JALAPEÑO CORNBREAD PANZANELLA SALAD

JALAPEÑO CORNBREAD PANZANELLA SALAD
Jalapeño Cornbread Panzanella Salad with charred sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, onion, and cotija cheese. We love this flavorful summer salad!


yield: SERVES 8-10
INGREDIENTS:


For the Jalapeño Cornbread:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup course ground yellow cornmeal
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh sweet corn kernels
1 jalapeño, diced, seeds removed

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:
1 ear charred sweet corn, kernels removed from cob
1 green pepper, diced, seeds removed
1 red pepper, diced, seeds removed
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 large avocado, diced, seed removed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup cotija cheese
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 8×8 glass baking dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, and eggs until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the sweet corn and jalapeño. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the cooled cornbread into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes on a large baking sheet and toast until slightly golden brown, about 20 minutes, turning the cornbread cubes once. Remove the cornbread from the oven and cool completely.
To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cilantro, honey, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine jalapeño cornbread cubes, charred corn, peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, red onion, and cotija cheese in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss. Serve immediately.