A Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad Your Heart Will Love
Rabbit food? Not this salad.

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.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped cucumbers
- 1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup non-GMO corn
- handful of fresh chopped basil
- pinch each of sea salt and cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1 whole avocado, diced
Instructions
Mix and enjoy!Nutrition Information
Nutrition Information Based on a Single Serving
*Percent Daily Value are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Dietary Needs



Carbohydrate

Cholesterol




Charles Chen is a chef, host, and wellness expert based in Los Angeles and New York City.
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My name is Charles Chen.
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I am a wellness chef.
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I gained over 100 pounds,
I was pre-diabetic, I had heart problems.
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Food actually saved my life.
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I transformed my life through food.
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[MUSIC]
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I just got back from a workout and
I am craving a hearty, healthy salad.
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So this is perfect, it's nice and light.
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I have some cucumbers in here.
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I also have some tomatoes,
great for men's health.
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[MUSIC]
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So these are some healthy avocados,
fantastic for your heart health.
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And for added color and
flavor I'm adding in some non-GMO corn.
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For a little bit of heat,
I love a nice pinch of cayenne pepper.
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And then, for some aromatics, fresh basil.
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Lemon juice for that citrus,
to bring out the sweetness,
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pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt,
like that.
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And last but not least,
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monounsaturated fats from your olive oil,
heart healthy for sure
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[MUSIC]
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All right so the variety of colors,
you're getting avocados,
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some nice crunchiness from
the cucumbers and the corn.
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Look at all that chunky goodness,
good for your heart.
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Cheers!
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[MUSIC]
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[SOUND] That's so good, look at all
that bundled color, it's so flavorful.
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All right I got to finish this,
I'll see you guys later.
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[MUSIC]
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[MUSIC]
The American Heart Association’s diet and lifestyle recommendations. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association, 2017. (Accessed on September 12, 2017 at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/Diet-and-Lifestyle-Recommendations_UCM_305855_Article.jsp#.WbhNO8iGM2w.)