Hominy Among Friends

NOBODY, and I mean, NOBODY! has made hominy taste this AWESOME!

Hot or cold, this arrangement of hominy, green chilies, cilantro and tomatoes with chipotle peppers is very hard to stop eating.  I read through so MANY hominy recipes that all seemed to be lacking in color and bright flavors.  So, I went off on my own and put what I wanted to taste around the hominy AND I won my husband over to hominy!  WOOHOO!

If you have the time, make this ahead, such as that morning or the day before serving.  By day three, it's awesome cold!  I totally see this recipe as a substitution for potato salad at a potluck luncheon or dinner.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 (36 ounce) can hominy, drained well
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped, mild green chilies
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 3/4 cup light sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded cheddar cheese, just enough to add color on top

Heat oven to 350ºF degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together, EXCEPT cheddar cheese, in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into an 8 inch x 8 inch pan.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese, just enough for color.  There's a lot of flavors in this dish, we don't want to smother them with cheese.

BAKE 25-30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Allow to cool a bit before serving.

NOTE: When this first comes out of the oven, it will have a little liquid on the bottom.  HOWEVER, if it has been allowed to sit in the refrigerator until the next day, the liquid is reabsorbed and will have a potato salad texture slash creaminess.

It reheats beautifully in the microwave at 80% power or eat it cold or room temperature.  I eaten this all 5 ways,

1. Fresh out of the oven
2. Leftover hot
3. Leftover cold out the frig
4. Leftover room temperature
5. Day three, eating what's left out of a cold pan

and this dish just kept getting better and better!