Chile-Cheese Corn Muffins

Muffins are a great side because you can easily freeze the leftovers and use them later without much planning ahead, since they defrost in less than a minute in the microwave. Whenever I choose recipes, the ease of use for leftovers, number of ingredients needed and amount of labor required all factor into the equation. This recipe includes ingredients that you likely have on hand, and they're all pretty cheap too! Since we were grilling steaks the other night, I wanted a quick recipe that had just a couple of steps. I've made these Rachael Ray muffins a few times, and they are out of this world! They were perfect with steak and zucchini mash!

Chile-Cheese Corn Muffins


2 1/3 cups flour (Sometimes I use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/3 cups white flour)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup corn (canned or frozen- but make sure to thaw)
One 4-ounce can diced mild green chiles, drained
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 cup milk (I use 1%)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use light)

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne. Stir in the corn, chiles and 1/2 cup parmesan. Stir in the milk and mayonnaise. Spoon the mixture into a nonstick, 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until golden-brown, about 10 minutes more.

If you want to get really fancy, you could grill corn, instead of using canned or frozen, for a different flavor. Alter the amount of cayenne to make these more or less spicy; they've got a good kick to them with 1/2 teaspoon. You can't go wrong with these muffins- they're also a perfect side for chili or enchiladas! While I can't take credit for this photo, I can assure you that they really do turn out to look like this!