Foodie Fridays: Calabacitas

From Mexico in my Kitchen

Sunday is Cinco de Mayo, and I plan to serve an easy and delicious Mexican-style dinner.  In addition to the Chicken Mole Enchiladas recipe I featured last week, I will make a vegetable side dish called Calabacitas, which is the Spanish word for zucchinis.  There are many variations of this simple recipe, but I am using one from a little recipe pamphlet put out by New Mexico Magazine called "A Taste of New Mexico Kitchens" that I acquired from a long-forgotten source many years ago.  Simply sauté zucchini with a few other vegetables, stir in some cheese, and serve -- it doesn't get much easier than that!  For our dinner on Sunday, I plan to leave out the cheese and instead use the vegetables as a filling for cheese quesadillas.  I have never done this before, but it should be delicious -- after all, you can't go wrong with cheese quesadillas!

Calabacitas

2 T. oil
1 clove garlic
1 medium onion, diced into small chunks
4 medium zucchini, diced into small chunks
2 C. frozen corn, thawed
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
salt to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheese, such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then sauté the garlic, onion, and zucchini until soft.  Discard the garlic.  Mix in the corn, chiles, and salt.  Cover tightly and heat through.  Stir in the cheese and serve.  Serves 4.