A Flair for the Southwest

As I have said many times, I love all kinds of food, but I have to admit, if I had to choose a favorite type of food, I would have to say it is most probably Southwestern.  I love the bold spices and heartiness of the foods from the Southwest.  We had some friends visiting from Arizona, and I made a Southwestern lunch to make them feel a bit more at home.  Although it was another scorcher, we sat out on our deck, a little more in the shade than we usually do, and it was very pleasant.  The cool margaritas we had with lunch also seemed to help lower the temperature a bit, or at least they made it so we weren’t as bothered by the heat as we might have been otherwise.

We had Southwestern grilled chicken burgers complete with roasted peppers, Monterrey Jack cheese, sauteed mushrooms, onions and bacon, and a spicy salsa-mayonnaise on the bun.  I served it with a Southwestern potato salad and some leftover barley-spinach salad.  It was a simple meal, but it had just the right amount of kick to it to leave everyone feeling very happy and satisfied.

Southwestern Potato Salad

cooked red potatoes, cubed

1 can black beans, drained

1 quarter red onion, diced fine

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/3 cup green onion, chopped fine

2 jalapenos, diced fine

cilantro, chopped fine

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup salsa

2 tsp cumin

1-2 tsp ground ajo chili (from Savory Spice)

red pepper flakes to taste

 

 

Place the potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil.  Once the water boils, let it continue to boil for about 12 minutes or until the potatoes slide off a fork or knife with ease.  Then drain and let cool.  Mix all the vegetables together and set aside.  Mix the mayonnaise, salsa, cumin, red pepper flakes and ground ajo chili together and set aside.  Add the vegetables to the potatoes and mix well, then add as much of the mayonnaise-salsa mixture as needed and incorporate well.   Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once you are ready to eat, sit back with a cold, refreshing margarita and enjoy.