Grilled Corn Summer Salad

One of our favorite things to do during the warmer months is to use the grill to cook our dinner.  The smell of the BBQ is one of the quintessential fragrances of summer, in my opinion.  I love the smoky taste that grilling gives the food - whether it be meat or vegetables.  And there are creative ways to use a grill...you can use a cast iron skillet to saute your veggies, or a cedar plank to grill fish.  I've even seen people use a grill to bake bread.  You just can't get the same flavor from the stove or oven.

For this recipe, I used grilled corn.  To grill corn, you simply place the entire cob (husk and all) over the open flame and allow it to cook for about 15-20 minutes.  When it's done, remove the husk and either eat it like that or cut off the kernels and make this salad.  This recipe is also a great way to use up any leftover corn on the cob. 

Grilled Corn Summer Salad

3 corn cobs, grilled
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
goat cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime

1. Cut the kernels off the corn cob and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Chop all other ingredients and add to the corn.
3. Sprinkle with the goat cheese crumbles and lime juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together.
4. Allow mixture to sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you eat it so the flavors can marinate.

This is such a simple, easy salad and a very refreshing side dish!  Feel free to add more or less of something to suit your taste!  That's one of my favorite things about cooking - you can customize any dish to fit your own palate.  Get creative!