Summer Corn and Ranch Salad

There's nothing like roasting fresh cobs of peaches-and-cream corn when they come into season, but I don't like to miss the opportunity to use fresh local ingredients in some other favourite corn recipes either. This light side salad is cool and refreshing on hot days and also has the unbeatable crunch of summer vegetables right from the local farm. Best of all, it hardly takes any time to make once the corn is cooked, but it's a good idea to prepare an equally fast and simple home-made ranch dressing the night before instead of using the store-bought varieties.

Summer Corn and Ranch Salad

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on August 19, 2007 A cool, crunchy refreshing summer salad with roasted sweet corn off the cob tossed with a homemade ranch dressing Print this recipe Ingredients: 2 cobs of corn, roasted or boiled and then pared from the cobs 1 large tomato, diced 1/2 green bell pepper, diced 2 large jalapeños, seeded and diced 1 stalk celery, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 cup ranch dressing, already prepared and chilled (recipe below) Instructions: Combine all the vegetables in a large salad bowl. Pour in the ranch dressing and toss. Chill for 1 hour before serving. Makes 4 servings as a side salad

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Recipe by Lisa Turner Originally published on June 2, 2007 A fast and simple homemade ranch dressing that's cool, refreshing and has a wonderful authentic flavor Print this recipe Ingredients: 4 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons rice or cider vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram 3/4 cup buttermilk 3 tablespoons plain yogurt 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped handful of fresh chives, finely chopped Instructions: Mix together the oil, vinegar, sugar and marjoram in a bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, yoghurt and mayonnaise. Stir in the green onions, garlic, parsley and chives. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to thicken. Whisk again before serving over salad greens or vegetables. Makes 1 1/4 cups