Caitlin Prettyman's Kale and Corn Salad with Chipotle-Lime Dressing Is Like Elote 'Just Lightened Up'

"Add your favorite protein — like grilled chicken or steak — and it quickly becomes a delicious weeknight meal made with little to no fuss," says Caitlin Prettyman

Caitlin Prettyman had a clear vision when crafting this salad.

"My goal was to create a flavor-packed, nutritious salad that had all the key elements of traditional Mexican street corn, called elote, but just lightened up," says the author of Fast and Fresh Cal-Mex Cooking. "Massaged kale is tossed with pops of fresh sweet corn, creamy avocado and cotija cheese enrobed in a zesty cilantro-lime dressing with crunchy tortilla strips in every bite!"

To turn the salad into a showstopping main, Prettyman suggests adding some meat to the dish. "Add your favorite protein — like grilled chicken or steak — and it quickly becomes a delicious weeknight meal made with little to no fuss!" she says.

If your grocery stores doesn't carry cotija cheese, "feta can be used as a replacement — it is similar in texture but has a stronger tang," says Prettyman.

Related: Vikas Khanna Shares a One-Pot Coconut Chicken Recipe Perfect for Fall Nights

Caitlin Prettyman's Elote Kale and Corn Salad with Chipotle-Lime Dressing

½ cup plain whole-milk strained Greek-style yogurt

¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems

2 medium garlic cloves

¼ tsp. chipotle chile powder

½ tsp. kosher salt, divided

3 medium ears fresh corn, shucked and silks removed

1 (9-oz.) bunch kale, stemmed and chopped (about 6 cups)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 oz. crumbled cotija cheese (about ½ cup)

½ cup thinly sliced red onion (from 1 small onion)

2 medium (6-oz.) avocados, sliced or diced

Crushed tortilla chips, for serving

1. Process yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, chipotle powder and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Cover with plastic wrap; chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add corn cobs, cover, and boil until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; let cool 10 minutes. Cut kernels from cobs, keeping ribs of kernels intact as much as possible to yield about 2 cups.

3. Place kale in a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Using your hands, massage kale until it begins to soften and shrinks in size by half, about 5 minutes. Add cooled corn kernels, cotija, red onion, avocados and desired amount of cilantro-lime dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips.

Serves: 6
Active time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

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