Joy Bauer makes healthy, show-stopping sides for your next cookout

Summer is almost here (hello, sandals and swimsuits!). While main dishes like burgers, grilled fish and barbecued chicken often grab the spotlight at cookouts, I've created two scrumptious, plant-based sides this week that may just steal the show: Southwestern Corn Salad and Pineapple-Avocado Salsa. Each of these recipes come together quick and add loads of flavorful flair to any meal. Hope you're hungry!

Southwestern Corn Salad

This delicious dish is perfect for your next backyard cookout. It's so vibrant and colorful and every bite delivers a layer of superfood ingredients — it's truly a bowl filled with goodness! It's also very versatile and goes with anything you have on the menu; serve it as a standalone side or use it to stuff tacos, wraps or pitas. When you roast the corn in the hot skillet, it helps to caramelize the vegetable's natural sugar and intensifies the flavor. The kitchen starts to smell like buttery popcorn — and sometimes it even pops like popcorn, too. Feel free to use fresh, canned or frozen corn, and then watch it transform into an impressive-looking dish filled with Southwestern style.

Get the recipe here.

Joy Bauer's Pineapple-Avocado Salsa by Joy Bauer

Attention pineapple lovers: You're going to flip for this bright, refreshing and sweet spin on traditional salsa. My family enjoys it with whole-grain crackers, baked pita chips or sturdy, scoopable veggies like sliced cucumbers and bell peppers. And while it's great as a side salsa, we also like to use it as a topper on grilled chicken or mild white fish for some colorful pizazz. Pro tip: Prepare it right before serving so the avocado maintains its gorgeous green hue and the pineapple pieces stay perky and plump. And if you'd like to mix things up, try swapping in diced mango for the pineapple; it creates an entirely different flavor profile and provides a beautiful color contrast.

For more tasty recipes, order Joy's new cookbook Joy Bauer's Superfood!

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