This side dish is fresh, tangy, flavorful, and sweet!  The sweet corn and cherry tomatoes are coated with a tangy dressing that leaves you wanting more!  With fresh corn and cherry tomatoes in season, now is the PERFECT time to be making this salad.  However, I think it’s so good that the salad will still be a home run in the winter too!  You can cut corn kernels directly off the ear, or use frozen corn.  Also, Queso Fresco cheese is a Mexican cheese that you can usually find in most grocery stores among the other cheeses.  (If you can’t find it, feta cheese is most widely used as a substitute.)  We loved the change-up that this salad gave us (as compared to usual carbohydrate side dishes like potatoes or rice . . . . although we love those too).  I craved it for days after I made it (thank goodness I had leftovers)!

*Note:  If you need/want to save some unnecessary calories, pull the cheese out of the recipe.  That will save you 40 calories & 3 grams of fat per serving.

Mexican Tomato and Corn Salad
Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

For the salad:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
2 oz. crumbled queso fresco cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest (zest the lime(s) before juicing)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from about 3 garlic cloves)

In a large skillet, heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the corn and cook until soft (but not mushy), 3-5 minutes, stirring/tossing occasionally. Cool corn slightly and set aside.

Whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, cheese, cilantro and corn. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 (Makes Approximately 4 Cups).

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approximately 1 Cup)
Calories:  160
Protein:  5.9g
Carbs:  19g
Fat:  8.2g (2.7g = Sat.)
Fiber:  2.7g
Sugars:  4.5g