September 14, 2017 |

A Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad Your Heart Will Love

Rabbit food? Not this salad.

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This ain’t your typical salad.

This avocado, tomato, and corn salad by wellness chef Charles Chen skips the leafy greens and just makes the chopped veggies the star (well, avocado and tomato are technically fruits). This unique salad makes the perfect side dish and would impress anyone at a summer picnic. Sorry, potato salad: You’ve been retired.

Chen is a chef, entrepreneur, and vivacious host of the online cooking show Kitchen Hustle, where “hustlers learn how to fuel their passions.” Throughout his childhood, Chen struggled with his health. As a teenager, he was prediabetic and a self-proclaimed couch potato who had no energy or motivation to make healthier choices. After hitting what he calls his “rock bottom moment,” he reclaimed his health, lost more than 100 pounds, and now helps others fuel their “bodies, mind, and spirit starting in the kitchen.”

Although it might seem “less healthy” to have a salad sans leafy greens like spinach or kale, this salad is full of heart-healthy nutrients. The American Heart Association recommends replacing saturated fat (like the mayo in the potato salad) with monounsaturated fats (like in these avocados) to get the right nutrients and prevent cardiovascular disease.

If these flavors are right up your alley, why limit yourself to enjoying it only as a salad? This dish doubles as a unique salsa (put it on your tacos or black bean burgers) or as a heart-healthy dip for your tortilla chips. Here’s how to make baked tortilla chips at home.