Hi all!!!!! It has already been a busy summer and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. We've been to a local beach, ho
sted movie nights and sleep overs where my house was full of girls, lit the grill a few times, and already hosted out of town guests with more on the way soon. With all the chaos I have still managed to have a few "dates" with my girl. Recently we started working through Between Us Girls by Trish Donahue. We made a plan, and even put it on the calendar, that once a month we would go out for coffee, tea, or a treat and do a chapter. It gives us a chance to really talk and even get to know each other better. I asked her if she could pet any animal and it be docile enough to allow close contact, what animal would she pet. Her answer, a giraffe. I was not expecting that at all.
This outing also gives us a chance to support our local small businesses. We go to the tea shop owned by 2 women or the family owned coffee shop around the corner. FYI, if you are even in an area with a Coyote Coffee (I know only 3 locations exist) and need to watch your calories or sugar content, it is amazing. Tons of sugar free syrups for the coffee drinks and they will even make sugar free whipped cream for your frappicino.
I wanted to share a new favorite recipe this week. First, a little back story.
I actually had this as a side dish with a meal somewhere about a year ago. The problem is that it just said "corn salad" with no other information. I tried it, loved it, and wanted to recreate it. I played with the ingredients I knew and tried googling to figure out anything I didn't know. Truthfully, with the only information being I could see toasted corn, red onion, cilantro, sweet peppers, and I had my own taste buds telling me it was probably Mexican or Latin inspired, I was at a loss. I kept playing around with ingredients and occasionally googling those ingredients to figure out what might be in it until I finally put this together. I still didn't know what it was actually called or the real name. I just knew it was tasty.
Then I hosted a movie night and we all brought Latin inspired dishes as a theme. I made my corn salad and asked for help coming up with a name. One of my friends looked at the table and said she was so happy to see Esquites! Of course, I asked what she was referring to and she pointed to the corn. This person is my absolute authority on Mexican flavors. She is the person who hosts and teaches us to make tamales. This friend knew what in the world I made... and I wish I had thought to ask her sooner if she knew what that salad had in it so I wouldn't have spent a year occasionally playing with ingredients and trying to figure it out. At least I know I got it right, because she told me so. 😉
***One note, I did use a tiny dash of liquid smoke with my frozen corn because I wanted more of charred flavor to the corn without actually grilling and then cutting the corn from the cob. This is completely optional and this ingredient is not even pictured below. Remember, if you do use liquid smoke that a tiny bit goes a long way.
Ingredients:
•4 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
•Dash liquid smoke, optional
•6 mini sweet peppers or 1 large sweet pepper, diced
•1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
•½ cup red onion, diced
•2 oz. Queso Fresco
•¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
•¼ cup lime juice
•¼ cup olive oil
•½ tsp Chili Powder
•½ tsp Tajin seasoning
•½ tsp Salt
•¼ tsp Black Pepper
•¼ tsp Smoked Paprika
Directions:
Heat a wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add corn and liquid smoke (if using) to hot pan.
Stir occasionally until kernels begin to look toasted or slightly browned.
Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl add the cooled corn, sweet pepper, jalapeño, onion, queso fresco, and cilantro.
In a smaller bowl or ramekin make your dressing. Mix the lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, Tajin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
Toss dressing with the salad vegetables.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
This is such a light and refreshing dish. I love it for summer cookouts and gatherings. I especially love that I can make it ahead of time and not be working on it last second.
I hope you make this for your next gathering or family dinner. If you do, let me know what you think!
**Nutritional information generated by adding ingredients on www.myfitnesspal.com
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