Potatoes, Beans and Corn: The Southwestern Trinity (2011 Food Recap, Part 2)

As Robert and tried to recall some of our more savory successes, these three were the ones that came to mind. I quickly noticed some themes. I guess it is fitting since we live in the Southwest. Although, I would like to note that it is sometimes difficult to find good fresh corn here.

Potato and Sweet Corn Hash was a summer find. It was so darn good. We made this one a couple of times. I bet it would be tasty with a fried egg on top. It is pretty self-explanatory and easy. I haven’t tried it with frozen corn, but I suspect it would still be pretty tasty!

Our CSA share provided us with an almost weekly bag of roasted chilies. Now, I am not complaining, but I find you have to start getting creative and researching ways to use them. As a result, we end up with quite a few bags in the freezer. When seeking inspiration for a recent potluck, I found these bookmarked recipes for a Spicy Corn Dip and a Creamy Bean Dip. I was torn between the two, and Robert pretty much read my mind (we spend way too much time together) when he said, why not do half and half? Brilliant, I say. I was pleased that we seemed to have one of the crowd pleasers of the night and it was one of the first dishes to disappear! We basically nestled them side by side in a baking dish.

Modifications? We cut the bean dip recipe in half. Robert said that next time, he would just make the same base for both of them (combining all the dairy and flavorings) then divide it in half to stir in the beans and corn into the two separate dips. P.S. – These would be excellent Super Bowl party dips. You can thank me later for the idea.

I am always a little more inspired to cook when I have time on my hands, so I pulled out all the stops for some bean burritos recently since I was on Winter Break. I bought the fresh tortillas you cook yourself. Look for them in the refrigerated section of your grocery. They are a little pricier than the ones you grab on the shelf, but they taste so much better! I cooked some black beans in our slow cooker to make refried beans. I highly recommend this if you eat a lot of beans because it is so much cheaper than canned beans and so easy – all you have to do is plan ahead by about half a day. We don’t even soak them overnight. We just throw them in the slow cooker and let them cook until soft. I put some of our bountiful green chilies into the refried beans. We also had shredded cheese and added more green chilies to Greek yogurt (or sour cream) for a creamy sauce. The real highlights of the burritos were these Chipotle Caramelized Onions and the roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes. I just peeled and diced them up and threw them in the oven at about 400 degrees until nice and crispy.