Today I’m happy to share with you a recipe from my good friend Gaby Dalkin‘s newly-released cookbook: Absolutely Avocados. My entire family loves avocados. We’re super lucky to live in Southern California, where beautiful, ripe avocados are available to us all-year long for a good price. Seriously, most of the time you can pick them up for 99 cents, and often they are 2 for a dollar. LUCKY, right?! We’re grateful. And we eat them OFTEN. The recipe that caught my eye first in this avocado cookbook was the Bacon, Avocado and Corn Salad.
It was the bacon that did it. Bacon and avocados are two well-loved ingredients in my kitchen! And they’re perfect when paired together too!
There it is- Absolutely Avocados by Gaby Dalkin. There are 80 amazing recipes for every meal of the day (even dessert… seriously. We’ll talk about that later in the post)…
Sometimes I have a recipe that calls for bacon and I don’t have any bacon in the house. And sometimes I don’t like to buy a whole package of bacon since I forget that it’s in my refrigerator and then it goes bad. Did you know that you can usually buy bacon by the strip in your meat department? This recipe called for 5 strips of thick-cut bacon (so that’s all I bought… perfect). The bacon is fried until crisp, fat spooned out… all except for one tablespoon.
That one tablespoon of fat is what you’re going to cook the corn in. Just get it all warmed and flavored of that bacon fat, and it will be ready for the rest of the ingredients.
While the corn is still in the pan, you’re going to add feta (or cotija) cheese, chopped cilantro and lime juice.
Chop up your fresh and perfectly ripe avocado (cut it in half first by wiggling a sharp knife vertically around the outside of the avocado and toward the pit. Twist and pull the sides apart. Drop your knife onto the pit until it sticks, twist and pull it out. Take a large spoon and loosen the avocado from the skin, then use a knife to cut the avocado into small chunks.
Transfer everything to a bowl, add the avocado and crumble in the bacon. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Done!
My family DEVOURED this for lunch the other day… all three of us- GONE in seconds. I’d make this recipe again in a heartbeat!
If you’re an avocado-lover, I wholeheartedly recommend Gaby’s book: Absolutely Avocados. It’s full of 80 delicious ideas for using up avocados in every meal of the day. The book is filled with recipes that employ creative uses of the avocado. Take breakfast, for example: Avocado and Chorizo Breakfast Hash, Southwestern Egg Casserole, Migas and Avocado Toast (we tried the toast yesterday as a healthy, after-school snack and it was easy and fabulous!) Yes, there is guacamole, but Dalkin shares EIGHT very different recipes for guacamole (including the amazing-sounding Mango/Cilantro Guac and Roasted Poblano & Caramelized Onion Guac) as well as dips and dressing and salads. Main dishes I can’t wait to try: Cheese Bellied Guacamole Turkey Burgers, Cumin-Dusted Mahi Mahi Tacos and Herbed Quinoa & Avocado- Stuffed Peppers. Have you ever imagined incorporating avocado into desserts?! The author does just that in her Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pound Cake and Banana Bread (think of the avocado as a healthy fat replacement- cool, right?!) Her book can be found on Amazon for (currently) the very low price of $11.00!
And if you’re really and truly as obsessed with avocado as I am, you can follow my Pinterest Board: Avocado Obsession!
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Bacon, Avocado and Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 5 strips thick cut bacon
- 4 large ears corn, husks and silks removed
- ½ cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 medium lime, juiced
- 1 large Hass avocado
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place a heavy skillet over medium heat. Arrange the bacon strips in the skillet and cook on both sides until the bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to dry. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet.
- Cut the kernels off each cob by laying the cob flat on a cutting board and using a sharp knife to remove the kernels. Discard the cobs and transfer the kernels to the skillet with the bacon fat. Cook the corn over medium high heat until it is just slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, crumble in the cheese, and add the cilantro and lime juice. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Roughly crumble the bacon into the corn mixture and toss to combine.
- Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the avocado from the skin, and cut the avocado into ½ inch pieces. Transfer the avocado to the skillet and toss.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for later. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten free, just be sure to use a brand of bacon that is known to be GF.
- WW Points were calculated using reduced fat feta cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other great recipes that use avocados from these fabulous websites:
6 Creative, Delicious Ways to Use Avocado by Parade Magazine
Avocado and Egg Breakfast Pizza by The Kitchn
Bacon- Wrapped Avocados by Oh Sweet Basil
Kicked-Up Avocado Margaritas by Cookin’ Canuck
Fried Avocado Tacos by FoodieCrush
Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links are included within this post.
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was so freaking delicious. I’ll definitely be making it again!
This is a simply delicious meal, I absolutely love it! So many of my favorite foods in this bowl 🙂
Yum! This sounds so good! I can’t wait to read Gaby’s new book!
You had me at bacon
I think I could eat that entire bowl! 🙂
Gosh this looks so good! The perfect spring salad. Totally making this. Thanks Lori!
Bacon, corn and avocado is such a great flavour combination!
Yum! This one looks incredible! Love the bacon and (little bit) of bacon fat! I love avocados so I really need to get Gaby’s book!
LOVE avocados – I just bout 6 of them at Costco yesterday 🙂 This salad is right up my alley, we would go to town on this! Gaby’s book is on my list, looks amazing!
Yum! This looks and sounds so delish!
It was awesome meeting you this weekend – it was like my cookbook shelf came to life!