Name: Grilled Corn and Feta Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 3 medium ears of fresh corn; 1 tsp olive oil; 1/2 C grape or cherry tomatoes, halved; 1/2 small shallot, chopped; 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped or cut into chiffonade (strips); 1/4 C crumbled feta cheese; 1/4 C olive oil; 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar); 1 tsp honey; salt and pepper

It’s Texas and even though it’s only March, Summer is creeping up on us. Blink and you’ll miss our three days of Spring. I think I’m in the minority here because I really prefer Fall and Winter – cooler temperatures, cozier meals.

Since the seasons won’t stop happening, I’m going to embrace the upcoming heat with this Grilled Corn and Feta Salad! It’s from a fairly new cookbook that I have the privilege of reviewing – Love Welcome Serve by Amy Nelson Hannon.

It’s a homey, Southern home cooking book that has a lot of recipes you will recognize. I’m going to make a few more recipes before writing a total review of the cookbook, but am pleased with this nice Corn and Feta Salad.

Instead of grilling the fresh corn, I pan roast it and it turns out great. I halved the recipe because Bret doesn’t like most of the stuff that’s in it (!) and I ended up eating it as a lunch entree.

I really enjoy the fresh, crisp, lightly charred corn, the tangy feta and ripe, fresh cherry tomatoes. The dressing is basically oil and vinegar with a dollop of honey that goes perfectly with the salad. I salted it liberally because it seemed to need it, but besides that, the recipe is tasty as written.

I’m going to write up my slight adaptation of this Grilled Corn and Feta Salad, but if you’re interested in the original, you can check out her book with the link up above. I always check out Amazon for cookbooks because it has the “Look Inside” option and usually you can see quite a few recipes to see if it’s a book you’d enjoy.

I may be pulled kicking and screaming into summer, but do look forward to the summer vegetables and fruits!

Grilled Corn and Feta Salad

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Loved this fresh, crisp salad with the sweet/salty/tangy dressing. Adapted from Love Welcome Serve by Amy Nelson Hannon

Ingredients

3 medium ears of fresh corn
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 C grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 small shallot, chopped
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped or cut into chiffonade (strips)
1/4 C crumbled feta cheese
1/4 C olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper

Instructions

Place the shucked corn on the cob in the microwave and heat for 1 minute. Turn the cobs and heat for 1 more minute. Turn again and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove carefully (will be hot) from the microwave and set aside to cool.
Heat the olive oil in a medium pan on medium-high heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, cut the kernels off of the corn cobs onto a plate. When oil is ready, add the corn carefully to the pan (the corn may try to pop, so use a pan screen if you have one). Spread out the corn in an even layer and leave undisturbed for 1 1/2 minutes.
Stir and spread into another even layer and leave again undisturbed for another 1 minute. Stir and cook for about 1 more minute until thoroughly heated through. Pour corn into a medium bowl to cool.
While corn is cooking, put together the dressing. In a small bowl combine the oil, vinegar, honey, a large pinch of salt and a shake of pepper. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Taste (I added more salt) and adjust.
Halve the tomatoes, chop the shallot, cut the basil and crumble the feta cheese. Add those four ingredients to a medium bowl along with the corn and stir. Drizzle the mixture with about half of the dressing and stir. Add more dressing as desired, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

*I microwaved the corn instead of cooking it as the recipe stated to make it a little lighter (original: 1/2 stick butter, 1/4 C sugar in a pot of boiling water, add shucked corn and boil for five minutes, then grill corn).

*Adjust the ingredients to the amounts you and your family like. Example - I used a little more feta cheese and sprinkled more basil on top. Be sure and taste the dressing before you pour it on top and adjust to your tastes (more vinegar, maybe more honey if you'd like).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 406Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 324mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 13gProtein: 5g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

Do you have leftover Sunday? We do. Our refrigerator ends up full of odd-sized containers with leftovers from almost every night’s meal and on Sunday we get them all out and have quite the Tupperware buffet.

That’s not particularly a bad thing, but sometimes the containers get shoved into the back of the refrigerator and we discover them a few weeks later with strange little green stuff growing on them. I really do feel bad about wasting food when that happens.

I’ve been looking for more recipes that are specifically for two people so that less food will go to waste. This wonderful Chicken Mediterranean caught my eye and was an instant hit! It’s one of those dishes that you would definitely order in a restaurant if they offered it.

It’s delicious!

The ingredients look so simple, but when combined they create a wonderful tangy tomatoey dish full of herbs and different levels of flavor.

I’m not usually a big fan of feta, but it completes this plate-full of goodness, adding a little saltiness to the sweet sauce. On top of tasting great, it’s really a fairly healthy meal.

I really love this Chicken Mediterranean and am so glad I found it in the Southern Living cookbook that’s been sitting on my shelf all these years.

We’ve made this wonderful pasta dish many times and it has become a staple for dinner in our house. Hope you enjoy it!