Fresh Corn Salad with Jalapeno Lime Dressing

This Fresh Corn Salad with Jalapeno Lime Dressing is packed with whole grains,veggies, and just enough spice to keep it interesting. It's a salad as colorful as the rainbow! Enjoy this for a healthy lunch or side dish. 

At the beginning of the summer, Jenny Rosenstrach posted a Summer Salads Review Course over on Dinner a Love Story. Turns out, there are crucial salad-making rules and regulations (per Jenny, who knows about these things of course).

I've been studying her guide all summer.

Now, with summer's end fast approaching, I'm ready to present what I've learned. I'm calling this Fresh Corn Salad with Jalapeno Lime Dressing my final exam, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get an A.

Now this salad doesn't utilize every single crucial salad making rule, but it's pretty darn close. It's really the kind of salad you make once or twice a week for the rest of the season because it screams summer and it's the perfect way to usher it out.

Let me tell you all about it: 

Jenny says "The Way You Cut Your Vegetables Matter." So, I present to you a salad with the vegetables cut just right.

In this salad, it's all about consistency. If you cut your onions and bell peppers so that they are about the same size as the kernels of fresh corn (read: small), it's going to be a better salad. Like Jenny says, the taste is the same whether they are big chunks or small, but when they are all about the same size, the range of flavor and texture is highlighted.

Plus, it's prettier.

Jenny also cautions us to "Remember the 1:1 Grain to Stuff Ratio." For this salad, I cook one cup of whole grain spelt or farro.

It's just enough grain to make it hearty and filling, but it isn't dominating. There are plenty of fresh veggies to even it all out.

And, "The Best Salads Have Crunch," says Jenny. So, I didn't skimp on the crunchies here.

Red onions, crunch. Bell peppers, crunch. Fresh corn off the cob, crunch. And although I didn't make homemade croutons (per salad rule #1), I do think this pairs nicely with a few crunchy Black Pepper Triscuits.

Also, "Do Not Forget Herbs and Seasoning," which is why there is an entire bunch of chopped fresh cilantro leaves in this Fresh Corn Salad. There's also a few crucial twists of the pepper grinder.

And while Jenny recommends Gina's Peruvian Green Sauce (which really is the revelation she says it is!), I took a slightly different route.

It's still a green sauce, but I went with a Jalapeno Lime Dressing for this Fresh Corn Salad and it is a five star dressing. I'm obsessed with it! There's a whole lot of flavor and just enough heat to really make this salad interesting.

And, like Gina's green sauce, it's just a few fresh ingredients in the blender for a couple whirls. Simple, but so tasty.

Finally, I listened to Jenny and learned how to "Master Your Avocado Slicing Technique." See those avocados? Sliced? Voila!

And yes, you could just cut them into chunks and mix them into the Fresh Corn Salad, but I highly recommend you don't. Do that fancy slice and spread it right in the middle of the salad before you serve it. Then, beam just a little because you have totally just elevated your whole salad game.

Now for the real test, have a bite of this Fresh Corn Salad and tell me what you think!

If you enjoyed this recipe for Fresh Corn Salad, you may also enjoy these salads:

• Fresh Cranberry Apple Farro Salad
• Curried Chicken Salad with Orzo and Mango Chutney
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Apple Salad

Yield: 4 to 6

Fresh Corn Salad with Jalapeno Lime Dressing

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup spelt berries (see note)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice from 1 medium lime, about 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped (or 2 ounces canned diced jalapenos)
• 4 ears of fresh sweet corn cut off the cob
• 1 large red or orange bell pepper, diced small (see note)
• 1 small red onion, diced small
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 5 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado sliced
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 to 4 cups mixed baby spinach and arugula (optional)

Instructions

1. In a medium sauce pan, cover the spelt berries and 1 teaspoon salt with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered until berries are tender but still a bit chewy, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
2. In a blender, combine the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and jalapeno with a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.
3. When the spelt berries are done cooking, drain them well and place in a large serving bowl. Stir in the dressing and let the spelt berries soak it up while you prepare the vegetables.
4. Add the corn, bell peppers, onion, cilantro, and tomatoes and toss gently until well combined.
5. If using, serve over a bed of baby spinach and arugula. Top with sliced avocado and freshly ground pepper. Serve warm or chilled.

Notes

The spelt berries can easily be replaced with farro or brown rice or wild rice - just note the cooking time for the different kinds of grains.

This salad looks and tastes the best when the peppers and onions are diced small, approximately the same size as the corn kernels. See pictures above.