Recipe: Cornbread Salad

Cornbread Salad

Cornbread:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with vegetable oil and heat in oven. In a medium bowl combine buttermilk and eggs, and stir. Add cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and jalapeno peppers, while stirring briskly. Pour batter into hot skillet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Dressing:
1 package ranch style dressing mix
8 ounces sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 recipe cornbread
2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
3 cups shredded cheddar
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped chile peppers
1 1/2 cups bacon pieces
1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained

Combine ranch dressing mix, sour cream and mayonnaise and set aside.

Place 1/2 of the crumbled cornbread in the bottom of a large serving bowl. Top with 1 can of pinto beans. Follow with 1/2 of the cheese, tomatoes, bell peppers, green onions, chile peppers, bacon, corn, and dressing mixture. Repeat ending with the dressing mixture. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Recipe courtesy Chris Lilly
Yield: 10 to 12 servings