Southwest Afternoon

Few people entertain at lunch anymore. That’s a shame. At lunch, the food can be more interesting than at brunch, and it involves less food, service and expense than dinner does.

Recently, I invited friends for lunch and served them a simple Southwestern menu that’s easily prepared ahead. It was so casual that I served the food from my kitchen island. The focus of the menu was two salads. One was made from corn and beans and was served wrapped in warm tortillas. The other was a crisp chilled cucumber and radish salad. Rich Mexican brownies paired with a bowl of crisp fall apples made a nice dessert.

Start off, if you wish, with guacamole and chips or chile-seasoned mixed nuts. Both go well with margaritas. Chilled Mexican beer is a natural with the meal.

WARM SALAD OF BEANS AND CORN WRAPPED IN TORTILLAS

1 tablespoon oil

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 jalapen~o, seeded, minced

3 green onions, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)

1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium black beans, rinsed well, drained

1 1/2 cups corn kernels (about 2 cobs)

2/3 cup diced jicama

2/3 cup peeled, seeded, diced tomato

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 (7-inch) flour tortillas

1 cup diced or shredded queso ranchero

Salsa, optional

Tender raw corn offers the best taste and crunch in this mix. The salad maintains its texture because it’s barely warmed through. Any mild soft cheese can be substituted for the queso ranchero. Look for thin flour tortillas, avoiding the very thick ones.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add vinegar, jalapen~o, green onions, black beans, corn, jicama, tomato, cumin, sugar and salt. Mix well and heat through until very warm. Adjust seasoning. Can be made 1 day ahead to this point and refrigerated.

Wrap tortillas in foil and heat in 350-degree oven until warm, about 10 minutes. If salad made ahead, gently reheat in nonstick skillet until very warm but not hot; adjust seasoning. Stir cheese into warm salad. Put about 1/4 cup salad in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortilla; secure with toothpick, if needed. Serve warm. Pass salsa separately.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 8 servings contains about:

263 calories; 686 mg sodium; 9 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 3.15 grams fiber.

CUCUMBER AND RADISH SALAD

8 pickling cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

1 1/4 cups finely diced red onion

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

Scant 1 teaspoon salt

Few drops hot pepper sauce

1 cup thinly sliced radishes

3 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves

Mix cucumbers, onion, vinegar, sugar, salt and hot pepper sauce in large mixing bowl. Chill at least 3 hours or as long as overnight.

Mix well and drain off excess liquid. Add radishes and cilantro. Mix again and adjust seasoning. Serve chilled.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

48 calories; 401 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.93 gram fiber.

MEXICAN BROWNIES

1 cup butter

5 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup sliced blanched almonds

Ingredients typically found in Mexican hot chocolate--sweet chocolate flavored with cinnamon, almonds and vanilla--are included in these moist brownies.

Gently melt half of butter with semisweet chocolate on stove top or in microwave oven. Cool slightly.

Cream remaining butter with sugar by beating in mixer until fluffy. Add corn syrup and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. With mixer still running, add 1 egg at a time, beating until smooth between additions. Gently stir in flour, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Do not over-mix. Transfer batter to greased and floured 13x9-inch baking pan. Spread smooth with spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees until just beginning to set, about 15 minutes. Carefully scatter almonds over surface. Continue to bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out moist (but not gooey), about 10 more minutes. Do not over-bake; these brownies are moist. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 24 squares.

Makes 24 brownies.

Each serving contains about:

228 calories; 149 mg sodium; 49 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.06 gram fiber.