Southwestern Zucchini and Corn Bites with Avocado Ranch -- Gloria's Calabacitas, Year Two

Spring equinox today, which means it's officially spring, which means Denver will now get one final snowstorm to remind us who's in charge. We've lived here three years and I have not made peace with Colorado weather. New Mexico has weather too but it's honest about it — hot, dry, occasionally violent, but predictable. Colorado weather has a sense of humor and not always a funny one.

This week also marks a year since I started writing this blog. I started in late March 2016, and right around that time Lisa said something that stuck with me: she said I talk about food the way I talk about football, like it's life or death. She was right. Food is how the Medina family has always communicated. My mother roasts chiles to say I love you. My father grilled on his birthday because getting to stand at the fire was the gift he gave himself. I started writing because I figured other people were cooking out of love and memory and the need to keep something alive, and they might want to read about it.

I've made green chile stew four times this year. Posted three versions of the recipe. Got emails from people in Virginia and Michigan and one from a woman in New Zealand who found Hatch green chile at an import store and wanted to know what to do with it. I told her to start with stew and not skip the roasting step. She wrote back and said it was the best thing she'd ever eaten. I printed the email and put it on my refrigerator, next to Diego's spelling test and a drawing Elena made of a horse that looks more like a rectangle with legs. Small victories belong on the refrigerator.

I made calabacitas this week to mark the occasion — zucchini with corn, green chile, and garlic, the simplest of Gloria's side dishes and one of the ones I could make in my sleep. I used frozen chile from the stash, fresh corn from the store, and finished it with cotija cheese. The twins ate around the zucchini and picked the corn out of what was left, which is how four-year-olds eat and which I find more amusing than frustrating at this point.

Year two starts now. I'll keep writing. I'll keep cooking. About five bags of frozen chile left and September feels far away, but we'll make it.

Calabacitas felt like the right way to close out year one — nothing fancy, nothing I had to think too hard about, just Gloria’s simplest dish made with what I had on hand. But the twins picking corn out of the pan gave me an idea: if I’m going to cook zucchini and corn anyway, I might as well make it into something they’ll actually eat without performing a vegetable autopsy. Here’s the version that gets finished.

Southwestern Zucchini and Corn Bites with Avocado Ranch

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
• 2 roasted green chiles (Hatch or Anaheim), peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Avocado Ranch:
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and scooped
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk (or regular milk)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Make the avocado ranch. Combine avocado, sour cream, buttermilk, lime juice, garlic powder, and dill in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Season with salt, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
3. Cook the zucchini. Add diced zucchini to the skillet in a single layer. Season with cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to develop some color, then stir and cook another 2 minutes.
4. Add corn and chile. Stir in the corn kernels and chopped green chile. Cook 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until corn is heated through and everything is well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with crumbled cotija and fresh cilantro. Serve alongside the avocado ranch for dipping or drizzling.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 245 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 310mg