Fresh Corn Salad

If you like corn at all, you need to make this.  ASAP.  I took one bite at dinner about a week ago and said, "Is it just me or is this salad freaking delicious?"  Yeah, it's freaking delicious.  And I don't often say the 'f' (freaking, never the other one) word.  I reserve it for special occasions such as this.  Tyler doesn't care for fresh parsley so he would have been fine if that was left out but I liked it.  To make the salad extra delicious, make sure you wait and cut the corn from the cob after preparing all the other ingredients so it stays as fresh as possible.  

I would love to report on how delicious the left-overs were but when I went to put the container in the fridge, I slipped and instead, dumped it all over the floor.  I almost cried.

Fresh Corn Salad

ingredients:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 ears fresh corn

1/2 cup finely diced red onion, cut about the same size as corn kernels and *soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, drained and patted dry

1/2 cup finely diced and seeded but not peeled cucumber (about the same size as onions)

1/2 cup seeded and diced sweet red bell pepper (about the same size as onions)

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 T parsley, chopped

1 T basil, chopped

1 tsp minced and seeded jalapeno**

1/2 tsp salt

1-2 cups small arugula leaves

Directions:  For dressing, in a non-metal bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp salt and the pepper until sugar is dissolved.  Let dressing stand while preparing salad.  Add all ingredients except corn, 1/2 tsp salt and arugula leaves to a bowl.  Cut the corn kernels from the cob and add to the rest of the vegetables.  When ready to serve, toss all ingredients with dressing, sprinkle with salt and fold in arugula leaves.  Serve immediately.  Serves 6-8

We served it with just grilled chicken and some avocado slices and it was heaven.

*Soaking the red onion in ice water for 20 minutes tames the bite and mellows the flavor so it's not as overpowering.  If you don't feel like you have a strong onion or you like the flavor, you can skip this step.  I really liked how it worked out for this salad.

**The original recipe called for a T of minced jalapeno, but we all know what a sissy I am.  You can adjust the amount to suit your tastes.

Source:  Recipe adapted slightly from the Better Homes and Gardens July Issue, Kitchen tip from TheKitchn.com