When summer comes around and the backyard grill starts heating up, it's time to experience that first, seasonal grilled bite of fresh corn on the cob. Having said that, it's also great to have other ways in which we can prepare fresh corn. If you don't own an outdoor grill, you can still achieve that roasted, smoky flavor along with the fresh crunch of the corn by following this easy recipe.

In this instance, I wanted to use fresh corn - so I took it to another level by roasting the corn and broccoli in the oven and then cooled them off. By slicing the roasted kernels from the cob and adding aromatic ingredients to the pot, I came up with a delicious and flavorful Summer Roasted Corn and Red Pepper Salad that is fabulous cold, hot or served at room temperature.


Ingredients

Olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
4 large ears of sweet white corn
2 medium red bell peppers, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 medium brown onion, diced
1 1/4 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Strip the outer leaves and silk from the corn cobs and then rinse and pat them dry. Drizzle the corn all over with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Do the same with the broccoli. Arrange the corn on a foil lined baking sheet and roast until you achieve some brown color - approximately 30 minutes for the broccoli and 45 minutes for the corn, turning occasionally. Set these ingredients aside and let them cool.

2. Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over a medium flame and cook the onions, bell pepper, cumin, garlic and onion powder until opaque but still a little crunchy, approximately 8 minutes. Add the broccoli and corn to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes more if eating this side dish hot. Otherwise, toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as desired, serving chilled or at room temperature.