Although the only visual proof Ben and I have of taking a babymoon a couple months back is a picture of my water cheersing his Hendrick’s martini, it happened! We did it! 24 hours in Kansas City, Missouri! They never saw us coming. Mostly because our visit was so short that the city could have blinked and missed it, but it was a great time nonetheless. We shopped the plaza, roamed around Westport, and Ben sipped bourbons while I drank Arnold Palmers like tomorrow would never come.
It was on this trip when we realized that while we’ve visited at least a dozen times, we’ve never had KCMO’s legendary BBQ. Blasphemous! Where should we go the next time we’re in town?
Anyway, after checking into our hotel we bellied up to the bar at Cooper’s Hawk for lunch. There are so many great local restaurants in KC but Coop’s has a GF menu I’ve ordered off of several times in the past and trust, plus it was close and Mama was hangry, so inside we went. I ordered the Napa Chicken Salad which doesn’t sound particularly life changing but it was totally magical. Not because of the chicken or greens, but because everything but the kitchen sink was loaded on top. It’s all about the toppings, man! Napa Sweet Corn Salad is my at-home recreation and it’s so dang good that I PROMISE it’ll become your new go-to summer side dish / potluck salad.
Now, July means it’s sweet corn season here in the state of Iowa. Did you know that less then 1% of all the corn grown in Iowa is sweet corn? Some food for thought, har. Anyway, that 1% actually comes out to a whooooole lotta sweet corn and we find any and all reasons to enjoy an ear or two, any chance we get. Iowa sweet corn in particular is so candy-sweet and tender that I like to eat it raw like in this salad.
That said, I first tossed together the combination of raw sweet corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, avocados, chopped apples, almonds, green onions, and fresh basil for, uh, myself in an attempt to recreate the salad I so loved in KC, and was so jazzed with the results that I whipped it up again the very next day for a dinner we were hosting for friends.
Not only was it wolfed down by all the adults, but 4 kids under the age of 5 too. You know what we call that? A WIN, people! A freaking win. There is nothing that I don’t like about this salad including the heavenly, 4-ingredient (plus S&P) Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette that’s drizzled on top. Crunchy, crispy, snappy, creamy, fresh, healthy, and delicious. You. Will. Love. IT.
Start by adding all the goodies into a big bowl – that’s: 2 cups raw sweet corn kernels (from about 3 medium-sized ears,) 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes that have been halved or quartered if large, 3 small or 2 large chopped green onions, 1 small chopped avocado, 1 chopped red apple, 1/3 cup sliced or chopped almonds, and 1/4 cup packed fresh basil that’s been chopped.
Watch How to Slice Kernels from the Cob!
Next shake or whisk up the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette to drizzle on top – that’s: 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 Tablespoon each honey and dijon mustard, plus lots of salt and pepper. Taste then add up to an additional 1/2 Tablespoon honey if you like – remember that the sweet corn and apple add sweetness to the salad though.
Drizzle your desired amount of dressing on top then toss everything to combine and serve it on up. Take to a summer picnic or potluck, or serve with dinner (this dish pairs perfectly with grilled meats, if I do say so myself!) No matter how ya eat it, I hope you love this bright and colorful, healthy summer salad! Enjoy!
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Napa Sweet Corn Salad
Description
Napa Sweet Corn Salad is full of flavor and crunch! Serve as a fresh and healthy side dish, or eat all by itself for a fruit and vegetable-filled lunch.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels, raw (~3 ears)
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 3 small or 2 large green onions, chopped
- 1 small avocado, chopped
- 1 red apple, chopped
- 1/3 cup sliced or chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup packed fresh basil, chopped
- For the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Combine ingredients for the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette in a jar or bowl then shake or whisk to combine. Taste then add up to an additional 1/2 Tablespoon honey if desired - remember that the sweet corn and apple will add natural sweetness to the salad. Set dressing aside.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl then drizzle over desired amount of Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
[…] Napa Sweet Corn Salad – Fresh and Healthy Salad Recipe […]
I am wondering if I could use frozen corn for this recipe? I want to make this for my church on April 9th, however as you know….no fresh corn this time of the year!!! Let me know if you think that would work.
