Mexican Street Corn

Elote ~ Mexican Street Corn

This version of elotes, the popular grilled corn on the cob that's sold by street vendors in Mexico is grilled, then slathered with a tangy lime mayonnaise and coated in crumbled Mexican Cotija cheese. 

Side Note:  Today my dear husband would have had 91 candles on his cake.  I can just imagine him in Mexico sampling the street corn, vendor after vendor, with a big smile on his face.  HBD Don!

Ingredients:
8 ears fresh corn on the cob
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup Mayonesa (Mayonnaise) With Lime Juice
1/3 cup Mexican crema
3/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese, divided
2 tablespoons Hot Sauce, plus more for drizzling - Substitutes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Lime wedges, to serve
Directions:

Brush corn with oil. Grill over medium-high heat 15 minutes, turning frequently, until tender and charred on all sides.

Meanwhile, mix Mayonesa, crema, 1/2 cup of the Cotija, Original Hot Sauce and lime juice in loaf pan (or shallow baking dish long enough to fit corn).

Use tongs to roll each ear of corn in mayo mixture until well coated. Place corn on serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Cotija and drizzle with additional Original Hot Sauce. 

Serve with lime wedges.

Roasted Corn And Black Bean Salsa

Roasted Corn And Black Bean Salsa

This salsa is proof that ideas flow both ways, as it is probably more "New" Mexican.  Wherever it originated, it is a popular combination in Mexico.  You can use canned black beans but your home cooked beans will taste better.

Ingredients:

1 ear fresh sweetcorn

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained

1 roma tomato, cored, seeded cut in 1/4 inch dice

1/4 cup red onion cut in 1/4 inch pieces,

1 or 2 chipotle peppers in Adobo, finely chopped

10 sprigs cilaantro, stemmed and chopped.

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon crumbled Cotija Cheese

Directions:

Lightly coat the corn with oil.  Heat a heavy skillet or grill with oil over a medium-high heat.  When hot, place the corn in the pan.  Rotate it from side to side every few minutes until it is well browned on all sides.  

Remove from skillet and allow to cool.  Cut the kernels from the cob and place in a bowl.

A fire roasted corn is available in the frozen food section of Trader Joe's.

Stir in the black beans, tomato, red onion, chipotle peppers, cilantro,  lime juice, salt, andCotija cheesee

TIP:  Replace the black beans with 3/4 cup cooked and diced sweet potato!

Grilled Mexican Sweet Corn (Elote Recipe)

Grilled Mexican Street Corn (Elote)

If you aren’t able to find traditional Mexican crema in your local grocery store, use regular sour cream spiked with some lime juice. You can also substitute crumbled feta for the cotija cheese.

Ingredients
6 to 8 medium ears sweet corn, husks removed
1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest, from 1 lime
2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 lime
1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Lime wedges, to serve
Directions:
Heat a gas or charcoal grill to 400°F. Once the grill is hot, clean the grates.

Whisk together the sauce:
Meanwhile, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, chipotle pepper, lime zest, and lime juice. Taste and season the mixture with salt if needed. (Crema and cotija cheese have a little salt already, so add extra judiciously.) Set aside.

Grill the corn:
Place the husked corn directly onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3 minutes, undisturbed, or until kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred. Turn over and repeat. When all sides are browned, remove from the grill onto a plate.

Top the corn with sauce and cheese:
Using a brush or a spoon, coat each ear of corn with the crema mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled cojita cheese. Sprinkle with additional chipotle pepper, if desired. Serve immediately with extra lime wedges. Serves 6 to 8

Summer Taco Salad

Summer Taco Salad

This taco salad is fresh, tangy, flavorful, and hearty enough to be a meal. The dressing gets its creamy consistency from Greek yogurt, jazzed up with lime juice and chipotles in adobo.

Ingredients:

Which beans to use? We like creamy and firm beans like Bayo or Flor de Junio. 

 
The details

Serves: 6-8
Time: 40 minutes (plus bean cooking)
Cookware: rimmed baking sheet, grill, small bowl, large bowl
 
What you’ll need
Chipotle-yogurt dressing
2 garlic cloves, finely minced 
Juice of 1 large lime
¾ cup Greek yogurt
½ to 1 chipotle with a little adobo sauce, finely chopped (if you don’t want that much heat, skip the chipotle and use 1-2 tsp sauce)
¾ tsp honey
½ tsp coarse salt, plus more to taste
The rest
8 corn tortillas, cut into thirds and then ½ inch strips
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 ears of corn, shucked and silk removed
1 head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped in 1-inch pieces
1-½ cups of strained beans from a batch of beans (cooked according to our guide)
1 avocado, cubed
6 radishes, thinly sliced
⅓ cup grated cotija cheese, plus more for serving
Toasted pepitas, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

 

Directions:

Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine garlic and lime juice; set aside for 5 minutes to let the garlic flavor mellow. Stir in remaining ingredients and season with salt to taste.

Make the tortilla strips: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place tortilla strips on a rimmed baking sheet; toss with a little olive oil and season with salt. Spread in a single layer and bake until golden and crisp, stirring halfway through, 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

Grill the corn: Heat the grill over medium-high. Brush ears of corn with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until kernels are tender and charred in spots, 10-12 minutes. (Alternatively, you can broil the ears of corn, turning occasionally until tender and charred.) Once cooled enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs. 

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, toss lettuce and kale with half the dressing. Add corn kernels, beans, avocado, radishes, and cotija cheese. Toss gently to combine. Add more dressing to taste and season with salt. To serve, garnish with tortilla strips, roasted pepitas, and lime wedges, and top with more cotija cheese.

Mexican-Style Grilled Corn On The Cob With Cotija Cheese

Mexican Style Grilled Corn On 

The Cob With Cotija Cheese

Ingredients:

4 large ears corn, husked 1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup crumbled Cotija cheese 2 T. minced cilantro
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Serves 4.

Directions:

Heat grill to medium high heat. Grill corn until charred and heated through, about 20 minutes, turning often.
Combine chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder in a small bowl. Brush each corn cob with mayonnaise and then sprinkle with the spices. Roll each cob in crumbled cheese and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over before eating.

Chili Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts With Tomatillo And Lime Salsa Verde

Chili Lime Marinated Chicken Breasts

With Tomatillo And Lime Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

Chicken:
6 (5 to 6 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts Salt and pepper to taste
2 T. minced jalapeno chili (with or without seeds) 1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. grapeseed or vegetable oil
1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese for garnish 
2 T. chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

*

Salsa Verde:
1 T. grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 T. chopped jalapeno chili (with or without seeds) 8 tomatillos, husking, rinsed and coarsely chopped 3 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. honey
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 6.

*

Directions:

1. Trim chicken and pound to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Place chicken in a flat casserole and season well with salt and pepper. Combine the jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, lime juice and oil in a small bowl and then pour over the chicken, turning to coat chicken well with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. For Salsa Verde, heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapeno and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatillos and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender and add the lime juice, honey and cilantro; blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade and grill chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Place chicken on plates and spoon Salsa Verde across the breasts. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and cilantro and serve.