This easy-going Corn Salad is as appealing at a summer picnic or potluck as it is on the Thanksgiving table. It makes a fantastic side dish, but is also a delicious snack when scooped up with chips like a salsa. Easy to prepare in advance, it is pretty and keeps well for several days.
Just the Right Dish
Thanksgiving is almost here and I want everything to be just right. As I think over what will be on our table next week, I find that there are not only recipes but particular serving pieces that come to mind. Along with the Southern Style Green Beans, Dad’s famous Plain Bread Stuffing, and Classic Pumpkin Pie there are a few sentimental accents that are a special part of my family’s Thanksgiving celebration.
On Thanksgiving day we set our table with my mother’s Courier and Ive’s blue ironstone dishes. Jellied Cranberry Sauce from a can is served in a particular oval pressed glass bowl with a particular pierced round serving utensil from my mother’s set of silver flatware. A colorful turkey platter, that waits on top of the refrigerator all year, comes to the table to cradle the Thanksgiving turkey.
And then there is the corn bowl. It is oval and patterned like the kernels of an ear of corn peeking out from it’s green husk. It was Aunt Hen’s bowl. The corn bowl captured my appreciation as a child. Now it is mine and it brings back fond memories when nestled among other heirlooms on my Thanksgiving table.
Updating Traditions
So where is there room for something new in our Thanksgiving feast? This year I think I’ll serve Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing in the corn bowl instead of plain buttered corn. Corn Salad can be made ahead and is served cold. That eliminates any last minute fuss. Corn Salad is also colorful and adds a nice crunch to more traditional Thanksgiving fare. And, while it is simple to prepare, the Pecan Dressing adds a surprisingly complex twist to the familiar ingredients.
Of course this salad is really a great recipe year round. Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing is easy to take along to picnics or potlucks. It is pretty and keeps well for several days. Family and friends will enjoy it as a side dish or even as a snack to scoop up with chips like a salsa. It is also delicious served warm from the microwave when the weather discourages you from eating something straight from the refrigerator.
Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing
Course: Salad, SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings30
minutes5
minutes4
hours35
minutesThis pretty salad is easy to take to picnics or potlucks and is enjoyed as a side dish or scooped up with chips as a salsa.
Ingredients
- Salad:
1 16-oz bag frozen sweet corn, thawed
3 cups small cauliflower florets, chopped (or 1 16-oz bag fresh riced cauliflower)
2 cups (1 box) halved grape tomatoes
- Dressing:
1/3 cup pecans
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
6 Tablespoons light olive oil, divided
6 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons snipped chives (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 Tablespoons snipped parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and pecans. Cook and stir pecans for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly and remove the pecans from the oil with a slotted spoon. Reserve the oil and garlic. Set pecans aside.
- Combine the reserved oil and garlic, the remaining 4 Tablespoons of oil, white wine vinegar, chives, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sweet corn, tomatoes and cauliflower. Add the dressing and gently mix.
- Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.
- Stir in pecans and serve.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- In the last year or so, I have found bags of Cauliflower Pearls, or Riced Cauliflower, on the produce aisle at my local supermarket. Substituting a 16 oz. bag of fresh Cauliflower Pearls, or Riced Cauliflower, for the chopped cauliflower florets in this recipe is a great time saver and highly recommended.
Lovely —