MEXICAN SWEETCORN & AVOCADO SALAD, easy-peasy, low-fat,

Sweetcorn, Red Pepper & Avocado team up for a colourful early autumn salad... 

'...a really gorgeous way to eat sweetcorn off the cob'

Avocados and corn on the cob are plentiful and well-priced right now, and teamed with red pepper and tomato make a delightful & easy autumn salad.   

The rich butteriness of the avocado, the crisp sweetcorn (whether shorn from a cob or drained, from a package), blistered red pepper and seed-free tomatoes provide a delightful punch of texture, flavour and colour.   

A bit of heat in the form of fresh chillis, chilli flakes or hot sauce brings a Latin American vibe.  Finish it off with a light sprinkling of olive oil and balsamic vinegar or Yoghurt-mayo dressing and a few toasted pumpkin seeds.  

Bliss.  

Serves: 6 as a side
Cost: £3 

Ingred:
ideally 2 medium ears of corn, nibs separated from cobs OR 240gm/8.4oz sweetcorn (drained) 
2/3 red pepper, in small dice 
up to 1 tbsp olive oil

1 finely chopped fresh chilli, seeds and membranes removed, Or 1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes or several dashes of Tobasco or hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
small clove garlic finely grated

I large, firmish avocado, peeled and diced, liberally sprinkled with lime or lemon  juice, and well seasoned with salt & pepper 

1 large tomato quartered, seeds & membranes removed

Dressing

yoghurt-mayo dressing  
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2-1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
pepper 

garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds (opt)
             crumbled goat cheese (if you're not worried about cholesterol)
             coarsely chopped parsley

Method:

1. In a large dry frying pan over medium high, add pumpkin seeds, heat until they give off a toasted smell -- be careful not to burn them; turn out on a flat plate; leave to cool
2. Turn heat to high; when pan is very hot; spray generously with olive oil
3. Add peppers; stir a minute or two until beginning to blister then add corn
4. Stir in chilli if using;  keep the mix moving  until the peppers soften and the corn gets smoky
5. Stir in garlic; take off heat
6. Mix sweetcorn & pepper in a large bowl until everything is evenly distributed; cool
7. Cut tomato quarters in neat parallel vertical slices 1/4inch/1/2cm wide; cut into squares the same size as peppers; spray with olive oil; lightly salt
8. Peel avocado, cut into medium dice; douse liberally with lemon juice; sprinkle with pepper & salt; stir into the corn mix with diced tomatoes
9. Gently mix in yoghurt-lime dressing to moisten but not overwhelm
10. Scatter over toasted pumpkin seeds, cheese if using and sprinkle with chopped parsley
11. Serve as it is, in a pretty bowl OR
12. Arrange lettuce leaves, washed and dried, with pointed edges at the rim of a plate. Mound the corn-avocado mix in the centre.  

Comments:

'Fabulous.  Love the way buttery avo sets off the blistered pepper, smoky corn and fresh juicy tomato.  Great spicing.'  Retired writer

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission