Corn Salad with Chipotle and Lime

From the second edition of Sensational Salads to Cool the Earth, by Beth Love

Can you beat the sweet, delicate, and well, “corny,” taste of fresh corn? Let’s take advantage of one of summer’s great gifts by making a salad to delight and nourish all who sample it.

Yield:

8–12 servings (about 10–12 cups)

Ingredients:

• 1–2 dried chipotle peppers
• corn kernels cut from 6–7 ears of corn
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch matchsticks
• 1 pound zucchini, cut into a ¼ inch dice
• ½ cup raw shelled macadamia nuts or filberts, coarsely chopped
• ½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 2–3 limes, juiced to make about ¼ cup lime juice, or more to taste

Directions:

1. Slice chipotle(s) open and soak in a cup or very small bowl in hot water to cover.
2. Drain chipotle after it has softened, reserving liquid.
3. Remove stems from chipotle. Chop fairly fine.
4. Combine all ingredients, including reserved chipotle soaking liquid, and mix well.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings (lime, chipotle, cilantro).
6. Serve.

Notes, Substitutions, and Variations:

• You can substitute other varieties of nuts.
• Possible veggies to add include tomatoes, cucumber, and snap beans.
• The addition of unsalted dried tomatoes is also quite lovely.
• If you are not avoiding salt, you can add about ½ cup sliced kalamata or other olives.
• This salad works very well as trail food. Add additional lime juice to salad; then spread on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115º Fahrenheit. When moisture content is minimal, pack for the trail. Each 1 cup of fresh salad will make about ⅜ cup dried, which will swell slightly to approximately ½ cup reconstituted.

The book Sensational Salads to Cool the Earth is in the Tastes Like Love series by Eat for the Earth’s founder and Executive Director Beth Love. This recipe is used by permission of the author.