Avocado, Orange & Corn Summer Salad

For the past year, I've been ordering the spicy shrimp house salad at Cafe Habana in Malibu. It has to be one of my favorite salads, especially in the summer when corn is a burst of natural sugar. 

I've always wanted to make my own rendition of this summer salad, so I finally got around to it on Father's Day.

I know this post is a little late but again, I went to Cafe Habana with one of my closest friends, Lina Bardovi who actually hostesses there during the summer. Last night I was lucky enough to grab her after her work shift to unwind and have some girl time. Halfway through our meal, Cindy Crawford and her hubby Rande Gerber (owners of the restaurant) were seated right by us and recognized Lina. After a delicious dinner and a few cocktails, we asked for the bill. Randy and Cindy told their waitress that they were planning to pay our entire tab. Obviously Lina and I were speechless and so grateful, so we went up and thanked them for their generosity. Kind deeds go a long way in my book. I now will forever be a loyal customer who will consume their spicy shrimp house salad weekly!

Anyhooo, that was awesome. But let's get back to the salad. It's not the eeexxacct salad they serve there, but it's pretty darn close. For Father's Day, I prepared steak so I omitted the spicy shrimp, but either source of protein works wonderfully with this summer salad.

The buttery texture of the avocado mixed with the sweet corn kernels and a pop of orange zest/juice is the ultimate combo. Ever since summer arrived, my diet has become a little more healthy causing me to resort to a wide variety of salads. I've started to really appreciate a good salad and plan to share some more with you very soon!

Ingredients:

One 10 ounce bag of spinach or mixed greens

1/2 red onion

3 large ears of corn

2 avocados, peeled and sliced
3 oranges

6 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice

4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons of freshly chopped chives

1 tablespoon of orange zest

1/4 cup of olive oil

salt & pepper

Directions:

Whisk together orange juice, white wine vinegar, chives, and orange zest. Gradually add the olive oil; salt and pepper. This dressing can be prepared in advance.

Prepare barbecue on medium heat while coating the corn with olive oil. Grill onions for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Once done, remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Once cooled, shave off the corn kernels with a sharp knife.

Toss together salad with orange slices, avocado, red onion and corn kernels. When ready to serve, drizzle salad dressing over and season with salt and pepper.