Mexican Street Corn Sweet Potatoes with Creamy Chipotle-Avocado Sauce

  I pretty much do all of my produce shopping at the farmers’ markets near...

 

I pretty much do all of my produce shopping at the farmers’ markets near me, once they open up.

Otherwise, I rely on this super-convenient gourmet market in my building (I know, pretty spoiled) or the odd trip to a market in Hoboken or if I have the time, Whole Foods in TriBeCa.

Therefore, most of my summer recipes are from veggies like cucumbers and zucchini (although obviously I can’t resist zucchini during the fall, winter and spring.)

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However, it’s always hard to say goodbye to veggies like sweet potatoes during the summer.

I definitely consider sweet potatoes “perennial” vegetables, since to me, they’re veggies I couldn’t do without for a whole season.

I was trying to come up with a fresh spring recipe for today, but after a brief conversation with a friend about Mexican street corn over the weekend, I found myself craving a chili-powder seasoned ear of corn (with some lime and cotija, of course.)

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Therefore, I decided to savor my sweet potatoes (since I love sweet corn and sweet potatoes together) and come up with a starter/side dish for the summertimes – best served with Corona Light or margaritas!

This dish is best made for entertaining – it’s visually irresistible and colorful.

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If you’re dairy-free, ditch the cotija cheese – the flavors from the chipotle sauce, the chili powder seasoned corn and the lime juice is enough to please the tastebuds.

If you’d like to eat this as a main, try serving it with black or pinto beans – or some cubed grilled chicken. Keep in mind that the chipotle sauce and corn are spicy, so go light on the seasoning of any added protein.

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Well… I’m ready for summer, clearly.

Which winter vegetables do you still use in the spring and summertime?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Inspiralized

Mexican Street Corn Sweet Potatoes with Creamy Chipotle-Avocado Sauce

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • For the corn:
  • 1 large ear of corn shucked
  • 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • salt to taste
  • For the rest:
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 medium sweet potato peeled, Blade C/D
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese or feta
  • 1 jalapeno sliced thinly to garnish
  • 1 lime quartered
  • For the chipotle sauce:
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce with 1/2 teaspoon sauce
  • 1/2 avocado pitted and peeled
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 garlic clove
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon of water

Instructions

  • Place the corn in a pot covered with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then cook 2-3 minutes or until corn is easily pierced with a fork. Drain into a colander, pat dry completely and shave the kernels off the corn cob into a medium mixing bowl. Add in the olive oil, chili powder, cotija cheese (or queso blanco), season with salt and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the olive oil and once heated, add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then, add in the sweet potato noodles, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through, uncovering occasionally to toss.
  • While corn and sweet potatoes cook, place all of the ingredients for the creamy chipotle into a food processor and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust to your preference.
  • Plate the salad: lay out the sweet potato noodles on a platter and top with corn mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle the platter with the chipotle sauce and garnish with cilantro and jalapenos. Serve immediately with lime quarters.
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • This looks gorgeous! I think I need to head to market and make this tonight! :)
    • But where is the recipe for the sweet potato pasta? Did I miss something?
      • The "pasta" is made from spiralized sweet potatoes! It's listed in the ingredients!
  • I usually used mayo and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Yours is a much healthier version of a chipotle sauce! Thanks!
  • Hi Ali, Your recipe mentions blade C/D. Which is it, or if it's both, what is the benefit or the result? The recipe sounds delicious and I am excited to give it a try tonight!
  • This looks soooo good. I want to dive right in. I love sweet potatoes too and it's hard to give them up for the summer. So I probably won't! Mixing them with corn and avocado is the perfect way to summer-ize them!
  • Hi - great recipe! #1 says to set corn aside and #3 says while noodles and corn cook. I assume somewhere in #2 you add corn to the skillet? Thanks!
    • I think she just means you can make the sauce while the corn is cooking (boiling) and the sweet potato noodles are cooking in the skillet. It's clear in step 4 that you add them together/plate them after they've each cooked separately :)
  • I make mexican rice bowls all the time with spiralized sweet potatoes. I will definitely try out this new sauce! Thanks for the recipe.
  • I made this recipe tonight for dinner, and have to say it was sublime. I added grilled chicken at your advice, but also some toasted pepitas for crunch. I also served a deconstructed version of the meal to my 8 month old, and the sweet potato noodles vanished so quickly I thought he'd fed them to the dog. Thanks for the great idea! Can't wait to try more of your recipes!
  • This was my first recipe using my new Inspiralizer. Tonight was burger night - lately that means baked waffle cut potatoes and salad. We can't get fresh corn right now so I used frozen kernels. There was nothing leftover. Nothing!
  • This dish is simply amazing. I am shocked SHOCKED at how authentically flavorful that it is. I intend to make this on the very regular basis. I'm so excited to try the many other recipes on this site!!
  • this recipe was amazing. Easy, so flavorful and filling. My skeptical husband devoured his portion! We will be making again tomorrow as o bought too much corn!
  • So excited to make this for dinner!!! Think I could pull it off as a "pasta" dish for my husband and myself if I keep the noodles long and add some black beans like you mentioned and serve it as a main meal!? Can't wait to try it!!
  • Making this tonight!! W/ some cilantro lime shrimp on the side. I also don't have chipotles in adobe, but I'm thinking of using avocado, some greek yogurt, and chiptole powder to make the sauce. Happy Cinco de Mayo Ali!
  • This looks insanely delicious!! Any suggestions on how to make this ahead (i.e. make over the weekend for a Monday evening potluck)?
  • I made this today to take to a party later on. I can't wait to devour it! Thank you for your great recipes.
  • Finally made this last night and absolutely loved it! To the point, I was talking about it when I went to bed and thinking of how good the leftovers would be with eggs for breakfast (it was!). The sauce was a bit too spicy for me at first, so I added some light coconut milk and it was perfect. Yet another great recipe!
  • I was 'just looking' for ideas and have already bookmarked 5 recipes! LOL...I need to make a new grocery list. I can't decide which recpie to try first. Probably this one :-)
  • Made this for dinner last night. I served it with shrimp and corn tortillas , so I turned it into a shrimp taco dish. Sooooo good. It replaced our normal Saturday pizza night, so we definitely upped the health factor. To encourage my hubby to embrace the new dinners I had him choose the next thing he wants me to make. He picked a Plantain rice with mango-avocado salsa and spicy chicken dish. So I'm off to pick up the ingredients now! Thank you for the fun and healthy recipes!
  • Made this tonight, and it was delicious! I must have overcooked the sweet potato though because it did not stay in noodle form. It was more like rice/mashed. Still great flavors.