Mexican potatoes and corn

From Seat Of The Pants Suppers, which I love....for the most part.

1 10oz. package forzen corn kernels, thawed
1 16oz. can black beans, drained
3 scallions, chopped white part or 1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 lb. potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp. (I use 1 tsp.) chili powder
1/3 c. taco sauce or salsa.
2-3 cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or a blend.

Mix scallions with corn and beans and mound in center of a large microwavable platter or casserole. Mix potatoes, green pepper, and chili powder in a bowl, then arrange around edges of corn mixture. Spoon taco sauce or salsa over all.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap, turning back on corner slightly to vent steam. Microwave on high for 12-16 minutes, rotating platter halfway through cooking time. Let stand one minute.

Carefully uncover plastic wrap. Stir gently to mix vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle dish with grated cheese. Microwave uncovered for another 30 seconds or until cheese is melted. Serve with freshly chopped tomatoes, extra salsa, sour cream and a salad.

Tonight I made it with 1 tsp. cumin, no scallions or onions and about 1.5 cups cheese. Still filling for my family but then we're not gourmet eaters during the week.

Comments

[emily]

Gourmet or not, this one I will try! My husband would be happy with potatoes every night, and I am sick of oven-roasting for an hour...never attempted microwaving a potato before, am I like 25 years out of date? :P I can see variations on this too, with leftover chicken/pork, etc. Thanks!

And on the leftover pork note, I forget if you mentioned having a Crock Pot? I made the most incredible shredded pork by accident last week -- 2lb. of pork loin + 1/2c. tomatillo salsa + garlic, salt, pepper, and one bottle of Sam Adams! 8hrs. in the Crock and presto: delicious tender shredded pork, which we ate in tacos, sandwiches, and then a leftover casserole w/black beans, yuh-ummmmm. Just a thought to keep your dinner ideas flowin'... :)

[melissaS]

I like. Good idea on both!

[emily]

Woohoo! ;D

Couple notes on the pork (of course I will be wracked with guilt if you make it and everyone hates it, LOL) -- since it's just the 2 of us at my house, you may get fewer meals out of it, serving 4, FYI. And where I used a pretty garlickly salsa, it came out quite mild, b/c of the beer and lack of cayenne I suspect. So you can definitely adjust this to be flavorful, but not spicy, and I'm sure that any kind of mild salsa, enchilada sauce, etc. would work just as well. I also use a Goya product called Recaito, it's a mild but flavor-packed jar of blended cilantro, onion, and green pepper, can be used here instead of salsa, or I glop it onto stuff for grilling, in soups, etc. It's the best $1.89 spent at the market! Good luck -- emily :)

[sozzled]

Ok so I have been dying to try this on my vegetarian family and finaly sat down to pull up the recipe when my 10 year old informed me "MOM, you are not cooking dinner, you are reading Suburban Bliss and THAT is a blog." ha ha, I was able to tell her I was in fact on your blog to find a recipe. It was a big hit at our house, esp for me since it came together to quickly. thank you, thank you!