Corny but Delicious: Elote Pasta Salads for Hot Days

LJ carried a glass of lemonade in each hand as he entered Annie’s office, where she was typing furiously on her laptop.

“Hey, babe. How’s your work going?

Annie glanced up with a smile, it’s fine, but I need to finish this article for tomorrow, today. The deadline is looming.”

“You’ve been sitting for hours. Have you been standing periodically and stretching?” LJ set the glasses on her desk and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“You’re right.” Annie stood and stretched her arms over her head, turned, and put them around LJ’s neck. “Thanks for the lemonade.”

“Of course.” He hugged her and whispered, “If you accept it, your mission is to accompany me to this evening’s first Friday Street Fair to taste the top elite-inspired pasta salads. There will be dozens of Mexican food trucks, all competing to be recognized as the top elote producer in town.

“Really? That sounds fun. What exactly is elote?”

Elote is a delicious street food from Mexico that takes corn on the cob to a whole new level of flavor. Imagine a juicy ear of grilled corn slathered with a creamy sauce of mayonnaise, lime, and garlic, then sprinkled with crumbled cheese and chili powder. It’s sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and cheesy all at once.

“That sounds delish, and I love corn, so I accept your challenge and will go to the street fair with you.”

“Great. I have six elote-inspired salads I want to taste test. Each uses different kinds of pasta, corn, and various summer veggies, like avocado, bell peppers, tomatoes, and artichokes, and different cheeses, such as cotija, feta, and mozzarella, and mixed with pesto, salsa, tahini, or some other sauces.

“Wow, I’m starting to feel hungry. Why are you so interested in these salads.?”

LJ laughed. I’m starting to feel hungry too. These salads are easy to meal prep, and on a hot summer day, when you don’t feel like spending a lot of time cooking but also want something to enjoy, they are the answer. You can cook the pasta and the veggies ahead of time and store them in the fridge or freezer. Then, when you are ready, just toss them with the sauce and cheese you choose and…