Chipotle-Corn Salad

The fall is definitely one of my favorite seasons. How can it not be with college football and tailgating? We tailgate quite a bit and I love finding new recipes to keep the spread ever changing and delicious.

I decided to take advantage of the last of the fresh corn and make this Food & Wine recipe for the Virginia Tech vs. Miami game this past weekend.

This healthy salad is super easy to make and contains relatively few ingredients.  It definitely required the Husband's help though, since I don't grill. :)

It was a huge hit with everyone at our tailgate.  The salad is so fresh and who doesn't love grilled corn?! The spiciness of the chipotle is a great contrast to the sweetness of the corn and onions. The charred bits add another great texture and flavor.

Also, let me just say that we all discovered that not only is this a salad but it's also excellent as a "salsa" to be scooped up with tortilla chips.

A few notes:
- The original recipe calls for removing the seeds from the chipotles, I did not do this. I also used 3 instead of the 2 it calls for. If you don't like heat and just want the chipotle flavor remove the seeds and just use 2.
- I used low-fat sour cream, however full fat as well as non-fat would be just fine.

Chipotle Corn Salad

5 ears of yellow corn
1 medium Vidalia or Walla Walla onion, thickly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons low fat sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, (seeded if a reduction of heat is desired) and finely chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the corn and onion slices with the olive oil and grill over moderately high heat until charred in spots but still slightly crisp, about 7 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut the kernels from the cobs and coarsely chop the onion.

In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream with the lime juice, chopped chipotle chiles and sliced scallion and stir in the charred corn and onions. Season the corn salad with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Make Ahead: The chipotle-corn salad can be refrigerated overnight. Let the salad stand for 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.