Cook the pasta for about 7 minutes until al dente (the pasta should have a little bit of firmness, not soft or mushy). Drain and immediately run very cold water on the pasta until all of the pasta is cooled off and not warm. **Remember: Hot pasta continues to cook after it is drained. You need to stop the cooking so that the pasta does not turn out mushy. The cold water shower stops the cooking.**

Grill the corn (if fresh), or use canned corn. If grilling corn, when cool enough to handle, take a sharp knife and slice down each ear of corn to remove the kernels of corn.

While the pasta is boiling and/or the corn is grilling, prepare the dressing.

In a medium-size bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients (chipotle chili powder, cumin, chili pepper powder, cayenne, etc). Mix well. Add enough salt and pepper to taste (it does need salt!).

Set the dressing aside or make it ahead and set it in the refrigerator until ready to toss in the pasta salad.

IN a large mixing bowl, add all** of the salad ingredients. **Do not add the avocado until just before serving because it becomes very mushy and turns brown; it looks better as a 'topping'.** Add the cojita cheese AFTER the dressing is mixed in as well.

Mix in the cooled pasta.

Add 1/of the dressing and gently blend into the salad ingredients.

Then add the second half of the dressing, depending on how heavy you want the dressing to be.

Add the avocado chunks on top.

Garnish with the cojito cheese.