David “graduated” preschool last week and we are in full on summer vacation mode! With summer mode comes picnics, an abundance of berries, trips to farmer’s markets, and learning how to ride a bike! I hope to sit down with the boys this week and come up with a list of summer goals for us—things to learn, things to do, things to see. My mom did this with my brothers, sisters, and me when we were younger and we continue on with the tradition.
With summer comes all new produce, and one of my favorite summer offerings, besides all of the berries, is corn. I grew up in Philadelphia and Jersey corn was just the best! I remember my dad and uncle having contests to see how many ears of corn they could eat in one meal—I feel like they were upwards of 5 or 6 each!
I’m a corn off the cob girl—I chipped my 2 front teeth in a biking mishap when I was 6 and it always makes me nervous to bite into corn or apples! Coupled with David’s teeth that are falling out at record pace—he’s lost 3 and counting in just 6 weeks—and corn on the cob is not the best option for our family. I use this awesome corn cobber to easily cut it off!
Traditional Elote is a Mexican street food—roasted corn on the cob with the husk pulled back (but not removed, so it can be used as a handle), slathered in butter, mayo, parmesan cheese, and spices. I’ve always been intrigued by it. Veggie Grill had a vegan version last summer—but that whole fear of biting into crunchy foods thing has held me back. Instead I decided to take all of those flavors and add them to an off-the-cob salad.
This salad has been a huge hit with my family. I made it this weekend for my parents and my mom is adding it to her huge 4th of July BBQ menu—high praise! Both little boys like it, Irving has requested in multiple times—and your family will too! Make this salad for your next summer BBQ, or just as a side dish for dinner. When you do, would you please take a picture to share on Instagram, and tag it with #frieddandelions! I love to see what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Elote Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ears corn choose organic!
- juice of 1/2 lime 1-2 Tablespoons
- 4 T mayo I like Vegenaise
- 1/4 t paprika
- 1/4 t chili powder
- 1/4 t garlic powder
- 1/4 t cumin
- 1/2 t dried oregano Mexican if possible (if using a fine ground oregano reduce to 1/4 t)
- 1/2 t salt
- 2 T nutritional yeast
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/4 c cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While you wait, prepare your corn. Remove husks and silk and discard.
- When the water comes to a boil add the corn (you may need to work in batches)
- After about 5 minutes remove the corn from the water and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Working carefully, remove all corn kernels from the cob, either using a corn cobber tool or a knife.
- Heat a large pan on the stove (I use my cast iron pan).
- Add the corn to the dry pan and allow it to toast and brown for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from pan and place in a large bowl.
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together—juice of lime, mayo, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and nutritional yeast. Pour over the corn.
- Add the green onions and cilantro.
- Mix well and serve at room temperature.
