Mom's Quick Corn Salad (ready w/ pics)

There are a few things you need to know about my mom: She's not into cooking. She makes great banana bread. When she finds a recipe she likes, she makes it nonstop.
That third fact is why she is a gnocchi pro, and why I look forward to family barbecues. I love my family and all, don't get me wrong. But I really, really love her corn salad.

I have a weird memory of her getting the original recipe from something Paula Deen made, but because she's very into altering recipes, she made something better.
She always makes it with frozen corn, but because it's summer time and that means that freshly husked corn on the cob is pretty much mandatory, you can feel free to use that instead, just cut the corn off the cob instead of tossing a bag in the microwave. Other types of beans ca be subbed in too, depending on what you like and have on hand. We're a black bean family, but if you're the kidney or pinto sort, I'm sure that would be great too!

Probably would have been a better idea to take pictures before digging in. Oops

Mom's Corn Salad:
Serves an Army

6 cups frozen sweet corn (thawed, or fresh, cut off the cob and blanched for 4 minutes)
2 15oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 avocados, finely cubed
1 large red onion, chopped fine
2 medium tomatoes, chopped fine
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Thaw your corn and place in a large bowl. If you're using fresh corn, cut it off the cob and blanch it in boiling water for 4 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath tho stop the cooking and cool the kernels.
Drain your corn and toss with the beans. Gently fold in the onion, tomato, and avocado.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the olive oil, vinegar, chili powder, cumin and lime zest.
Slowly mix the dressing into the salad, until the mixture is coated but not wet. Taste and season with additional cumin, chili, salt and pepper.
Chill the mixture for an hour, or until cold all the way through.
Serve and send the extras home with grandma!

Beet and Clementine Salad

Sometimes you've just got to eat dirt. Whether it's a mushroom, a beet, or almost any other root veggie, the foods that taste like dirt are oddly appealing to me.

The beet has been especially crave worthy lately, and I've been eating them like crazy.

I like that they're healthy

I really like their deep red color

I'm a fan of their versatility

Heck, I love that they taste like dirt.

I really love they they're good for you, and have been eating them like crazy for the past week or so.

Roasted, boiled, and raw beets with balsamic vinegar are great for a while, but eventually, they need something else. That's when you make a beet salad.

This is one of my favorites, with sweet citrus, creamy avocado, earthy beets, peppery arugula, and nutty sunflower seeds, this salad is almost overwhelming in that it hits every last tastebud.

It may be complex in flavor, but it's one of the easiest salads to make--perfect for a brown paper lunch bag, a summer picnic, or a more formal dinner.

Beet and Clementine Salad

Serves 4

16 cups (one large bunch) arugula, rinsed and dried

8 steamed baby beets, quartered (you can find prepared beets at Trader Joe's)

2-4 clementines, peeled and segmented

1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds

Dressing

Makes 1.25 cups

1 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded

2/3 cup of water, divided

1 tsp lime zest

3 Tbs lime juice

2 chopped green onions

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste) 

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large boll, toss the greens, beets, and clementines.

In a blender, puree the avocado, 1/2 cup of water, lime juice and zest, onions and garlic until smooth. Add more water if the mixture is too thick. 

Taste and add salt, pepper, and cayenne until seasoned to your taste (I used about 1/2 tsp of each)

Divide the salad onto 4-6 plates, top each with 1-3 Tbs of dressing and a tablespoon of sunflower seeds.

Enjoy!

Vegan Caprese Salad

Salads are boring.
I'm sure you've heard that said about a million times, but it's not true. It's simply a lie. Who over told you that does not really know anything about salad.
I'm on a bit of a giant salad kick at the moment, due to a little thing called a diet (check out my other blog below) and I'm actually really enjoying it!

Exhibit A, because the bag technique is very hard to explain without visuals

I'm not allowed much dairy on this diet, so I save it for the important things, like Greek yogurt and have been using my usual substitute Almond milk quite a bit. When I was craving the classic tomato, basil and cheese salad, though, I ran into a little bit of a problem. That's where tofu and vinegar come in, though.

Brown Baggin' it!

The tofu absorbs the flavor of the marinade and really tastes similar to cheese. The texture's not too far off, either. So, whether you're vegan, on a diet, or just out of cheese, you can always enjoy a Caprese.
I used my favorite lunch time salad making technique-make it in a big zip top bag, put that in a tupperware, and you know all the dressing is sealed securely inside. So, if you want to make this salad in a bowl, just follow the directions but put the ingredients in a bowl, not bag, and toss, don't shake.

Vegan Caprese Salad
(serves 1)

1 medium roma tomato, sliced
8-10 basil leaves, ripped
2 oz firm tofu, thoroughly drained
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Put tomato, basil, shallot, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper ina large zip top bag, and shake gently to combine.
Cut the tofu into 1/4 inch squares and squeeze the liquid out, by wrapping it in paper towels and squeezing until dry.
Crumple the tofu into the salad and skake it up again again.
Allow the salad to marinate for 2 hours or overnight. This step is really important because it allows the tofu to absorb the other flavors, and make a more convincing cheese substitute.
Put the bag in a tall sealable container so you can eat it bowl style without any clean up or possible spillage.
Enjoy!
And remember to check out my Other Blog