AVOCADO AND CHARRED CORN SALAD WITH CILANTRO LIME DRESSING
A refreshing and filling salad, made with leafy greens, diced avocado, charred corn, picked red onions, diced cucumbers, shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, and chopped cilantro, tossed with a homemade cilantro ranch dressing.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Servings: 4 servings
For the salad:
- 2 ears corn
- 8 cups hearts of romaine (about 2 bags)
- 2 Avocados From Mexico diced
- 1 1/3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 1/3 cups English cucumber chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
For the pickled onions:
- 5 ounces red onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic halved
For the cilantro ranch dressing:
- 1 ounce-packet ranch seasoning
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup salsa verde
- hot sauce (to taste)
For the pickled onions:
Set 3 cups of water to boil. Thinly slice onions and place in a mesh sieve. Set aside.
Add vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic to a glass jar. Place lid on jar and shake to dissolve sugar and salt. Set aside.
Once water has reached boil point, hold sieve with onions over the sink and pour water over them VERY CAREFULLY. This will blanche the onions and take away some of their harsh bite. Once they've drained, add to the jar with the vinegar mixture. If some of the onions are still exposed, add a little water to submerge them. Shake to mix together and then place in fridge for at least an hour. In the meantime, work on the rest of the salad.
For the cilantro ranch dressing:
Add ranch packet, milk, light mayo, Greek yogurt, and lime juice to a blender and mix until combined. Add garlic clove, cilantro, and salsa verde and mix again to combine. Taste the dressing and add hot sauce as needed. Set aside 1/2 cup of dressing for the salad and store the rest.
To combine the salad:
Grill corn on high for about 10 minutes, rotating sides every 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool. Slice corn off the cob and set aside.
Once onions are pickled for an hour, remove from fridge and drain. Add to a large bowl, along with lettuce, diced Avocados From Mexico, charred corn, diced cucumbers, and shredded cheese. Add about 1/2 cup dressing to salad. Toss together. Taste salad to see if you want more dressing. If not, serve immediately.