Your taste buds will undoubtedly tingle with delight and insist upon more. When you develop a (healthy) obsession with elote (Mexican term for “corn-on-the-cob”), don’t thank me. Thank Tara Mason.

Tara is my boyfriend Tyler’s amazingly talented mother. After an 8 hour (loong) day of teaching rambunctious middle-schoolers, it always amazes me to find her in the kitchen whipping up a fantastic dinner for her husband and three sons. What’s more, she has taken to creating flavorful vegan dishes for the two recent animal-product-free converts in her life: Tyler and his brother Evan.

Tara introduced me to Vegenaise, a vegan mayonnaise substitute. Normally I do not go for imitation foods, especially fake dairy products like vegan cheese, because 1. they taste absolutely horrid and 2. they are almost always soy-based. Vegenaise is impressively different. Its consistency is perfect: thick, creamy and spreadable. It has a fresher, lighter taste than that of mayo. Refreshingly its soy content is a ways down the ingredients list and is non-GMO. (Vegenaise ingredients: oil, water, brown rice syrup, apple cider vinegar, non-GMO soy, salt, mustard flour & lemon juice.) To boot, it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which lowers cholesterol, fights cardiovascular disease, and helps prevent cancer cell growth. In the end, Vegenaise is a much healthier alternative to its egg-based cousin mayonnaise.

On to the recipe! This dish traditionally calls for mayonnaise, butter or sour cream, though we vegans substitute Vegenaise for an even more delicious and healthier version. Also, you can grill the corn for about 10 minutes until lightly charred, but boiling is more healthful. Either way you prepare it, this is an excellent side dish for a Fourth of July BBQ, potluck or block party.

mexican style corn-on-the-cob

vegan recipe | serves 5

5 ears of corn

1 lime

3/4 cup Vegenaise

chili powder

sea salt

Remove husks and silk strands from corn. Boil for 10 – 15 minutes depending on how soft you would like your kernels. Remove from pot with tongs and drain off excess water. Coat each cob with lime juice followed by about 2 tablespoons of Vegenaise. While rotating cobs, sprinkle chili powder and salt to taste. Enjoy while still hot!

Light and fresh yet packed with flavor, no doubt Mexican elote will become a new summer favorite in your home.