Vegan Mexican Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fusilli pasta
- 3-½ cups corn kernels, roasted/charred
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tbsp. vegan Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ⅛ tsp. black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ red onion, diced
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and cool; set aside.
- This recipe works well with either frozen roasted corn or freshly roasted corn.
To prepare the fresh corn:
- Remove husks from the corn.
- Using a knife, cut the corn kernels off the cobs; the neatest way to do this is by placing a small bowl upside down in a large bowl and balancing the cob vertically on the small bowl so the kernels fall in the large bowl.
To roast the corn on the stovetop:
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, or vegan butter, and the corn kernels; cook, occasionally stirring, until the kernels are lightly charred; 8 to 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper; remove from heat; set aside to cool.
To roast the corn in the oven:
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
- Brush olive oil on each ear of corn and season with salt and pepper.
- Wrap ears individually in aluminum foil.
- Place in pre-heated oven and and bake 30 minutes; flipping halfway.
- Remove from the oven and turn on the broiler.
- Open the foil; return to oven; broil until charred as desired.
To prepare the salad for serving:
- In a large bowl, mix vegan mayonnaise, lime juice, vegan parmesan cheese, fresh cilantro, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and garlic.
- Add the cooked pasta, jalapeños, bell pepper and red onion; stir to coat thoroughly.
- Season with salt, to taste.
- Garnish with additional vegan parmesan, corn kernels and fresh cilantro.
- Best if chilled in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Use fresh corn which can be roasted or opt to use frozen already roasted corn for this recipe.
For a spicier salad, don’t remove the jalapeño seeds.
Vegan sour cream would also work great in this recipe.
Adding some cayenne pepper will give this recipe an extra kick.
Add the zest from 1/2 of the lime to brighten up the recipe.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
To make this recipe gluten-free, opt for gluten-free pasta.