Fire Roasted Corn Salad

Summertime means corn. 

Ears and ears of sweet fresh corn.

 

If you are taking advantage of one of the greatest gifts summer has to offer and have an abundance of fresh corn and want to change it up from the classic corn on the cob then make this salad! 

You also can change up your pancake game by adding some of that fresh corn to your regular batter check out the recipe for savory corn pancakes.

Fire Roasted Corn Salad 

4 ears corn - husks and silk removed 

2 bell peppers*

3 green onions, sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 jalapeño seeded diced 

Zest and juice of one lime 

1/2 tsp salt 

3 Tbs olive oil 

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (optional) 

*You can use jarred roasted peppers if you don't have the time to roast, steam and peel the peppers, but you will be missing out on some of that smokey flavor.

The corn and peppers can be charred under the broiler, on the grill, or on a gas stove top right on the burners. Whichever way you choose to char the corn and peppers just make sure to rotate constantly for even charring all around.

Allow the corn to cool and place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam, this will allow them to steam so that you can peel the peppers when they are cool enough to handle.  

Shave the corn off the cob and place in a mixing bowl. 

When the peppers are cool enough to handle peel, seed, and dice then add to the corn. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to combine. 

All of the ingredients for this delicious salad perfect for summer are available at Seasons! 

Savory Corn Pancakes

When someone says pancakes I'm assuming the first thing that comes to mind is a big stack of fluffy pancakes dripping with sweet sticky maple syrup. Don't get me wrong, I love those types of pancakes, but I'm going to try to change that image of sweetness that can basically qualify as a dessert by opening you up to the world of savory pancakes. An unsweetened pancake batter is pretty much a blank canvas you can mix in anything you want from sauteed vegetables, cheeses, to herbs and spices. These pancakes are super fluffy with great crisp edges and are packed with corn and spice. They are the perfect dish to enjoy all summer long since they take minutes to whip up and are chock full of corn which is pretty much the greatest thing summer has to offer.

Recipe is adapted from Foodnetwork 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt 

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk you can add 2 Tbs of lemon juice to regular milk) 

1/4 melted butter or oil plus more for frying 

2 1/2 cups fresh corn shaved right off the cob (you can also use canned or frozen) 

1 jalapeno seeded and diced 

1 tsp smoked paprika 

zest of 1 lime 

1/2 cup shredded cheddar 

2 Tbs chopped cilantro 

3 green onions sliced 

Mix together the dry ingredients then add the wet. At this point, you have a great batter that you can add anything to or just fry them up as they are. Add the rest of the ingredients. Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add scoopfuls of the batter and cook about 3 minutes per side. You know you're ready to flip when you see bubbles all over the top of the pancakes that means there has been heat evenly distributed throughout and you should have golden brown pancakes that are good to flip. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and serve with a big scoop of sour cream or greek yogurt. 

All of the ingredients for these pancakes are available at Seasons! 

Remember that you can add whatever you want to these pancakes - my favorite add in is the classic blueberry! 

Watermelon Lime Granita

Ice. Cold. Refreshing.

Thos are the most satisfying words to hear when it's 100° outside and this watermelon lime granita is just that. Comes together in minutes, uses a few ingredients, and your freezer is the one doing pretty much all the work, it's the perfect treat for a hot summer day. 

4 cups of cubed watermelon, about 1.5 lbs 

Juice of 8 limes - about 1/2 cup of juice 

1/4 pinch of salt 

1/4 cup sugar 

In a blender or food processor puree the watermelon cubes and then pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. In a small pot mix together the lime juice, salt, and sugar cook until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Mix together with the watermelon juice. Pour into a 9x13 pan and place in the freezer. After 1 hour, give the mixture a stir then allow the mixture to freeze until solid. Using a fork scrape to make shavings. Scoop into small bowls and serve with a garnish of lime zest and mint. 

The watermelon lime juice mixture is delicious even before it's frozen. Mix it with some seltzer pour it over ice and enjoy during your next BBQ and to make it even better add some tequila!