Corn Cakes with Avocado, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salsa

Ok so I know it's not summer, and this meal is very summery, but I've been wanting to try it for a while and the opportunity came up.  My husband is not really a fan of any meal that doesn't contain meat.  He'll eat it, but I know it's not his favorite so I usually don't do it.  Well, he's been on a trip all this week, so I took it as an opportunity to make a meatless meal!  It's the only time I've cooked dinner all this week because, let's face it, cooking dinner for one is no fun :(.  But I thought this would be an easy recipe to half and quick to put together.  And it would have been very easy to put together had my food processor not blown a fuse and sparked when I plugged it in to the transformer, and had my landlord not shown up right as I was putting them in skillet, causing me to burn a few (I already can't wait to have an American kitchen again, and to own our own house!)  I actually also forgot one of the best parts of the dish when I went to the grocery store, the goat cheese, but it was even good without it, so I bet it's even more amazing with it!  So don't forget the goat cheese like me!  And try not to blow a fuse in the process either ;)

Corn Cakes with Avocado, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Salsa

For Salsa:
1 large tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup white onion, chopped (about 1/2 a small onion)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice (from about 1/2 a lime)
1 avocado, pitted and diced
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

For Corn Cakes:
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk

For salsa, place all of the ingredients (except the avocado and goat cheese) in a bowl, and mix. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 200ºF.

Pulse corn several times in a food processor. You want coarse chunks here, not corn puree.

Transfer the corn to a large bowl. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Add eggs and milk, and stir until just incorporated.

Preheat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into the hot skillet, 4 or 5 per batch (don't overcrowd the pan). Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.

Transfer to a cookie sheet in the warm oven and repeat with remaining batter. Just before serving, add the avocado and goat cheese to the salsa, and mix gently to combine. Serve atop warm cakes.

Adapted from Love and Olive Oil