barbecue season is coming friends. with a summer baby on the way, many a baby bbq are now on our late spring/early summer calendar and i am STOKED. i LOVE barbecue food. ALL of it. the messier the better and in preparation for all that grilling goodness, i’m working on my perfect summer side dish game.

one of my all time favorites is corn. white corn to be specific. it has such a juicy sweetness to it that i will chow down on it with no salt, butter or other corn condiments. now, if you do it up with this zesty avocado & greek yogurt sauce and some crumbled cotija cheese, it will BLOW YOUR MIND.

now, if you aren’t all about that mess, you can easily serve this corn OFF the cob by simply slicing the kernels from the ear of corn once you have finished cooking the corn. if you are all about eating with your hands, no extra step required.

elote style white corn

serves: 4

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 4 ears white corn, (you could sub your favorite corn or whatever you can find) husks removed and cut in half. half an avocado, completely smashed so you don’t have any lumps. 1 cup greek yogurt. 2 tbs lime juice. .25 cup finely crumbled/grated cotija cheese. 2 tbs kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp turmeric. .5 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 2 tbs cilantro leaves. nasturtium petals, optional. large pot of water (if you have room on your grill and prefer to grill your corn, you could do that instead of boiling. cook time on your grilled corn will be about 10 minutes on a hot grill as opposed to 25 minutes of boiling).

start by adding all but 1 tsp of the salt to the pot of water and get it boiling. combine the remaining salt with the pepper, turmeric, chili powder and cayenne pepper to make a spice blend. add the spice blend, the avocado and the lime juice to the greek yogurt.

stir until everything is well combined and you have a creamy sauce.

when your water is boiling, add the corn to the pot and cook till the kernels are tender (20-25 minutes). while the corn cooks, finely chop the cilantro and the nasturtium petals together and set them aside (nasturtium petals are a little spicy so they add great seasonal flavor and color to your corn).

once your corn has cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to dry. if you are serving the kernels with out the ear of corn, now is the time to carefully (with a sharp knife) slice the kernels away from the ear of corn. lay your ears of corn or just the kernels on to your serving platter.

spoon the creamy sauce over the top of the corn. sprinkle with cotija, cilantro and flower petals.

serve hot and enjoy.

elote style white corn

serves: 4

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 25 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 4 ears white corn, (you could sub your favorite corn or whatever you can find) husks removed and cut in half. half an avocado, completely smashed so you don’t have any lumps. 1 cup greek yogurt. 2 tbs lime juice. .25 cup finely crumbled/grated cotija cheese. 2 tbs kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp turmeric. .5 tsp chili powder. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 2 tbs cilantro leaves. nasturtium petals, optional. large pot of water (if you have room on your grill and prefer to grill your corn, you could do that instead of boiling. cook time on your grilled corn will be about 10 minutes on a hot grill as opposed to 25 minutes of boiling).

start by adding all but 1 tsp of the salt to the pot of water and get it boiling. combine the remaining salt with the pepper, turmeric, chili powder and cayenne pepper to make a spice blend. add the spice blend, the avocado and the lime juice to the greek yogurt. stir until everything is well combined and you have a creamy sauce. when your water is boiling, add the corn to the pot and cook till the kernels are tender (20-25 minutes). while the corn cooks, finely chop the cilantro and the nasturtium petals together and set them aside (nasturtium petals are a little spicy so they add great seasonal flavor and color to your corn). once your corn has cooked, remove it from the heat and allow it to dry. if you are serving the kernels with out the ear of corn, now is the time to carefully (with a sharp knife) slice the kernels away from the ear of corn. lay your ears of corn or just the kernels on to your serving platter. spoon the creamy sauce over the top of the corn. sprinkle with cotija, cilantro and flower petals. serve hot and enjoy.

looking back on my childhood, there were plenty of signs i would end up as a cook. whenever there was a veggie platter at a social gathering i would go HARD for the cauliflower. other kids went straight for the carrots and celery. but i usually had no competition for the cauliflower.

as an adult it is still one of my favorite veggies and it is DELICIOUS roasted. throw in some curry powder and lemon yogurt and you have a healthy, flavor EXPLOSION.

this easy side dish is great warm in the early spring months, but is also amazing cold and will last you through all your summer dining needs.

curry roasted cauliflower + lemon yogurt & pistachio

serves: 6

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 25-30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 3 tbs coconut oil, melted. 2 heads cauliflower, chopped into florets. 1 red onion, sliced .5 inch thick. .5 cup greek yogurt. 2 garlic cloves, minced. juice of 1 lemon. handful of cilantro leaves. 2 tbs chopped pistachios. 1 tsp curry powder. 1 tsp pink salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. baking sheet. parchment paper.

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, two pinches of curry powder, two pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. stir to combine and set aside. in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, two pinches of curry powder, two pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper.

stir to combine and set aside.

in a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, onion, melted coconut oil, curry powder, salt and pepper.

toss everything till evenly coated with oil and spice. cover your baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the cauliflower onto the sheet in an even layer.

roast for 25-30 minutes until the onions are caramelizing and the cauliflower is nicely browned. pour the cauliflower onto your serving platter.

drizzle with lemon yogurt.

sprinkle with pistachios and cilantro.

serve and enjoy.

xo, a

curry roasted cauliflower + lemon yogurt & pistachio

serves: 6

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 25-30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 3 tbs coconut oil, melted. 2 heads cauliflower, chopped into florets. 1 red onion, sliced .5 inch thick. .5 cup greek yogurt. 2 garlic cloves, minced. juice of 1 lemon. handful of cilantro leaves. 2 tbs chopped pistachios. 1 tsp curry powder. 1 tsp pink salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. baking sheet. parchment paper.

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, two pinches of curry powder, two pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. stir to combine and set aside. in a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, onion, melted coconut oil, curry powder, salt and pepper. toss everything till evenly coated with oil and spice. cover your baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the cauliflower onto the sheet in an even layer. roast for 25-30 minutes until the onions are caramelizing and the cauliflower is nicely browned. pour the cauliflower onto your serving platter. drizzle with lemon yogurt. sprinkle with pistachios and cilantro. serve and enjoy.