This is one of those salads that just came together in my head as I was wandering through the produce section at the grocery store one day. I was craving a jicama salad, but wanted to do something very different than the citrus salad I made last winter with my sister’s tangerines.

Although I did choose to once again pair the jicama with fruit, mango in this case, the flavors in this summer salad are quite different than its winter equivalent. Jicama doesn’t have much flavor on its own, so I combined several of my favorite ingredients to add some interest. The corn, mango, avocado and cilantro all worked very well together.

Grilling the corn intensifies the flavor and adds just a hint of smokiness to this sweet and mellow salad while the mango and avocado add a creamy texture that contrasts nicely with the crunchy jicama.

To grill the corn, I simply rubbed the shucked ears of corn with a bit of olive oil then grilled them directly over medium heat, turning frequently until the corn was tender and slightly charred. After letting the corn cool slightly, I carefully cut the kernels off the ears of corn.

Grilled Corn, Mango and Jicama Salad

Kernels from 3 ears of grilled sweet corn*
1 medium jicama, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
3 small mangoes, cubed
1 avocado, diced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
simple honey vinaigrette (recipe below)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss well. Salad can be served immediately at room temperature.

Simple Honey Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, vinegar and salt. While whisking steadily, add the oil in a slow steady stream until it’s all incorporated.

*For a great tip on cutting corn off the cob, check out Elise’s post on Simply Recipes.

Since this salad was completely improvised, I hope you do the same by adjusting ingredients to suit your own taste. I had originally planned on making a honey lime vinaigrette but I accidentally dumped the first batch of dressing all over myself and the kitchen floor! Since I was completely out of limes at that point, I went ahead and created a milder honey vinaigrette using a bit of apple cider vinegar in place of the citrus juice. I was happy with the result, but feel free to continue my experiment with lime juice if you feel like it!

Related Recipes:

Tangerine and Jicama Salad with Garlic and Cilantro
Orange Cranberry Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese
Cilantro Caesar Salad with Carne Asada

Around the Web:

Jicama Salad Recipe from Simply Recipes
Grilled Chicken, Mango, and Jicama Salad with Tequila-Lime Vinaigrette from Whipped
Beet and Jicama Salad from My Life as a Reluctant Housewife
Jicama Salad with Chili-Spiced Chicken from Culinary in the Desert

Fourth of July is quickly approaching so I figure it’s finally time to share my favorite recipe for deviled eggs. The reason I’ve never shared it before is that I’ve never had a recipe written down. I usually just add the ingredients bit by bit until it tastes right. But this morning I decided to actually measure things as I went and now I can give you a recipe that somewhat replicates my standard deviled eggs. Continue reading →

Sorry for the unannounced disappearance!

The move back to the states, living out of a small bedroom with two animals, and being without a steady means of transportation has made it difficult for me to concentrate on blogging! On top of that, all of my spare time lately has been spent house hunting and Christmas shopping.

Luckily, we did find a nice house, but for now it’s empty since our furniture is still on its way back from Sicily! But Smack and Thumbelina have moved into the new place and Justin has been sleeping there on an inflatable mattress so that his commute to work is shorter. The animals are happy to have the run of the house after being mostly confined to one room for the last month! I’ve been borrowing a car when I can and splitting my time between my sister’s place and the new house. Hopefully the furniture and my car will arrive sometime in January. Continue reading →

I’m asking you! Tell me what meals you make that just aren’t complete without some cornbread on the side.

This morning my sister informed me that she has a huge box of cornbread mix (probably from Costco) that has been sitting in the cupboard for a while. She requested I make some meals over the next few weeks that go well with cornbread so that we can use it up. I immediately thought about black-eyed peas because that’s one thing that I can’t imagine eating without cornbread. But of course, I like cornbread with all kinds of different bean recipes! And lots of soups, too. Continue reading →

I know that not everyone has the time to cook up a big pot of beans from scratch. It’s not difficult but it does take some time. And even though I have more time available to cook than most people, I often use canned beans. They’re just so convenient, I can’t help it! Continue reading →

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a side dish recipe and since I’ve been making a lot of rice lately, I decided to share one of my recent favorites recipes with you. Continue reading →

Canned biscuits caused our ruination!

That was the subject of an e-mail I received after my last biscuit post. Who knew biscuits could stir such passion! Apparently, when canned biscuits made their debut, many women quit making them from scratch, even in the southern states.

Even in Tennessee where I’m from, when canned biscuits came out, women quit making homemade ones except for my grandmother who is 90 years old and still going strong. We live in Texas now and it amazes me how many people have never had a great homemade biscuit.

Carmen, the reader who sent the e-mail, went on to explain to me some of the real secrets of making great homemade biscuits and I am now forever in her debt! Continue reading →