Hearty enough to be an entrée; simple enough to be a side.
I’ve mentioned that I happily partake in vegetarian eating, although it’s not a lifestyle to which I’m committed. I do love a tender filet mignon, good barbecue, and, of course, chicken on my caesar salad. However, I also can go for days eating dishes that have no meat.
This summer it seems like I’ve made more non-meat dinners than usual, for one glaring reason. As part of our downsizing/living in an urban loft, we’ve lost our grilling space. Although we have a rooftop deck, there are no grills. In summer that’s my preferred way to cook most meats. I don’t want to braise or roast in the heat of summer, even with the air conditioning running.
One of my go-tos for meatless meals is to use legumes in place of meat. Understanding that my family is not as excited about legume-focused dinners as I am, I did two things when making this recipe. First, I used edamame as the legume. I haven’t ever really cooked with them. They’ve always been something I’ve steamed and salted to serve on sushi night. My family loves edamame, so this is something I should have done sooner. Second, I created this dish to work in different roles. It was intriguing enough to be a side dish and hearty enough to be my main dish.
There is a bit of a ying and yang to this salad. The ying is that if your diners like edamame, it seems certain to be a hit. The yang is that it probably should be served on the day that it is made. Even with the addition of citrus, the avocado develops an unappealing brown hue on the second day. Of course, if it really is a hit, there shouldn’t be much left.
One final note: Although I served it as a salad, it also would work well as a dip served with tortilla chips. Consider it a really chunky version of guacamole. 🙂
- 1 ear corn
- 1 avocado
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- Salt & pepper
- 2 cups shelled, cooked edamame
- ½ red pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 3 cups baby kale
- Cook corn*, remove kernels from cob.
- Remove pit and peel from avocado and place in small mixing bowl.
- Add garlic and lime juice; mash with fork.
- Add yogurt, and stir well.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine edamame, 1 cup corn, and red pepper in a medium bowl.
- Pour avocado sauce over veggies, and mix well.
- Add cilantro, stirring to combine.
- Refrigerate or serve right away.
- To serve: line plate with baby arugula and top with a heaping scoop of salad.
- Bring enough water to cover corn and 1 tablespoon sugar to boil.
- Add corn, cover, and turn off heat.
- Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Remove corn from water to cool.
