Wednesday, June 15, 2011

In The Kitchen With Corn and Avocado Salad & Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

DSC08655I’m all for eating healthy whenever possible but sometimes to cook healthy means a gigantic amount of prepping and work compared to ripping open a box of hamburger helper and saving yourself the headache. This is why I am madly in love with this easy-peasy recipe for corn and avocado salad. There’s no cooking involved and it’s guilt free food that has such a delicious flavor. It fills you up and you can eat it without feeling like you’ve disappointed your waist-line. I accompanied this salad with some jalapeno cheddar biscuits which aren’t quite as healthy but homemade is always better and these biscuits are delish! Read on to find out how to make this fresh summer feast.

DSC08637First thing I did was chop up some fresh avocado into a bowl. I’m only feeding two people so I used two  avocados. I would say this whole recipe would easily feed 3-4 people so add more of each if you need to feed more.

DSC08639  Always toss your avocado with some fresh lemon juice to stop it from browning and look ugly.

DSC08642  Chop half a red onion into the bowl.

DSC08644    And now for some juicy tomatoes. You can just use mixed cherry tomatoes which makes it even easier and colorful but I used vine because that’s what I had. This is three vine tomatoes.

DSC08646  Roughly chop up approx. half a cucumber (or smaller if you like little bites) and toss it in the bowl with its friends.

DSC08650   Now for the sunny corn. I used fresh corn on the cob and just boiled it then sliced it off with a knife. If you have a BBQ then you could grill it or you can go the even easier route and just crack open a can of corn but try to keep an eye on the salt content of the can to keep this extra healthy.

DSC08651   Put the corn in the bowl with the other veggies and give it a toss being careful of the tender avocado on the bottom.

DSC08655When you’ve done the hardest part you will have a colorful bowl of goodness in front of you that looks something along these lines. Now let’s move onto the dressing for this salad.

DSC08658 Use approx 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh pepper

DSC08664Throw in some minced garlic or garlic powder. I used two cloves for ours.
  
DSC08671  Add a splash of red wine vinegar and a small bunch of minced cilantro. Give it a whipping with a fork for about 30 seconds. It should get mildly frothy and ready for drizzling.
 
DSC08699Pour over your salad and you are good to go. Now let’s move on to my super easy biscuits. Put the salad in the fridge for a little while if possible because it’s extra yummy chilled.

DSC08687 I used a basic buttermilk biscuits recipe which is just flour, baking powder, baking soda, butter, salt and buttermilk mixed until just combined. Don’t over mix or it will get tough. At this point you can make these biscuits in all kinds of ways. Add some chocolate and have dessert buns or raspberries for a breakfast bun. I make them a few times a week and they’re never the same twice. In this instance I threw in a cup of grated cheddar and a minced jalapeno. One of the reasons I make these a few times a week is because it’s so fast and easy. Buttermilk biscuit recipes always tell you to knead the dough out on a floured surface. Save yourself the stress and just get an ice cream scoop to make dough balls. It cuts down on the risk of over kneading and it’s way less mess to clean up afterward.

DSC08708Preheat the oven to 450 and bake for 15-20 minutes. I actually use my toaster oven because I make smaller batches and it uses way less energy to power so the buns have to cook a little longer since you can’t really preheat the toaster oven. About 25 minutes if your going that route.

DSC08710 When they’re done let them cool before you snarf one down because they will be piping hot. They’re crispy on the outside and soft and so flaky on the inside. They’re yummy warm or cold and mingle beautifully with most diner dishes.

Enjoy!

*Photo credits belong to Reckless Bliss*

3 comments:

emily said...

That salad looks amazing! I've been craving all things with avocado and cilantro! And those biscuits look crazy good!

Amber @ fromtheseeds said...

Mmmm! That salad looks perfect! I always enjoy having a salad without lettuce, it feels like something a little different!

Erin Walsh Design said...

These sound so good! I'm definitely trying them:)

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Thanks for sharing!