I think it could, Diane!
This was such a yummy recipe!!! it really was so good!! It had so many different kind of flavours!! it looked amazing too!!
I’m so glad to hear it, Halayna! Thanks for your feedback and recipe review!
Love this recipe and the dressing is devine. Late summer raw sweet corn is a wonderful highlight. I left out the apple and used pine nuts as I didn’t have almonds.
Finally had a chance to make this over the weekend. It’s a winner!
Oh my gosh – I made this today using what I had in the house (so no avocado, a peach instead of apple, sunflower seeds instead of almonds…and bottled honey mustard dressing with some extra dijon and vinegar)…so, not exactly as written at all, but thanks so much for the inspiration – it is absolutely delish!! I’ll definitely make it as written next time for comparison sake, but yummy any way you make it!
I just made this for a big group BBQ and it turned out great! Made (almost) exactly as-written (just doubled it and swapped almonds out for walnuts because that’s what I had). Thanks and congrats on your BEAUTIFUL new baby girl! :)
Hi Kristen! Do you think this would work as a pasta salad? Would you change anything or just add pasta? Thanks!!! Hope you and the family are doing well!
Made the Napa Sweet Corn Salad for an office potluck today – everyone loved it! Thanks for another great recipe!
YAY!! Thanks so much for the feedback, Denise!!
[…] Napa Sweet Corn Salad […]
Joe’s KC! Everything is SO good! My husband is a meat snob and says Joe’s is the best BBQ he’s ever had! Also, you can order their meat online and have it shipped – made his Father’s Day one year!
Although Taiwan is the fruit kingdom, it is very difficult to find the appropriate salad recipe in Taiwan. I am so into this sweet corn taste and definitely will send the recipe to my wife.
It should be the family routine salad on my meal list. Thanks for sharing. Whole family goona like it
I know you are on leave, but perhaps this will get answered in time. Th Napa Sweet Corn salad recipe confused me, as the narrative had mentioned chicken and greens. So is this just what the toppings consisted of on the salad you ate on the Babymoon? If I put greens and chicken in it, I assume then it would be the whole salad you had, and be a meal in itself, correct?
Yep, these are just the toppings. You could add greens and chicken to make it a full meal vs a side salad.
This was terrific!
So glad you liked it, Liz!! Thanks so much for your star rating. :)
I am an Iowa native and I can’t tell you how much I miss sweet corn!! Do you think I could sub frozen corn in this that’s been thawed or cooked and chilled?? The fresh corn here in Arizona is just not good. Thanks for all the awesome recipes. I love so many of them!! And I love reading about things back home like HyVee. Lol.
You bet – I think that would work just fine!! :)
Help! I plan on making this for a reunion tomorrow. Instead of fresh basil, how much dried would you advise substituting?
Just made this and it’s wonderful! Really great dressing! I better check out more of your recipes!
So glad to hear it, Janie! Thanks so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Oh boy, I know what you mean about shucking corn. My views on that have completely changed since I discovered cooking corn in the microwave. You just cook it for a few minutes, unshucked, then chop off the stem end and the silks and everything slide right off. I still love some grilled corn though. :)
I’m super picky about tomatoes – any ideas for substitutions. Bell peppers raw or roasted? Some kinda fruit? Just leave them out and use more of the other ingredients? That dressing does sound awesome, and I think I even have all the ingredients for the dressing at least!
I think raw red peppers would be great! Or you can just omit them entirely – there’s so much else going on that it will still be a delicious salad without the tomatoes.
Hi Kristin – this looks great, thanks! Will make for a BBQ I’m hosting in a few weeks. Question for you, though – do you have any suggestions for how to make this ahead, maybe the day before or so? Leave out apple, avo dressing? Let me know – thank you!
THIS recipe is the exact reason why I love you!! Running the risk of sounding overly cheesy, you are my internet version of The Golden Girls. No matter what’s going on in my life or in the world, I can click to you and it’s a happy space :)