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When I eat like this I wonder why we would ever want to consume pre-packaged, pre-made, preservative filled boxes of tasteless nothing. With just a little time spent cutting up vegetables the rest of the dish comes together fast and easy. You control the heat so spice it up as much as you want. As the recipe is written it has a lovely flavor without too much heat. I could bump it up a bit myself.
Cajun Corn and Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 4 ears sweet corn husks and silk removed
- 1 large bunch of kale stems removed
- 2 teaspoons salt for cooking the kale
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 1 large tomato diced & seeded
- 1 small sweet onion minced
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- you may substitute 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun season for the salt, pepper, cayenne, mustard, fennel and thyme
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl combine the olive oil, onion, red and green bell peppers, garlic, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, pepper, mustard, fennel and thyme. Stir until combined and set aside.
- Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add the corn and turn off the heat. Let the corn cook in the hot water for 5 minutes. Remove the ears to a plate and allow them to cool. Reserve the cooking water. After the corn has cooled, cut the kernels from the cobs and place in a large serving bowl.
- Bring the water to a boil again and add two teaspoons salt and the kale. Cook until the kale is tender (not mushy) and still bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain the kale and once cool, squeeze the remaining water from the kale using your hands. Chop into small pieces. Add the chopped kale and tomato to the corn then fold in the olive oil herb mixture with peppers and onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste or use additional Cajun seasoning or something like Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning. Serve and refrigerate left overs.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
There you have it. Another healthy recipe to make up for the cookies I’m going to bake this weekend. I’m saving room for dessert, and corn, and maybe some biscuits or something. We’ve been so good for a while now I feel the need for a splurge. I’ve been eyeing Ree’s (the Pioneer Woman) Mango Margarita recipe and think that would be great to have this weekend too.
We’re having pretty terrific cooler weather here in Virginia. It has inspired me to compile some camping recipes to try next time we head up to the Shenandoah Mountains. Soon – very soon.
And (I must be chatty tonight) our garden is just not producing vegetables but is very green and happy. We went totally organic this year, no Miracle Grow for us 🙁 We have a giant compost bin and my husband has been working it pretty hard. We hope it will turn around soon and now that our dogs did away with all the rabbits, voles and opossums, maybe, just maybe, something will grow without being eaten first. I told that last little bunny to run, but he wasn’t fast enough for our Jack Russell Terriers. They’re like Velociraptors working in pairs and they are deadly. We have a six foot privacy fence so I try to keep the furry cute animals out, oh well – we do what we can do, and they do what they were breed to do.
Anyway – thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Tricia
Gisele Boriolo
I found this recipe while searching for a dish to bring to a Cajun themed party. It was a big hit. My husband and I both love it too. I’m just wondering about the 10 min prep time. I say, no way. This salad took nearly an hour with chopping, grinding fennel, cooking and trimming ears of corn, deveining and getting the moisture out of the Kale. I just don’t see how it could be done in 10 minutes. Just a comment….Thanks for a great recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Gisele. I’ll look into the prep time and correct as needed. Thanks for the feedback.
Maiya C
I made this last night and it was so delicious , I cant wait to eat the leftovers tonight
Maiya C
Oh and I added honey to mine, I had to improvise with the seasonings I had
Tricia Buice
Honey sounds very interesting. I’ll try that next time. Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Miaya!
Nancy Smith
I just made this salad this weekend and it was absolutely Delicious!! Our dinner partners (distanced) asked for the recipe and my husband wants me to make it again for Xmas! So fresh and packed with flavor!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks so much Nancy. We appreciate you trying the recipe and for taking the time to comment. Bravo!
Bette
This is a great salad! I made it for my daily, and they all loved it. I’m not a big kale fan, so I used arugula instead. It added a nice tang to the salad.
Tricia Buice
I love that you used arugula, one of my favorite greens. I’m going to try it. Thanks Bette!
Janelle
Can you give an estimate of how many servings this makes?
Tricia Buice
Hi Janelle – this recipe serves 4 large portions or 6 small. In our family it would be 4 servings – with someone taking the last spoonful as a second helping 🙂 Good stuff!
Mary Younkin
This looks fantastic! I love all the flavors in this dish.
Anna and Liz Recipes
Hey Tricia – great recipe! BTW, we are thinking alike these days. I have been eyeing Ree's mango margarita recipe all this past week too! How funny is that? Have a great weekend, and drink one on me! xxoo Anna
Mary Bergfeld
I love the way this looks and sounds. I'll be trying it before summer ends. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Sharon in the fall
We’re preparing for a cajun dinner providing the salad. This salad sound really great but it is Nov and difficult to find fresh corn on the cob that is good. What corn should I use in lieu of the fresh corn?
Tricia Buice
I think frozen corn would be great in this dish and super easy! Have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for stopping by.
Sharon in the Fall
That’s what we thought might be the best but didn’t want to change taste of your recipe so just wanted hear your suggestion. Thanks so much for your reply & we’ll make it for our dinner group.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sharon! Dinner groups sound like so much fun – enjoy 🙂
Daniela Grimburg
Mmh Tricia, this salad looks so tempting.<br />It's perfectly balanced,fresh and healthy.<br />Great recipe!
Shashi Charles
Love your combination of ground mustard and fennel seeds in this great looking salad!Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com
Angie Schneider
Indeed who can resist the healthy and delicious dishes like this corn kale salad! I love it.
scrambledhenfruit
The sweet corn has had a good season! This looks like a welcome change from my default way of having corn, which is just eating it off the cob. We're heading to Shenandoah tomorrow for a weekend getaway. It's one of our favorite places too, but I don't plan on doing any cooking while I'm there. 🙂
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)
I know it's hard to believe, but here in Colorado we're just starting to see local fresh corn in our markets. So yes, I'm just starting to notice new recipes. I just noticed Chris's comment. Yes, Olathe Sweet Corn is one of our pride and joys … in a good season.
Chris Scheuer
I'm loving the corn this summer, I just can't stop buying and eating it! I don't know if you have Kroger stores near you but every year they get some fabulous corn in from Colorado. It's called Olathe corn and it's just fantastic. There are always people standing around the display saying "I wait all year for this corn". After the first taste I "got" it –
Monica
You inspired me to cook with fresh corn, Tricia. I got some corn, peppers, and onions on Sunday from the farmer's market and cooked it all up together – delicious. I'm loving this cajun corn & kale salad. I just did kale & quinoa as a side for dinner two nights ago. I will think of this next time…have a great rest of the week.
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Gorgeous, healthy dish! Looks like heaven on a plate. I LOVE fresh combos like this one, Tricia. Thank you! As for your Jack Russells, they were doing their jobs and I'm sure felt all good about themselves. They are such feisty little dogs! Love 'em. blessings ~ tanna
Mary Callan
I have some corn sitting on my counter and I was uninspired – that's for fixing that! this is such a lovely healthy salad – delicious<br />mary x