Roasted Corn & Vegetable Salad with or without Steak

I absolutely love stocking up on corn when it goes on sale.  I like to  keep half for corn on the cob, and the other half, I always end up making my famous Roasted Corn Salad.  This is a winner, when you need a quick and healthy side dish for any occasion.  Perfect for Spring or Summer BBQ’s!  This is also a great dish to serve on the side of any Mexican inspired dishes as well.  And I will say, this dish was what got me through the first few rounds of Master Chef. 🙂 And I am proud of that! This Roasted Corn Salad is packed full of fun colors and veggies, and even the kids love it!

Now, if you do not have time to roast corn on the BBQ, or if you don’t have a BBQ, that is quite alright, we can always make do with what we have!  The other great part about this salad, is you can basically use what you have in your fridge already.  Always substitute for the things that you don’t have, and utilize what you do have!  This is like an “everybody in the pool” kinda salad! So, whatever fresh veggies you have, throw them in there!  Now, let’s get started with this beautiful festive Roasted Corn Salad!

What you Need: (Measurements are not exact, just eyeball it) This amount makes for about 6-8 people

* 4 Ears of Fresh Corn (I like to either boil the corn for a few minutes, or microwave with a wet paper towel for about 3 minutes, so its partially cooked, and then finish on the BBQ for the Roasting!)

* 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro (if you do not like cilantro, fresh Basil, or even Mint will work for some freshness)

* About 1.5 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

* 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

* 1 Chopped Red Pepper

* 1 package of Cherry Tomatoes cut into quarters

* About 1/4 to 1/2 Cup Cotija Cheese (You can substitute Parmesan if you like)

* 1 full cut Avocado

* 1/3-1/4 Cup diced Red Onion

* The Juice of about 1/2 Lime

* 1 to 2 Teaspoons Cumin

* 1 Teaspoon Salt & 1 Teaspoon Pepper (Always)

* Red Chili Flakes (optional)

* Radish (optional)

For the Roasted Corn:

* 1 Tablespoon melted garlic butter.  ( I like to microwave or cook butter until melted, with a fresh clove of garlic)

* Cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to season.

* You can either baste the corn with this butter and spice mixture or once you cut your corn you can add this into your bowl to coat all of your corn.

How To:

* I like to get my corn started, so pre-cook the corn, and then get it on your BBQ if you have one.  If you do not have a BBQ, it is totally fine to just cook your corn fully and then wait till it cools, and cut off the cob, and into a big mixing bowl.  Add your garlic butter and seasoning directly on to your corn in your bowl.  Set aside, and lets get to your veggies!

* Start to cut up your Red Pepper, Tomatoes, Red Onion (radish) and cilantro and add to your corn.  Stir and taste.

* You will need to add a tiny bit of red wine vinegar, a squeeze of half lime, and some olive oil.  At this time, taste, and add some seasoning.  Salt, Pepper, (chili flakes) and Cumin.

* After everything is tasting great, let’s carefully cut up your avocado.  I like to leave this until almost last because I want the avocado to stay in good condition, not smashed and not brown.

* Add your avocado and your cotija cheese at the end.

Now for plating.  I like to scoop the Roasted Corn Salad on to a nice white plate.  Add a tiny bit more fresh Avocado chunks and sprinkle some more cotija cheese.  For color, if you want some more cilantro or whatever fresh herb you used, is also a great touch! 🙂

Enjoy!

P.S.  For this dish, I generally serve with a nice piece of Filet or Tri Tip, and make a quick Cilantro Chimichurri. Which is just Cilantro, garlic cloves, oil and salt and pepper and blend.  Drizzle all over your meat, and you have some serious Gourmet Grub at home!