This grilled Mexican corn salad is tossed with tomatillos and a creamy avocado ranch dressing! It’s a healthy gluten free side for only 125 calories!
I decided I should try to embrace the Mexican culture, now that I am down in the States. So, I decided to write myself a list of things I need to do order to accomplish this:
- Buy a Sombrero
- Wear said sombrero in public, with the hubby (he hasn’t seen this list yet 🙂 )
- Eat some green curry pork tacos from one of the many taco trucks
- Take siestas every afternoon (Also, my boss hasn’t seen this list yet)
- Make something with a tomatillo.
If you want to know the status of the completion of this list: well, this recipe crosses off number 5. I’m working on the other 4. They are going to happen. Maybe not the taco trucks ’cause, well, they be sketchy guys. I don’t want my quest to end in death. Or worse, food poisoning.
However, as mentioned, I did complete one of the items on the list! I was wary about these little green fellows. I always walk by them in the grocery store ‘ wondering “who on EARTH do you eat a tomatillo?” because they look like little under-rip tomatoes, with a gross, crusty skin thing hanging off them.
I know, I totally just made you want to eat them.
However. They are ALWAYS on my most favoritest TV show in the world, “Chopped,” so I figured that people must eat them. They are also included in like every Mexican recipe ever created on planet earth.
I’m exaggerating, but you get the picture.
So, considering I have goals of assimiltating into the US culture and eating EVERYTHING Mexican forever, I bought some. I had to make a side dish for our church picnic, and I decided I would just try ’em out then. Church picnics are the best to try new recipes ’cause everyone is so nice and it makes you feel really good about what you made, am I right?
Anyways.
I bought the tomatillos and brought them home, a little apprehensively. However, upon removing the weird skin and cutting into them, I was pleasantly surprised. They are A LOT firmer than tomatoes, which I LOVE. I hate cutting into a tomato and just squishes everywhere. <– This does NOT happen with a tomatillo.
Then you just have this outer shell of a tomato that once was. So sad.
I tasted one. Pretty good! They are super crunchy, but not as sweet as a tomato.
So back to how do you eat a tomatillo? Well, I Googled did some googling and learning there are a few ways to do this:
- Cooked
- Raw
I know, very mind blowing,
After washing off the stickyness, I decided to go the “raw” route and throw them in this Mexican grilled corn salad. It’s kind of like the Mexican Corn Salad with Honey Lime Shrimp, except it’s fulfilling my “eat a tomatillo goals.”
Do you remember my put-creamy-sauce-on-everything-but-make-it-healthy phase?? Still going through it. Avocados also go quite well with Mexican things, like the chicken burrito bowl for meal prep, I have on repeat, AND they are super creamy and healthy.
So, it came together like this: little smokey pieces of corn and onion, crunchiness from the tomatillo, and creaminess from the avocado. My taste buds did the happy dance for reals.
And, it all got eaten at the picnic. People don’t eat what ain’t delicious folks.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups corn kernels (thawed)
- 1 Red onion chopped
- 4 Large tomatillos roughly chopped.
- 1/2 Cup Cilantro minced.
- Sea Salt to taste
For the dressing:
- 1/2 A small avocado
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1.5 Tsp adobo chile sauce see note
- 2 Tbsp Powdered ranch dressing mix
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp Sodium reduced taco seasoning
- Pinch of stevia (or whatever sweetener you like.)
Instructions
- Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and preheat on high. (You could also use an actual grill and a bbq basket.)
- While the pan preheats, chop your red onion, tomatillo, and cilantro.
- Throw the corn and red onion into the pan, stiring regularly so that they do not burn. Mine took around 10 minutes to really get some good grill marks.
- While your corn and red onion cooks, mix all the dressing ingredients in a small food processor. Process until smooth, and everything is well combined.
- Once you have achieved the desired amount of grill-age on your veggies, toss them in a bowl with the roughly chopped tomatillos and cilantro.
- Mix the dressing in and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Season with sea salt and pepper and serve!
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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U can buy smoked chili powder, it has some other spices in with it but in smaller quantities, I think. It’s yummy!
This salad is outstanding. I am transitioning to a plant-based diet, and this will be one of my go-to recipes.
Great to hear and good luck with the transition