Friday, May 27, 2011

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette


A few days ago, I arrived home from work to find a surprise at my front door. It was a box addressed to me. Typically most boxes are addressed to my hubby, who is an avid Ebay participant. But this one was for me.


I reviewed the package label to realize that is was from the Tastemaker program at Foodbuzz. As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a box of fresh and nutritious California Avocados from the California Avocado Commission.


The wheels of imagination went off in my head. What do I make with these beautiful green gems? Several ideas surfaced. Since we are on the precipice of summer, a fresh vibrant salad was my choice.


When I opened the box, these avocados were absolutely perfect. The colors were a rich deep green and just ever so slightly ripe, meaning I could make additional dishes with them. Avocados might just be one of those perfect foods. They have exceptional flavor, texture and nutritional value – not to mention their versatility. Avocados grown in California are always hand grown, hand picked and always delicious.


When I explored the California Avocado Commission’s website, they had a section for fun facts about avocados. After reading through, I wanted to share a few of them with all of you:
  • Avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable, belonging to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family
  • Avocados are sodium and cholesterol-free and have only five grams of fat per serving, most of it the monounsaturated kind. A medium avocado has approximately 5 servings each. 
  • Avocados were once a luxury food reserved for the tables of royalty, but now California Avocados are enjoyed around the world by people from all walks of life
  • San Diego County is the Avocado Capital of the U.S., producing 60 percent of all the avocados grown in California
  • There are about 6,000 avocado growers in California; the average grove size is around 10 acres
  • A single California Avocado tree can produce about 500 avocados (or 200 pounds of fruit) a year although usually average about 60 pounds from 150 fruit
  • There are seven varieties of avocados grown commercially in California, but the Hass is the most popular, accounting for approximately 95 percent of the total crop volume
  • California Avocados grow year-round
  • About 43 percent of all U.S. households buy avocados 


I do have a couple other avocado related recipes that I will share with all of you. In the meantime, I want to thank again Foodbuzz and The California Avocado Commission for their kindness and the lovely avocados.


Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

Serves 4



5 Ears Corn, husk removed, brush with olive oil and grilled, remove corn with sharp knife
2 Avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 C. Tomatoes, red and yellow cherry variety or equivalent
1 Small red onion, finely diced
¾ C. Feta, crumbled
1 ½ C. English cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice

Add to a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

6 T. Olive oil
2 T. Sherry vinegar
1 t. Garlic powder
2 T. Fresh cilantro, minced
½ t. Salt
10 Grinds of fresh ground pepper

Add all of the above ingredients in a small glass jar with a lid. Shake really well. Taste and adjust seasoning and ratios of oil and vinegar as you desire.

When ready to serve salad, add the dressing and gently toss.



116 comments:

  1. Yum...this looks SO GOOD! I just happen to have everything on hand to make this except avocados, so might just have to buy one at the market tomorrow and make this for our Memorial Day feast. Thanks for sharing!!

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  2. Oh heck yes!!! In so many ways. I am defin putting this on the menu this weekend. I live in Cali and I wish they had an "avocado queen" because I would win.

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  3. What a fabulous salad!!! I make something similar with black beans added...but I love the cilantro vinaigrette! Will try this one soon~

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  4. We just got our box of avocados too, aren't they delicious? Great photos, and I love your salad recipe!

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  5. Love this fresh salad. I think I could probably drink that cilantro vinaigrette!
    I just got my box of avocados too and have been thinking of dishes to make. Can't wait to use them!

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  6. oh what a fresh was to serve this avocado with healthy vinaigrette! sounds delightful!

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  7. Your salad looks stunning, I'm a big fan of avocados. Loved your pictures, they are great.

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  8. This salad looks delish! My husband and I both love all of those ingredients, so I know that we would really like this dish. I am definitely bookmarking this recipe!

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  9. These photos are great! And this salad sounds wonderful! Will definitely have to try....

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  10. This avocado salad looks awesome! Congrats to you for getting this awesome package :)

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  11. This was quite the gift. Love what you did with them. Can't wait for your bread pudding recipe it was wonderful, so great seeing you again.
    -Gina-

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  12. Now I am craving fish tacos~ this salad would be great as a topping!

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    1. That is a lovely idea! I just saw a fish taco recipe from the food network that I will try with this recipe. Thank you!

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  13. I never get anything...boo

    Try cuttin it in half, remove pit and grill the aguacate next time.

