Roasted Corn Salad

I got a text from my brother that asked if I could bring roasted corn salad to his house for a BBQ that we had planned. No problem… I consulted several magazines and websites and ended up combining a bunch of them together to create my own recipe.

Some corn salads contain beans, some don’t. I knew since we were going to use it as a side or topper for street tacos, I wanted mine to have beans. I also knew that I didn’t have a ton of time in the kitchen to spend on my creation. We overbooked ourselves and I improvised with frozen already roasted Trader Joe’s corn.

The Ingredients:

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinaigrette
Juice from 1 Lime
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Salt

Salad Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic – I used a frozen Dorat cube
1/2 Medium Red Onion – chopped
1.5 bags Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn
1 Can Black Beans – drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 Jalapeño – finely chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper – finely chopped
6 Green Onions – chopped
Zest from 1 lime
1 Avocado – chopped

Directions:

  • Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, garlic, red onion and corn in a large pan – sauté on medium heat for a good 15 minutes, stirring frequently. You want the onions to become translucent and the corn to be heated through.
  • When done, set mixture aside and let cool.
  • Chop your jalapeño, red bell pepper and green onion – then drain and rinse your black beans.
  • In a large bowl, mix all salad ingredients except the avocado together. Then add the dressing.
  • Stir mixture to really coat the corn and beans well… refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours – can be chilled overnight to blend the flavors. Leftovers the next day were wonderful.

 

I should have put the onions and garlic into the olive oil  first, but I mistakenly threw the corn in first… it ended up working out fine.

I rinsed and drained my black beans, chopped up my jalapeño, red bell pepper and onions,  then started on the vinaigrette.

Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lime, cilantro, cayenne pepper, cumin powder, salt and pepper.

I mixed my beans, cooled corn mixture, jalapeño, lime zest, green onion and red bell pepper together and then poured in the vinaigrette and let it sit in the fridge for about 4 hours before packing it up for the drive.

I may or may not have also eaten a huge plate with tortilla chips for lunch to “test drive” it… I actually liked it warm too.

I loved the flavor combo – just enough kick and the balsamic addition was a really nice change over traditional corn salad/salsa dishes I’ve had in the past.

I would like to try it with corn that I actually roast myself next time… but this was a fabulous side/topping to my bro’s screamin’ good tacos.

He introduced me to Trader Joe’s packaged Carne Asada and Pollo Asado and wow… I will definitely be buying those for future meals – especially to grill ahead of time on the weekend for mid week lunch tacos.

We ended up with quite the spread…

My brother whipped up a chipotle slaw and I haven’t stopped thinking about these tacos since. I brought avocado to dice up and include in the corn salad/salsa… but got distracted with the delicious homemade guacamole set out.

Speaking of distractions… besides the tacos and good company, we had this adorable puppy to distract us from pretty much everything. My bro and his family got to play with this cute 11 week old yellow lab for 2 weeks while puppy sitting for a friend.

Adorable…

 

 

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2 comments

  1. Roasted corn in a bag?! Now I’ve seen everything. And that puppy is just oooommmmmmgeeeee. My dog looked a little like that as a puppy, but they sure grow up fast!

    • Amy on July 26, 2012 at 5:16 am

    Well, NOW I really am bummed Trader Joe’s is so far away from home. Roasted corn in a bag?! The packaged Carne Asada and Pollo Asado sounds like a dream for the busy weeks I have…. I just may have to take a road trip and keep my cooler in the car ready for my shopping trip there…

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