Mexican Grilled Peppers and Corn Salad

I'm improvising the Pinto Beans, Persimmon and Avocado Salad and calling it Mexican because I threw in to it habanero chile and cilantro. You see, they are basically the same except there's no persimmons in this recipe but more hearty with the addition of grilled bell peppers and corn. To the dressing, I added some honey. It did taste more flavorful than without.

If you have a tiny kitchen the size of mine and no grill. This is what you do when the recipe calls for grilling. Just make sure you raise the rack high enough that the vegetables don't touch and burn by the electric hot plate.


Serve it as a side with a Double Decker Quesadilla.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)

For the Salad:

• 1/2 red bell pepper, grilled and diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, grilled and diced
• 1/2 con of fresh corn, grilled, use niblets only
  
• 1 habanero chili, core and seed removed, diced
• 1/2 cup cooked pinto beans
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

For the Dressing:

• 2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small clove of garlic minced
• 1/4 medium-size red onion, chopped
  
• 1 TB fresh orange juice
• 2 TB lime juice
• 1 TB organic raw honey
  
• Ground cumin
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Cilantro leaves as garnish
  

1. Simply toss all the salad ingredients together with salad dressing.
   

Guacamole

I like Mexican cuisine for its varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices and ingredients. The latter makes it a challenge to cooking Mexican here in the South Eastern region of the world: although there are many prepared, canned Mexicans for sales, raw ingredients such as chillies with varying degree of hotness are hard to come by. Clever use of the right chili is an art unto itself, too. I always resort to Foodsubs for advises of substitution.

This recipe, for instant, uses habanero chile, which is one of the most intensely spicy species of chili peppers. I intended to use serrano chilies, a less spicy chili, but they were not available. If you are using serrano chillies, double the amount used. If it's too hot for your liking, temper it with sour cream (lemon juice + cream). A quicker way to guacamole is to mix chopped avocado with 1/4 cup of salsa. Tomatoes are an optional garnish.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 side servings)

• 1 ripe avocado, peel and chopped
  
• 1/4 large red onion, minced
  
• 1 habanero chile, stems and seeds removed, minced
• 1 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
  
• 4 vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

1. In a medium bowl, mash avocado. Add onion, habanero chile, cilantro and lemon juice. Stir, taste and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cover with plastic and store in refrigerator to prevent oxidation. Add chopped tomatoes just before serving.