    Great dish...beautiful pictures

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  14. Thanks for the recipe! I'm making this tonight to go on top of cedar plank grilled salmon. I don't have any cilantro, so it's going to be basil vinagrette!

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  15. Wow... This totally made me drool! :D

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  16. This looks amazing. I now have the ultimate summer go-to salad. Thank you.

    Love your blog, too! First time visitor here.

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  17. YUM!!! we go through so many of these a week I should have them drop shipped - this looks delicious!

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  18. This has been all over Pinterest this week. I saw it and made it (w/out the tomatoes) and it was a huuuge hit. Thank you!

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  19. Made this up for the holiday weekend. Needless to say it was a very big hit and will be added to my list or recipes!

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  20. okay, so I have no access to a grill, and I have no sherry vinegar, and cherry tomatoes are super expensive. BUT! this salad, simplified (frozen corn, thawed, regular tomatoes, chopped, a simple olive oil+ vinegar vinaigrette)is still SOOOO delicious. I've had it twice this week. the saltiness of the feta with the creaminess of the avocado really makes it! YUMMY! good job! :D

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  21. I made this salad and it was DIVINE. Thank you for the recipe. I left out the feta to make it vegan for my husband and I didn't miss it at all. It was light and fresh, the perfect summer food.

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  22. Found this recipe on pinterest and tried it last night. BIG HIT! Thanks so much!

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  23. I saw this recipe on pintrest this morning and went to the store at 10 to buy the ingredients because it was that droolworthy. Had it tonight for dinner and it's freaking delicious! I replaced the feta with fresh mozz and the sherry vinegar with apple cider vinegar because I already had them on had. Either way, amazing!

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  24. This salad is soooo good! Fresh and delicious. Make it! Seriously, like today.

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  25. Share this on my facebook page via Pinterest. It looks soooo yummy, I cannot wait to try it! Thanks for sharing!

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  26. This is definitely on my to do list! Its so easy which makes it perfect for someone like me, ESPECIALLY on busy nights. THANK YOU!!!

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  27. Thanks to Pinterest, I found your blog! This salad looks so yummy, I had to add it (with a link) to my food blog at mamasitasinthekitchen.blogspot.com

    Can't wait to look around on your blog!!

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  28. Thais sounds and looks great! Would you add a a printer friendly version of your recipes so that they can be printed?

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  29. Hello Anonymous - thank you for the suggestion for a friendly printer recipe. I am researching how to implement. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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  30. finally made this recipe tonight and it was a hit. This is now my FAVORITE salad. Can't wait to make it for more people. So delish!!! Now all I need is the nutritional value to input into my food & fitness planner.
    Thanks for the recipe!!!
    Raylene

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  31. I just stumbled across this post... You have brought me back to ma favorite time of year will all of my favorite flavors! I was just in Trader Joes and they had fresh corn, I bought two ears without really having a plan of what to do with it. I know now!

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  32. This was AMAZING!!!!!

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  33. Can you tell me where you got those bowls? I love them!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by my blog. I purchased the bowls from anthropologie last year but I think they still carry them. Good luck!

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  34. Hello, any idea what the calorie breakdown and fat content is for this?

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  35. This salad is great - no worries if you don't have sherry vinegar - i did half balsamic and half red wine vinegar and it was wonderful. Also threw in a little red bell pepper b/c it was lying around. GREAT salad!

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  36. I loved this salad! Thank you! Delicious and very pretty, too.

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  37. Found your recipe on Pinterest. I made it tonight for dinner. SO tasty! Love it! Thank you so much for sharing it!

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  38. I love your recipe and would like more. I was invited to join Pinterest but was un able as only have email, no Facebook or Tweet. My email is athomas1020@sc.rr.com. I would be so appreciative if you would email this and more low fat dishes! Thanks A Thomas

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  39. If you don't want to grill corn on the cob just buy frozen kernels toss this in olive oil salt and pepper then bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes depending on oven. I also added fresh lime to the dressing which paired great with the cilantro.

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  40. This is the best salad ever! I made it without oil or feta to fit with my whole foods/plant based diet and it didn't need either! I also used balsamic vinegar and cider vinegar and it was great. This will be a staple in our home. Thanks!

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  41. This is the best salad ever! I made it without the oil or feta to fit with our whole foods/plant based diet and we didn't miss either. I also made it with balsamic vinegar and cider vinegar and it was great! This will be a staple in our home. Thanks!

