Salsa Verde Elote Bites

Sometimes, when my husband and I are out to dinner, I look around, and can easily spot the couples in the restaurant that are on a first date. You know, the awkward small talk, cautious flirting, and most especially, eschewing of any super messy menu items.

At one of our favorite places in town, one of the best menu items is elote – roasted corn salad that is slathered in butter/mayo/sour cream and then covered in crumbly cheese.

You know, the kind of dish that is absolutely delicious, but gets all over your face, hands and even arms as you eat it. Not first date fare, but hey – I’ve been married eight years next month. I have no qualms about ordering the elote and digging in!

But let’s say you want to host a Cinco de Mayo party, and perhaps your guests don’t want to get covered in bits of corn and cheese while enjoying the festivities. Enter these Salsa Verde Elote Bites.

I took the corn off the cob (actually, I started with frozen corn since fresh corn is out of season right now), and added all of amazing flavors of elote – cream cheese and sour cream for that creamy factor, lime juice, cilantro, spices, green onions and cotija cheese – plus a little salsa verde for even more flavor.

Then, I scooped the mixture into Garden of Eatin’ Organic Blue Corn Bowls Tortilla Chips.

These chips are fashioned into a fun, sturdy bowl shape that make them perfect for scooping or serving. They come in two flavors: White Corn with Sea Salt and Blue Corn with Sea Salt (used here). Both varieties are certified USDA Organic and contain only three simple ingredients: corn, oil and salt.

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Salsa Verde Elote Bites

Yield: Makes 32 bites

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 bag (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons salsa verde
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
• 32 Garden of Eatin' Organic Blue Corn Bowls Tortilla Chips
• Hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn and jalapeño; cook 6 to 7 minutes or until corn is deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together lime juice, salsa verde, sour cream, cream cheese, chili powder, salt, cumin and paprika until well combined. Add onion, cilantro, cheese and corn mixture; stir until well combined. Serve warm or refrigerate up to 2 days and serve chilled. Makes about 2 cups elote mixture.
3. To serve, place tortilla bowls on serving platter and fill each bowl with 1 tablespoon corn mixture. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

Notes

Home Chef Tip: Almost all of the heat of jalapeño peppers come from the seeds. Want a spicier dish? Add the seeds to the corn mixture instead of discarding them.

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Disclosure: This was a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Garden of Eatin’. Sponsored posts help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries…lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.