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This spicy kale and corn salad is a perfect vegan side dish recipe, but it even works served as a standalone salad recipe!
Warmer weather is upon us which means it’s time for all the bright and tasty salad recipes. This spicy kale and corn salad is so easy to make and works well piled on burrito bowls or served with your favorite grilled vegetable or plant-based protein. You could even cook up some farro or crisp up chickpeas and stir them in for a hearty standalone salad recipe.
What you need:
- Your favorite plant-based mayo
- Your favorite hot sauce; I love Abandon Hope hot sauce by Josephine’s Feast
- Spices, including chili powder, cumin, and cayenne powder
- Juice from 1 lime
- A little maple syrup or your favorite liquid sweetener
- 4 cups kale; I like using thinly sliced or shredded kale but feel free to try it with torn kale leaves for simplicity!
- Fire-roasted corn
- Minced aromatics, including red onion and jalapeño
You can prepare your own fire-roasted corn by grilling corn or broiling it in the oven. I used store-bought fire-roasted corn and it tasted delicious!
How to make it:
If using store-bought fire-roasted corn, cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I microwaved the corn in a bowl with a little water for 5 minutes until cooked through.
Next, prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, hot sauce, chili powder, cayenne powder, lime juice, and maple syrup in a large bowl.
From there, simply add the kale, red onion, jalapeño, and corn and toss to coat. The residual heat from the corn will soften the bitterness of the kale leaves.
Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes or dig right into it; we don’t judge here!
Spicy Kale and Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen fire-roasted corn
- 1/2 cup plant-based mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 4 cups shredded or torn kale leaves
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- Fresh minced cilantro, optional, for serving
Instructions
Cook the frozen corn:
- If using store-bought fire-roasted corn, cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. I microwaved the corn in a bowl with a little water for 5 minutes until cooked through.
Prepare the dressing:
- Whisk together the mayonnaise, hot sauce, chili powder, cayenne powder, lime juice, and maple syrup in a large bowl.
Finish the salad:
- To the dressing, add the kale, red onion, jalapeño, and corn and toss to coat. The residual heat from the corn will soften the bitterness of the kale leaves.
To serve:
- Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes. Enjoy with fresh minced cilantro on top, if you like. Enjoy!
🤔 The dressing is slightly off: I think it might be the lime or maple syrup but it ends up tasting odd, like a sweat or vomit-y (although not so much that it’s inedible either)🤷🤷
I LOOOVE the corn and kale combo!🌽♥️🥬!!! Very delicous. The red onion might be a bit overpowering but it’s still nice.😌 I added some chickpeas I had left over as it’s a good way to add in that extra protein. 💪🏋️
Nice. ✨
xoxo Jessie 💋
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear about your experience with the dressing! Will definitely revisit this one and see what tweaks can be made.