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  42. This salad was great except for the vinaigrette. If I made this in the future I would maybe put in 1 Tbsp olive oil and a little sherry vinegar. If you follow the recipe as listed above it will taste like oil and you will miss out on all of the fresh ingredient goodness.

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  43. Tried this! Thank you for sharing it is soooooo yummy!!!

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  44. After re-pinning this on to my Pinterest, i saw over 1,000 people re-pin my particular pin within two hours!! I can't imagine what the TOTAL numbers are besides mine. Amazing! Nothing else I've pinned ever got more than 6 or 8 re-pins.
    WOWZA!!!

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    1. WOW!! It blows my mind how viral this one blog post went. The Internet is an amazing tool. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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  45. Thank you for sharing your recipe! I made this for a baby shower this weekend and it was a huge hit! This will definitely be added to my regular repertoire of recipes.

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  46. That looks absolutely delicious! I am making this as soon as it warms up outside!

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  47. I made this tonight & it was great ... but mine didn't look anywhere near as beautiful as yours! Oh well! It still tasted good! :)

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  48. I found this on pinterest and made it with dinner the other night. It was FANTASTIC. Husband loved it…even my boys (age 9 & 3) ate it up! The only change I made was I substituted Apple Cider Vinegar for the Sherry Vinegar (since I didn’t have on hand) and it was still phenomenal. I will be making this many more times!

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  49. This is an amazing salad. I'm definitely making this.

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  50. hi was wondering if i could make this salad tonight and keep in the fridge till tomorrow afternoon. separate from the dressing will it hold up that long?

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  51. this looks delicious but i was wondering if i can make it tonight and keep it in the fridge till tomorrow afternoon. separate from the dressing will it hold up that long?

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  52. Saw this on pinterest. I'm making this for lunch this week! Thanks for sharing. Stopping over from bulldogsandbrownsugar.com

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  53. this is a great summer food cant wait to make it this summer!

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  54. Yep, found the recipe on pinterest and will be making it tomorrow for dinner guests! Excited! :)
    ~Lauren

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  55. I made this last night for a barbecue, it was a huge hit everyone loved it. Had enough for leftovers tonight. Delicous will definitely make again!

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  56. oh yum this salad looks amazing. thanks for sharing.

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  57. This includes every one of my favorite salad ingredients. I can't wait to make it. It's the prfect summer salad!

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  58. Just found you and that recipe sounds & looks amazing! Must try!

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  59. I added Grilled Shrimp, looks wonderful and can't wait to have tonight for dinner. Possibly with Quinoa.

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  60. Just made this for dinner and it was deelish! Will definitely be a new staple recipe in my household.

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  61. New favortie summer salad. Awesome!!

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  62. This is totally awesome. Made today added lump crabmeat to it! Incredible!

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  63. SO. DELICIOUS. Thank you for the awesome recipe!

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  64. I made this tonight for our evening meal.
    It is great and I will be making it from now forward.

    However I do agree with the posted who said it does have far to much oil.
    Next time I make it I will cut oil, vinegar and ect in half.

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  65. just made it, and i cannot wait to eat it! I have it all to myself too becuase my husband doesn't like onions or cherry tomatoes, or many summer salads at all in fact. Just curious, any idea how many calories?

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  66. I just made this for dinner and this is so delish! I did make the dressing on the side and let everyone serve there own dressing. Great recipe. Thanks

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  67. Saw on pinterest and made for the first grade picnic - it was the first thing to be eaten up! I added a cup of israeli couscous and some grilled pepper to stretch it out a bit. Next time, I'd like to try added some grilled chicken for an easy summer dinner.

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  68. Made this today and it was awesome! Thanks so much!

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  69. Where did you get the cherry baskets and the bowls? Thanks!

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    1. I got the bowls from Anthropology and the baskets from a store in Berkely called the Gardner. Thank you for stopping by!!!

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  70. Hola te digo que me encanto tu blog un cordial saludos.
    Miguel

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  71. This looks delicious! Any idea how many servings it makes? I'd like to try it for a July 4th block party. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by. It serves about four people so just double or triple to what you need . Enjoy!!!

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  72. I could reply to this everyday. To me this recipe is gold!!! I make this at least 2-3 times a week. That's just how good it is. Thank you for sharing.

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  73. I made this again - it is so delicious! Fresh and tasty, perfect for a warm summer eve.

