Meal Alliteration: Mexican Madness for Mom (M3)

My mother visited this past week, so naturally we did all that great mother/daughter stuff: shop, chat, and of course, we ate. After a subpar dinner out on Thursday night, followed by two decent dinners, I decided I should "wow" her with a home cooked meal. I attempted a fresh, Mexican-style meal full of flavor and nutrients: zucchini corn fritters with grilled mesquite chicken, chipotle mango salsa, guacamole, and cilantro lime sauce.

Zucchini Corn Fritters (compliments of Silverton Farms, Toms River, NJ)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 butter, melted (for those new to cooking, this is a half stick of butter)
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 1/2 cups of fresh corn cut from the cob
• 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• oil for pan

In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cumin, salt, pepper

In small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and butter. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir in zucchini, corn, and cheese; mix well.

Warm oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Drop batter by the tablespoon into hot oil. Fry until crisp and brown, turning once with tongs. Remove to paper towels.

Chipotle Mango Salsa

• 1 mango, chopped to small pieces
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 canned chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce - find this in the Latin Foods section)
• 1 tsp of adobo sauce (or to taste)
• 1/2 fresh lime juice
• handful of chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients together - add additional adobo sauce to taste.

Guacamole

• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 roma tomatos, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 fresh lime juice
• handful of chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients together.

Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

• 4 ounces sour cream
• 1/2 fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• handful of chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients together. Consistency should be more liquid than the sour cream itself - add more lime juice if consistency is thicker than desired.

Mesquite Chicken

• 1 lb chicken, cut into strips
• mesquite seasoning to taste

Season chicken with mesquite seasoning. Cook on cast iron skillet with heated skillet top to ensure even cooking.

Putting It All Together

Because this meal presents so many toppings, it's sort of a puzzle with how it should be consumed. I assembled this meal with the fritters serving as a base, followed by the cream sauce, chicken, mango salsa, and topped with the guacamole. But, get creative - this meal is bursting with flavor and can definitely cater to whatever you're craving.

Ease of cooking: 6/10...not a lot of cooking, but LOTS of chopping. Many of the ingredients compliment each other (for example, one red onion covers the guac and the salsa)

Leftover capability: 8/10...depending on how many people you're serving (I had two guests) you'll probably have quite a bit of leftovers. I'm using the mango salsa in a rice dish (post to come) and the fritters can be frozen until their next use. Be sure to refrigerate any leftover guac as it turns a gross brown color if left out for too long.

Overall: 9/10...probably the best meal I've cooked so far. It actually inspired this blog as several people have asked for the recipe :)