Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad Recipe (2024)

June 6, 2018 by Jeanette 76 Comments

This Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad is a festive warm weather salad, perfect for a crowd. I love fresh corn, and although I enjoy it on the cob, I find it makes a great side dish when used in salads.

I think warm weather is finally here to stay, so I have been trying to take long walks outside, and visiting our local farmer’s market as much as possible.

I made this Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad for a large gathering of womenfor one of ourBible study celebrations.I’m always trying to concoct something new for this group of ladies, while keeping it on the healthier side.

The idea behind this salad comes from the Mexican street food called Esquites, which is served in little cups. It’s a mixture of boiled or sautéed corn, mayonnaise, Cojita cheese, cilantro and chili powder. Sometimes jalapeño peppers are added too. What I love about Esquites is the combination of sweet (from the corn), spicy (chili powder), and salty (Cojita cheese).

I find pan roasting the corn brings out the natural sugars and makes it taste even sweeter.

Let’s talk a little about the health benefits of corn – whole corn that is, not processed. I have to be honest – for years, I didn’t consider corn a healthy vegetable. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of The World’s Healthiest Foods a few years ago, that I started paying more attention to the unique nutritional profile that different fruits and vegetables have.

Here are a couple of fun facts about corn you might be interested in:

• Corn is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber. We need both kinds of fiber in our diets. Dietary fiber helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower our risk of heart disease.
• Corn contains two important carotenoids(lutein and zeaxanthin), which are relatives of vitamin A that support eye health and may have other disease-preventing properties.
• Corn is a good source of B vitamins (folate, B1, B3, B5, B6)which are essential for energy production and making red blood cells

The important thing to remember here is to eat corn in its whole form.

If you like this recipe, you might like:

Chipotle Black Bean Corn Tomato Avocado Salad

Quinoa Corn Kale Tomato Salad

Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Salad

Mexican Corn Tomato Feta Salad

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Kitchen PLAY in partnership with the Florida Sweet Corn Exchange for their “Put a Little Sweet in Your Step” event.