It’s that time of year ~ salad season and corn season, so I am taking full advantage of both with recipes like this Elote Bowl.
It’s made with chopped romaine lettuce, Mexican elote style corn, quinoa, black beans, radish, cucumber, pumpkin seeds, cilantro and the creamiest of creamy vegan lime-avocado crema dressings.
If you’ve never had elote you are in for a real treat. It is Mexican street corn often sold as a snack, but it’s also perfect for summer grilling, side dishes, and for bowls like this.
Normally elote is slathered with mayo, spices, grilled and then topped with cotija cheese. But I went for a healthier version with a little avocado oil in place of mayo, and this vegan parmesan in place of cotija.
For the spices I whipped up my own “fiesta” blend of cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika (ya know, for that smoky flava!). But you can sub a pre-fab blend such as chile powder or any taco-style spice blend if easier.
Vegan parm and spices for corn
Usually this style of corn is grilled, but since I don’t have a grill in my NYC studio I roast it. But feel free to throw the ears on the barbie, then once tender add spices and cheese.
Vegan parm not your thing? Go with the traditional Mexican cheese cotija, which has a tangy parmesan-like taste.
Roasted spiced corn (aka elote)
For the dressing I went with an avocado lime crema, which is super creamy and delish. It literally tastes like guacamole dressing! And you can easily make it in a blender or food processor.
The avocado dressing literally tastes like guacamole!
For the rest of the salad components I use some of my favorite Mexi style bowl ingredients ~ chopped romaine, spicy quinoa, black beans, fresh cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and for that fresh veg crunch I like radish and cucumber.
Go with mesclun if romaine isn’t your thing, and if you are following a paleo diet skip the beans and quinoa and add your favorite protein.
Now this is my idea of a fiesta!
The salad is open to interpretation, so you can add any of the following:
- your favorite grilled protein
- tortilla chip “croutons”
- shredded red cabbage
- scallion or red onion
- chopped tomato
- bell peppers
- pine nuts
- jalapeños
- jicama
Think you’ll make this recipe? If so, please leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out. Or tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Want to keep the Mexican fiesta going? Check these recipes out…
Breakfast Tacos (vegetarian, GF)
Taco Salad (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 ears fresh corn husks removed
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp vegan parmesan such as Just Like vegan parm
- 1/2 of a ripe avocado (or 1 small) chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cucumber chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced radish
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup canned black beans drained
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
Ingredients
Elote corn
Avocado crema
Salad
|
|
- heat oven to 450°, line a sheet pan with parchment
- make elote: drizzle corn with 1 tsp avocado oil, season with salt & pepper and roast for 25 minutes, then sprinkle parmesan and spices over; let sit while preparing rest of the recipe and then remove corn from cob for salad
- make dressing: purée all avocado crema ingredients, adding a little filtered water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a drizzling consistency, then season to taste with salt & pepper
- to serve, in one large or two medium shallow bowls, add chopped romaine on the bottom, then add rows of each ingredient on top, drizzle with desired amount of avocado crema
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com