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  74. OMG, this salad is soooooooo delicious! I made it today....Great for my camping recipes ! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe....I love your blog. Cooking is not one of my passionate but browsing through your blog inspires me!
    Thanks
    Elysa

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  75. Hello delicious! We had this last night and I LURVE it! My four year old requested that we have it all the time :D My husband said it was interesting, then later bumped it up to good, so he's, as usual, ambiguous but I thought it was terrific. I was even lazy and just cooked up some frozen sweet corn (I seriously couldn't find fresh corn on the cob, which is bizarre, considering we have a GIGANTIC sweet corn festival in a couple months... Anyway THANK YOU for bringing this delicousness which I will be nomming on for lunch today into my life!
    And I highly suggest adding "delicious" to the list of reactions following the blog post :D

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  76. I cannot wait to try this recipe! Had a question about where you got the white ceramic baskets holding the cherry tomatoes in the picture! I love these and would like to get some!

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  77. How many would this serve?

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  78. This is such a beautiful salad...filled with the flavors of summer. And the cilantro vinaigrette sounds like something that would give some perk to any salad.

    I’d love for you to share this recipe (and any of your other favorite avocado recipes) in the avocado link-up/giveaway that I’m hosting with Kristen of Dine & Dish right now.http://bit.ly/NKF4rk

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  79. We made this tonight, and it was delicious!! I just realized that I forgot to throw in the cheese...a great reason to make it again! :) Thank you so much for sharing this!

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  80. We just made this tonight, and it was delicious!! I just realized that I forgot to throw in the cheese-not sure how I could forget that-so I have a good reason to make it again soon! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! :)

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  81. I made this for dinner the other night. It was simple, easy and delicious. Perfect for summer! Thanks!

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  82. OHMYGOSH so good! I made it with goat cheese (not a lot of love for feta) and served it with a mexican roasted tomato smothered grilled chicken.

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  83. This is one of the best salads I have ever eaten! It was a hit from our guests as well. I just made the dressing again for a green salad!

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  84. I am making this for the 3rd time this summer as a side for burgers on the grill. When I made it the first time I had blue cheese on hand, so that's what I use in place of the feta and it's delicious. I add the cheese when the corn is still warm from the grill and it slightly melts it. It's almost like a blue cheese-cilantro vinaigrette. It's so good. Thanks for sharing.

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  85. Had it tonight and it was awesome. Thanks for sharing both the recipe and beautiful photos! 😄

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  86. My daughter found this blog spot and made the recipe at a family get-together. It was incredible. I'm not a big fan of avocados (even though I am born and raised Southern Californian!), but really enjoyed the total package. I also enjoyed reading the diferent variations on comments. Will pass on the recipe on Pinterest and Facebook!

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  87. Love this salad! Thanks for sharing!

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  88. I just found this recipe and your blog. This sounds so good! I am a new follower. Patsy

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  89. Ok - must try this! I love something I can make from ingredients I can buy at Costco!

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  90. There is NO avacado recipe I don't enjoy!!

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  91. Any idea what the calorie count is on this salad? Just curious.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! Unfortunately I do not know. I believe there are resources on the internet that you can plug the ingredients in and gain the calorie count. Have a great week!

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  92. This looks like a good reason for me to restock on corn and avocados at the grocery store this afternoon, such nice photography too!

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  93. This was fabulous! I love, love, love this salad! And I didn't even toss it in the vinaigrette! I used only the sherry vinegar and the olive oil, and it was equally yummy. Thanks so much :)

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  94. second recipe i've come across in the past month that calls for sherry vinegar. i was too cheap to buy it for that one, and am trying to hold off still... what would you recommend using as a substitute for the sherry vinegar??

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! You could certainly try white balsamic vinegar - I purchase from Trader Joe's and is reasonable. Hope that helps!

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  95. Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by! Gosh it has been so long since I have made this but my best guess would be an hour or less depending how quick you are at chopping. Good Luck!

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  96. My Daughter-in-law made this for us after I showed her the recipe........DELICIOUS!!!

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  97. This is the perfect use for leftover sweet corn - the salad was delicious!.

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  98. Great salad idea.... as we are heading into the summer months I am always looking for a salad recipe with a difference thank you

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  99. Great salad, make every summer!

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    1. You just made me smile really big! Happy 4th of July to you and your family!!!

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  100. This Salad is the best, pair it with shrimp, chicken or just eat it alone! It is delicious.

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