I {heart} Chipotle Peppers

I am a lover of the chipotle pepper.

I love the smokiness of chipotle peppers, but lately I’ve noticed the flavor tends to be overused, especially in restaurants. The flavor is great, but do we really need chipotle flavored chocolate cake?

I tend to reserve this intense flavor for fresh dips and sauces/dressings. And since I don’t overuse this flavor too much, it always packs a nice little punch when I do use it.

You can buy whole or crushed chipotle peppers in the can with adobo sauce in the Mexican food aisle. This style is great for sauces or salad dressings. But, I use ground chipotle powder for fresh dips like guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo and corn relish.

Check out this recipe for corn relish! I made it as a topping for our “fajita bowls” which is simply rice, black beans, fajita meat, salad toppings, cheese and salsa layered and piled high in a bowl.

Southwestern Corn Relish

• 1-2 ears of roasted corn (or 1 medium sized can of corn – drain and rinse)
• 1-2 slice(s) of red onion (diced)
• 1 tomato (diced)
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper (seeded and diced)
• Handful of fresh cilantro (stems removed; chopped)
• 1 tsp of ground chipotle powder (add more, depending on “heat” factor)
• Coarse ground pepper and kosher salt to taste
• Optional Ingredients: Diced avocado

Directions: Toss ingredients in bowl and serve.