12 Stir It Up! recipes to beat the heat wave

It's the time of year for salads and smoothies. Stir It Up! has simple ideas to beat the dog days of summer cooking.

2. Southwest chicken salad

The Gourmand Mom
A tasty Southwest-style chicken salad with tender chunks of chicken in a spicy dressing, tossed with sweet corn kernels, black beans, and red bell pepper.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons diced chiles (or diced jalapeño pepper)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (for mild/medium spice)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 pound chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup corn kernels
3/4 cup black beans (from a can, drained and rinsed)
Salt and pepper

Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, diced chiles, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Pour the dressing over the chicken, red bell pepper, corn, and black beans. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and additional cayenne pepper, as desired.

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