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Posted on Wed, Apr 24, 2013 : 8 a.m.

Creamy cornmeal with toasted corn and queso fresco - a fresh and fast dinner

By Mary Bilyeu

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Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I was in a rush one evening and in need of a quick, easy dinner. Not "fast food," please note. But fast food.

I relied upon fresh ingredients, and I didn't fidget with them very much; I kept them simple and straightforward.

Cornmeal serves as a nice base that is an excellent substitute for pasta or for rice, and it cooks much more quickly. Topped with some salsa, a smushed avocado, some lovely crumbly queso, and some corn that I glamorized a bit by toasting it in a pan, these few items united into a lovely dinner that cooked within 15 minutes.

Fast, fresh, fabulous food!

Creamy Cornmeal with Roasted Corn and Queso Fresco

1 cup water
1 cup skim milk
pinch of kosher salt
2/3 cup medium-grind cornmeal
1 cup frozen corn
3/4 cup fresh salsa
1 cup crumbled queso
1 avocado, mashed
sour cream, for serving

In a large saucepan, bring the water, milk, and salt to a boil; lower heat to "simmer" and whisk in cornmeal until smooth. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, for 5 minutes as cornmeal thickens to the consistency of grits.

Place corn into a large skillet, and toast for 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it becomes golden.

To serve, place prepared cornmeal onto a serving dish. Top with salsa, toasted corn, crumbled queso, and mashed avocado.

Serves 2.

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Mary Bilyeu writes for AnnArbor.com on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, telling about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests, meeting new friends ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions, comments, or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

Go visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — where she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related; and look for her monthly articles in the Washtenaw Jewish News. "Like" her on Facebook, or send a tweet on Twitter, too.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.