mayo… Ahh, what a delicious holiday. Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s a holiday that celebrates  Mexico’s victory over the French on May 5, 1862.  But, dang, celebrating  their victory with a delicious dinner is just fine by me. Our neighbors to the south know what their doing when it comes to their amazing cuisine and I’m not ashamed of how much I love it!

If your going to be staying in this Cinco de Mayo or if you are planning on having a blow out fiesta with friends, check out these recipes below. I took a look back at my recipe collection and my love is clearly evident… I can’t say that ANY of these recipes are even slightly  authentic but they are definitely inspired by south of the border flavors.

Grab yourself a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa, maybe a margarita or two, and celebrate!

Enchilada Pie 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas (vegetarian and vegan)

Steak Fajitas

Mexican Cornbread

Quinoa Salsa Side Dish

Gringa Tostada

Fiesta Fritata

Baja Shrimp Tacos with a Corn and Radish Salad

Baja Shrimp Tacos with a Corn and Radish Salad

My pictures aren’t very good tonight. The lighting is bad, the angles are bad, they’re all bad. But it is because we were so anxious to sit down and eat these yummy little tacos! I will definitely be making both of these recipes again and again. The tangy yogurt sauce really made this meal come together and we loved every bite. I made enough for Jason to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow but he ended up going back for seconds… big seconds… yum!

Baja Shrimp Tacos

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Medium (Just because of the timing. To have everything done at once is kind of tricky.)

10 frozen shrimp, defrosted, peeled, deveined
1/4 c. onion, thinly sliced
1 pinch of garlic powder
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of coriander

In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onions until translucent. Add shrimp and all other ingredients. Heat until shrimp just turn pink, about 4 minutes.

Serve in warmed corn tortillas with Spicy Lime Yogurt Sauce, lettuce, and salsa. Yum!

Tips
– Warm the corn tortillas in a little oil, turning frequently, over medium heat. This will take the “raw” taste away.

Spicy Lime Yogurt Sauce

2 tbsp. plain non-fat yogurt
2 tbsp. sour cream
1-2 tsp. lime juice
1 pinch of cayenne
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of coriander

Mix all ingredients together. Can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. Yum!

Corn and Radish Salad

Servings: 2
Time: 5 minutes
Level: Easy

1/2 c. corn, rinsed and drained
3-4 radishes, thinly slices
1 tbsp. jalapeños, chopped
2 tbsp. Spicy Lime Yogurt Sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Can be made up to 3 hours ahead of time if stored in the fridge. Yum!

Mexican Cornbread

Mexican cornbread shows up at our house on just about every occasion. A personal favorite… Christmas! Go figure. We have all the normal Christmas fare; dressing, turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, aaaaannnndddd Mexican cornbread. Leave it to us to be bizarre.

Mexican cornbread could very well be a meal in itself. If my husband wasn’t such a die hard meat eater, that is exactly what it would have been for both of us tonight. Instead, I added chicken to his side salad and he was a happy camper.

We had a lot of leftovers when dinner was over but Jason kept going back into the kitchen and eating a bite here and there so now there isn’t quite so much! This cornbread is wonderful at room temperature.

Mexican Cornbread

Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy
Servings: 8

1 can creamed corn
1 2/3 c. cornmeal
2/3 c. oil
2 tbsp. green bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
1 tbsp jalapeños, chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 375 °. Mix all ingredients together.

Pour into a well oiled cast iron skillet.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Yum!

Tips
– This cornbread really does take a full hour or more to bake but it’s well worth it! It might look done on the top but still be gummy in the middle. Don’t be afraid to let the top get a little darker than you think it should. Patience is a virtue with this one.
– I was out of sour cream tonight so I substituted cottage cheese. It worked out great.
– I normally use a Mexican cheese blend but tonight I used some AMAZING Mississippi State Edam. If you haven’t tried it, do yourself a favor and go order some. You WON’T regret it. Go Bulldogs!
https://msucheese.com/

Gringa Tostada

For lunch today, I needed to use up some leftovers! I had leftover black beans and corn from last night’s BBQ Chicken Pizza and figured this might be a good way to use them.

Let me know what you think! You could always use leftover chicken or whatever else you have on hand.

Gringa Tostada

Time: 5-10 minutes
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 (but can easily be doubled)

2 small corn tortillas
deli-style turkey lunch meat, sliced and chopped
1/3 c. black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 c. corn, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt, to taste
1 tbsp. salsa + a spoonful for garnish, if desired
sour cream, for garnish
shredded lettuce, for garnish
shredded cheese, for garnish

Put corn tortillas in the toaster oven or regular oven on broil. Watch closely and toast until tortillas crisp up a bit. Be careful not to burn them! I do it all of the time…  Put meat and next 7 ingredients in a skillet over medium heat. Heat until warmed throughout. Top toasted tortillas with meat and vegetable mixture. Garnish with salsa, sour cream, lettuce, and cheese. Yum!

Tips
– After eating this yummy little creation…. I gotta tell ya… there are refried beans at the bottom of traditional tostadas for a REASON! That sucker was messy, I mean, messy to eat! It tasted great, but in hindsight, I might have mashed the black beans and added a little olive oil to them to create a bean paste that would have mimicked the glue effect of the refried beans, or maybe even used refried beans, but that’s NOT what I had on hand.
-I want to try this recipe the next time I have leftover black beans and corn. It looks like a great salsa! Black Bean and Corn Salad