Grilled Corn Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 ears corn

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp honey

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet peppers

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/3 cup diced heart of palm

• 1/4 cup sliced/diced green olives

• 1/4 cup sliced/diced black or kalamata olives

• 1/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• a pinch of cayenne

1. Shuck corn and submerge in water for about an hour.

2. Heat grill on high for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook corn for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 4 minutes or so.

3. Allow corn to cool before removing the kernels. Place kernels in a bowl.

4. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, honey, black pepper and cayenne. Set aside the vinaigrette.

5. Mix sweet peppers, onion, heart of palm, olives, artichoke and parsley with corn kernels.

6. Pour the vinaigrette over the corn mixture.

7. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until thoroughly chilled.

Serves: 4

Notes&Tips:

• Anyone who has eaten my corn salad, always ask for the recipe. They say theirs never taste like mine - and that's because they were lazy to grill the corn! The grilled corn is the star in this dish so you have to use grilled corn. Yes, you can use fresh or frozen corn, it will still be a good salad, but it will not have the same taste. Grilling the corn brings out the sweetness of the corn and adds a depth of flavor that you do not get if it's not grilled.

• I added an ingredient that I didn't use previously in this salad, heart of palm. Heart of palm is harvested from the center of a certain type of palm tree. It has a delicate, slight nutty flavor. It was a great addition to the Grilled Corn Salad.

• I first encountered heart of palm in Guyana. My husband had a friend who harvested and exported it (to France). I tasted the fresh heart of palm as soon as it was harvested since I was visiting the plantation. It is mostly used in salads but there are other uses too.

• My daughter eats this like there's no tomorrow! Whenever I make this salad, she will take everything else in tiny portions and load up on the salad. Next day she always ask for left overs!