Rapunzal's Castle: July 2014

It was July 4 and we were headed to a cookout. I've been dying to try a sweet corn salsa with Husk, and just needed the opportunity. After looking through numerous recipes, I combined what I liked and came up with this. Really not trying to brag, but it was beyond delicious. I got "yelled" at for not bringing enough, even though I had doubled the recipe. The salsa had disappeared before the burgers were even cooked. I was informed by several friends that this is now my new go-to recipe (even better than my hummus!) and I'm to bring to all get-togethers. :)

There are onions and jalapeños in the recipe, but there are just enough to provide a good depth and some mild heat to the salsa. It won't burn your mouth. Promise. Black beans and avocado help smooth out the flavors too. The kids, even the ones who normally won't touch anything hot loved it. The adults who normally say "the hotter the better" devoured it too. Truly is a crowd pleaser. If you want it hotter, of course add more jalapeños. But I think the balance is just right.

Here's the recipe. Not kidding though, you need to at least double it!

The fresh ingredients

Disappearing Southwestern Salsa

1 bag Husk sweet corn (drained)

15 ozs black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)

2 avocado (chopped)

1 lime ~2 TB (juiced)

½ medium purple onion (diced)

2 jalapeno chilies (seeded and minced)

2 clove garlic (minced)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped or torn (or a good 2 TB of dried cilantro if fresh unavailable)

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

½ TB Kosher salt

½ TB Tony Chachere's Lite Creole Seasoning (lite because it's low-sodium. Calories are negligible. Zataran's would also be acceptable.)

Both groceries in my town were out of cilantro so I had to use dried.

You can mix ingredients earlier in the day and even the day before to let tastes meld. Add avocado shortly before serving as it tends to brown. The key to the wonderful combination of sweet, savory, bitter, and salty flavors is finely mincing garlic, jalapeno, and red onion as well as using Husk corn. Husk is sweeter than any other frozen or canned corn on the market.