Vegan Mexican Chopped Salad w/ Grilled Street Corn
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Vegan Mexican Salad
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:
Blackened Tempeh
8oz tempeh
Spices: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt
Salad Mixture
2 medium tomatillos, thinly sliced + cut in half
1/2 medium bell pepper, cut into strips
4 medium radishes, thinly sliced
1 cup black beans
2 cups chopped red cabbage
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, quartered
4 cobs of Vegan Elotes
Charred Romaine
1 large romaine head
2 tsp olive oil
Avocado Cilantro Dressing
1 large avocado
1 lime, juiced
1 handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
pinch of salt + pepper
1/4 cup of water (more to thin)
The Rest
1/3 cup pepita
extra cilantro for salad
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Mixing Bowls . Kitchenaid Mixer or Food Processor . Castiron Pan . Serving Bowl
Before You Cook:
Chop + wash fresh ingredients
Make elotes
1. To start, make sure you’ve completed the Vegan Elotes recipe.
2. Add pepitas to a small castiron pan and toast over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Stir 1/2 way through to make sure even toasting on both sides.
3. Next, dice the tempeh into bite-size chunks, add to another pan, add a tiny bit of oil, and warm over medium heat for 3-4 minutes then add spices and continue to cook over medium heat blackening on each side for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Last step is to char the romaine. To do this, I cut the romaine head in half and drizzle a tiny bit of oil on both sides. Then I place it on an open flame on the stove top until it chars on each side. Be very careful. Conversely, you can warm a hot pan and sear the lettuce on the pan.
5. To finish, mix all the salad dressing ingredients in a food processor until well blended. Make sure all the veggies are chopped and serve.
