Ensalada Grangero (Mexican Farmer's Salad)

Cinco de Mayo was this past Saturday and our friends, Michelle and Sean and their children, joined us in a veritable feast honouring our newly adopted homeland of Mexico!  We took our recipes from the Better Homes & Gardens "Mexican" magazine (on stands till July 2012) and were super impressed with the results!

This salad was made by Michelle and is delicious and beautiful in its simplicity.

ENSALADA GRANGERO

Ingredients:

3 ears of fresh sweet corn, husks and silks removed

1 1/2 lbs of fresh green beans, trimmed

3 cups grape tomatoes

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

3 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped*

2 shallots, chopped

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp bottled minced roasted garlic

1/4 tsp salt

• In a Dutch oven, cook corn in a large amount of boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.  Remove corn from Dutch oven, and set aside to cool.  Add beans to the boiling water in Dutch oven;  cook for 3 to 4 minutes or just until crisp-tender.  Drain beans in a colander; rinse with cold water and drain well.  Cut kernels from corn cobs.
• In a large bowl combine corn kernels, beans, tomatoes and onion.  Toss to combine.
• For dressing, in a food processor or blender, combine cilantro, oil, chile peppers, shallots, vinegar, garlic and salt.  Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth.  Drizzle dressing over vegetables; toss to coat.
• ENJOY!

Dilled Potato and Grilled Corn Salad

We celebrated Greg's 39th birthday last Sunday with the family and I wanted to create an easy side dish that I could prepare in advance (so I could relax and enjoy the strawberry daiquiris by the poolside!) I was flipping though a magazine and came upon this simple and delicious recipe!

DILLED POTATO & GRILLED CORN SALAD

Ingredients

4 corn cobs, husked

3 tbsp EVOO

2lb potatoes, peeled and diced

4 green onions, sliced

2 tsp grainy mustard

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

• Brush corn with 1 tbsp of the oil. Place on a greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill until tender and slightly charred (turning often). Approx. 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Cut off kernels and place in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cover and cook potatoes until tender, approx. 15 minutes. Drain and add to the bowl.
• Add onions, mustard, salt and pepper; sprinkle with vinegar and toss well. Let cool
• Add remaining oil and dill and toss to coat.
  

Corn Zucchini Relish

That time of year has finally arrived and I am in full-swing with my canning 'operation'!!! The corn this year is fantastic and in abundance; that and zucchini is always abundant so this recipe is perfect (and extremely tasty too!)

CORN ZUCCHINI RELISH

Ingredients

8 cups cooked corn kernels

2 cups finely chopped zucchini

1 1 /2 cups finely chopped onions

1 1 /2 cups finely chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 dry mustard

2 tbsp canning/pickling/kosher salt

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp celery seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 1/2 cups cider vinegar

• Prepare canner, jars and lids as usual
• In a large pot, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until sugar and salt are dissolved. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often, for about 30 minutes or until onions and celery are tender and mixture is slightly thickened.
• Ladle hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe rim and place hot lid disc on jar. Screw band down until fingertip tight.
• Place jars in canner and return to a boil. Process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let stand for 24 hours. Check lids and reprocess any jars that are not sealed.

To cook the corn, boil it in a large pot of boiling water, in batches as necessary, for 5 minutes or until kernels are tender. Remove from water and drain well. Let cool completely. Using either a serrated or chef's knife, cut kernels from cob and measure. You'll need approximately a dozen (12) cobs of corn for the 8 cups required in this recipe!

Black Beans with Corn and Tomatoes

This is one of those super-easy side dishes that I love not only for it's clean taste and ease of preparation (because I generally have the ingredients at hand), but also because it is so good for you! Tasty and healthy?! You bet!

BLACK BEANS WITH CORN AND TOMATOES

Ingredients:

1 tbsp EVOO

1/2 a yellow onion, finely diced

1 - 28oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp finely chopped green chilis

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 small can of corn, drained and rinsed

Pinch of salt

Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

• Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Saute for approximately 5 minutes (or until the onion is translucent).
• Add the black beans, chilis, tomatoes, cilantro and corn. Simmer 15 minutes over medium heat. If the mixture becomes too dry, you can add a touch of water or fresh lime juice (my personal favourite as it makes the flavour of the chilis and cilantro just pop!) Taste and add salt if required.
• Serve with lime wedges and ENJOY!