Salad from Grilled Corn, Avocado, Cucumber

Similar to Cowboy Caviar on page 180 of Tastes & Treasures, but this recipe has an unique twist.

Grilled Corn, Avocado, Tomato Salad with honey lime dressing

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes

1 ripe avocado

2 ears of fresh sweet corn

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Honey Lime Dressing

Juice of 1 lime

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp honey

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of cayenne pepper


Directions:
Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.


Honey Lime Dressing
Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.


Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle.

Caprese Corn Salad

A pretty side dish with cheese and corn - my favorite foods all in one recipe. Oh My.

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 ear corn, husked and cleaned
8 ounces tomatoes or 1/2 pint grape tomatoes or 1 chopped tomato (drain the excess water after chopping)
3 ounces fresh mozarella (we used shredded)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions: You can boil the corn cob but we love the extra flavors when it is grilled. Scrape corn kernels into a medium bowl.
Cut tomatoes, drain and add to bowl.
Cut cheese into dice a little larger than corn kernels (or use shredded cheese). Add to bowl.
Toss with oil and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 2 servings.

Note: Grilling corn brings out such nice flavors. The recipe for grilling vegetables is on page 100 Tastes & Treasures cookbook. Lon's at Hermosa Inn share easy instructions for Grilled Fennel. It works for most vegetables.

Family Reunion at the Farm

Since they grow the corn, it can't get any fresher. Folks in Indiana have lots of ways to cook corn but this is the favorite . . . grilling right in the husk.

Just pull back the outer leaves, remove the silk, replace the leaves and soak in a big tub for 4-8 hours. Then place directly on the grill. Yummmm.

The cooler worked great to store the cooked corn for the large group at the reunion.

Any left over corn is wonderful for Corn Salsa, page 33 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Corn Salsa

Ingredients:
1 or 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
1 ½ cups roasted corn (about 2 large ears)
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup vegetable juice cocktail
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt to taste

Directions:
Combine the jalapeno chiles, corn, bell peppers, cilantro, onion, tomato, sugar, vegetable juice cocktail, lime juice and salt in a large bowl and toss to mix.

Makes 3 ½ cups

Unique Presentation for Cowboy Caviar

Dear Tastes & Treasures,

I've made the Cowboy Caviar recipe (page 180) at least a dozen times now, and it is always a crowd favorite. In the summer, I make it with grilled sweet corn and fresh tomatoes. Served with baked chips, it's a fresh, low-fat, protein-packed snack. I recently served at our annual rodeo party. To match the theme, I put the chips in an inexpensive cowboy hat from the party supply store lined with a bandana from the craft store. Thanks for the great recipe!

Tara (Minneapolis, MN)

Grilled Corn Salad

Grilling vegetables with spices adds so much flavor to the dish. We had fresh corn, tomatoes, onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, fresh parsley, fresh rosemary and fresh basil. Marinating in cumin, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar or lime juice pulls everything together.

Want to really impress guests? Serve the vegetables as an appetizer with these tasty corn cups. The Historical League featured these at the Sandra Day O'Connor Open House held at the AHS Museum.

CORN CUPS

Ingredients:
6 T butter, at room temperature
2 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup yellow corn meal
1 cup flour
Pinch salt

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter and cream cheese.
3. Sift the corn meal, flour and salt together in a separate bowl.
4. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until incorporated.
5. Place on a clean counter an gently knead a few times and divide into 1-inch balls. The dough can be rolled and cut into rounds.
6. Press the ball or rounds into a mini muffin mold, pressing down in the center to fill the mold and form a cup.
7. Bake until light brown and cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and molds to finish cooling on a rack.

Makes about 30 cups