It’s been one ugly heat wave these past couple days. UGLY! 100 degree weather days have been beating down hard on us in SoCal. We even had an odd thunderstorm out of the blue and it totally reminded me of Florida due to the humidity and heat. These past couple of days, I haven’t really been inspired to cook or been motivated to do much in the kitchen hence the lack of blog posts these past couple of days. When the weather puts you in a funk - your cooking is in a funk, too.
Darn the rollercoaster of cooking because this was one recipe that brought me out of my kitchen funk. It’s quite beautiful and easy to prepare. I did dare use my oven for less than 30 minutes, but it was needed to roast the sweet potatoes, poblano peppers and corn – it smelled like sweet heaven, too. While the vegetables were roasting, you quickly prepare the ground turkey and black bean mixture with my favorite spice – cumin. The dressing is similar to a ranch dressing with a bit of a chipotle kick. Then add the toppings mixed with the romaine lettuce and eat your little heart out!
This is almost like a taco salad because it’s a little fiesta that you must dig into ASAP! Definitely a fantastic and healthy meal whenever the icky weather puts you down and brings you straight back to high cooking spirits.
Charred Corn Chop Salad
Adapted from Clean Eating August/September 2011
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears corn)
1 medium pasilla or poblano pepper, seeded and cut into ¼ inch cubes
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup sour cream, low-fat
½ cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon chipotle Chile powder
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
4 cups of romaine hearts, chopped finely
½ cup Mexican cheese (combo of Monterey and Cheddar)
1 avocado, diced
Preparation:
Season with salt and pepper. Place mixture into a large jelly roll sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes. Make sure to toss the vegetables every 10 minutes, until corn and pasilla begin to char and sweet potato softens.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the turkey until browned. Add a tablespoon of water or cooking wine to scrape the browned bits from the bottom. Add cumin and black beans and stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.
Prepare dressing. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, buttermilk, Chile powder and white parts of green onions. Cover with saran wrap until ready to use, and place in fridge.
Remove vegetables from oven and let cool slightly. Divide romaine among serving plates, and top with ground turkey mixture and corn mixture, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with green parts of the green onions, garnish with grated cheese and chopped avocados, and top with dressing.
Yield: 4 servings
Nutritional Factor: (2 cups romaine, ½ cup turkey-bean mixture, ½ cup vegetables, 3 tablespoon dressing)
Calories: 470; Total Fat: 11g; Carbs: 61g. Fiber: 10g; Sugars: 13g; Protein: 31g; Sodium: 220 mg; Cholesterol: 40mg
Review: Absolutely tasty and a very filling meal. Definitely not your typical taco salad, but with a spicy and sweet twist. Anything with sweet potatoes usually wins me over, and the creamy chipotle dressing cooled it down, too.
