For Reals Meals Recipe: Corn Cakes with Red Chili Salsa

These corn cakes from Emilie and Jessica’s For Reals Meals stole the show (ok, they tied with the strawberry crumble). Emilie added an herb salad and quick pickled onions to top these. But they’d be great with just her red chili salsa, if you don’t have the time. Or just eat them nekked…they’re really that good.

{ Corn Cakes with Red Chili Salsa }
by Emilie Zanger

For Salsa:
1 small onion, sliced into ½-inch thick rings
8 arbol chiles, stemmed
1 tablespoon oil of your choice
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
½ tsp salt

For Corn Cakes
2 ¼ cups cornmeal
3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (Bob’s Red Mill is great)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups fresh corn off the cob (about 3-4 ears)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (you can use the darker green part of the spring onions for this!)
2 tablespoons oil of your choice (coconut oil for more healthful cakes) plus more for frying
1 1/4 cups water

Place the sliced onion in a foil-lined baking dish, and place under the broiler until the onion is softened and slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet, and toast the chiles for about 10 seconds on each side, until they just begin to darken. Remove the chiles from the pan, and add the garlic cloves. Toast until the papery skin turns dark and splotchy in places and the garlic softens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and slip off the skins. Place the roasted onion, chiles and garlic in the blender, and add the tomatoes and salt. Blend until smooth.

Combine all dry ingredients for the corn cakes in a large bowl and whisk. Add the corn and sliced green onion. Add the oil, then the water ¼ cup at a time, and stir until the mixture just holds together. Use your hands to form 16 evenly sized cakes, approximately 1/2 inch thick.  Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add half of the corn cakes. Cook until golden brown, and then flip and cook on the other side.

Top with avocado slices, salsa and some greens and herbs. Enjoy while still hot!