Vegan Grilled Mexican Street Corn (aka Vegan Elotes)
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
Servings: 4 cobs
The Challenge: Elotes
Please note this is a preview of an upcoming recipe from my cookbook, Vegan Food That Doesn’t Suck. The cookbook is currently in the works. This recipe will be available until the cookbook releases at which time the recipe will be only a shortened preview. Pre-order here!
Vegan street corn - say whaaat bro?! Mexican street corn is a delicacy for sure. Its grilled corn, covered in mexican crema that has spices and cheese in it and then sprinkled with delicious cotija cheese. My god is it good. And horribly NOT VEGAN.
Now, let’s talk about how to turn this treat into a plant-based masterpiece! You can use vegan mayo to replace the mexican crema/mayo and then we have created an amazing vegan cotija out of brazil nuts. Brazil nuts are, to me (and you if you are a kickass surfer cowabunga party playa), the absolute bee’s knees (by the way bees do not have knees but are amazing) of nuts to use for vegan cheese.
Brazil nuts have a similar consistency to cashews but none of the weird off sweetness. They are slightly harder to find, but they are an amazing smoky + tasty flavor. I love using them for vegan cheeses, and we will be using it to be the base for the cotija replacement.
The other key to elotes is the mexican crema that they roll the grilled corn in. Here I like to use vegan mayo, lots of spices, lime juice, and nutritional yeast for an amazing base. Additionally, we add cilantro to the base layer to add in some amazing flavor tangy goodness.
After the crema layer, we add on the cotija, spices, and more cilantro. YUM!
Since its the winter, I don’t have the grill cooking, so I used a really hot castiron pan to sear/grill the corn cobs.
You are going to love this recipe. Woo woo! AMAZING!
Ingredients:
Grilled Corn
4 corn cobs w/ husk on
2-3 tbl vegan butter
Crema Mixture
1/3 cup vegan mayo
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Spices: 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp smoked sea salt, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp sea salt
Brazil Nut Cotija
1/2 cup brazil nuts
1/4 cup nutrtional yeast
1 garlic clove, miced
Spices: 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tap black pepper, 1/4 tsp chili powder
The Rest
chopped cilantro (for topping)
extra chili powder + sea salt (for topping)
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Mixing Bowls . Kitchenaid Mixer or Food Processor . Castiron Pan . Plate . Kitchen Twine
Before You Cook:
Chop + wash fresh ingredients
Heat castiron pan for 5-6 minutes over high heat
1. To start, peel back the corn husks and using kitchen twine, tie back the husks. You don’t have to keep the husk on, conversely.
2. Soak the corn in hot water for 5 minutes, while a castiron pan warms over hot heat for 5 minutes. Next, add the vegan butter to the pan. Once, it begins to pop add the corn to the pan and grill on each side (4 sides) for 3 minutes until browned on each side. If pan starts to look dry, add another 1 tbl of vegan butter.
3. While corn grills, mix together the crema mixture in a small bowl. Whisk or use a spoon to mix it.
4. Put the crema mixture onto a plate.
5. Next, add all the brazil nut cotija ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until the cheese mixture is finely blended and size where you can sprinkle it on.
6. Once the corn is grilled, roll it in the crema mixture.
7. After the corn is rolled in the mixture, sprinkle on some chili powder, salt, and cilantro. Serve it up!
