Sunny Corn and Tomato Salad

 

Sunny Corn and Tomato Salad

(Adapted from May 2023 Southern Living Magazine)

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Avocado or olive oil spray

1 (10 oz.) package frozen corn

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Handful of salad greens (optional)

Slices of lime for serving and squeezing

Directions:

Place tomatoes in a salad bowl. 

Spray an iron skillet with avocado or olive oil spray.

Pour corn into skillet and cook over medium, stirring a few times, until corn looks lightly toasted and slightly browned, about five minutes.

Remove corn from pan and add to tomatoes in salad bowl.

Add chopped cilantro to tomatoes and corn.

Set salad bowl aside and allow corn to cool while you make dressing.

Make dressing by whisking lime juice, olive oil and mayonnaise together.

Add dressing, salt and pepper to corn, tomatoes and cilantro and stir to combine.

If using, put salad greens on a serving plate and place corn and tomato salad on top.

Serve with lime slices.

Tomato Chickpea Stew

Around our house, everyone knows I can throw together a meal in minutes. Maybe it's years of practice but I know the real secret is opening a can! Lately, chickpeas have become one of my favorite cans to open. I know many people think that it's a cheat not soak beans and cook them for hours, but who has time for that? Canned goods have great nutritional value as long as you don't see a lot of additives on the label ingredient list and they taste just about the same as fresh. This recipe includes three cans to open - but it also involves fresh kale! So, I don't feel too guilty about making this fast and yummy stew.

Ingredients for Two Large Servings:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (8 oz.) package of cubed ham or 1 cup of left-over ham, cubed

2 good sized cloves garlic, put through a press or finally minced
1 (14.5 oz.) cans beef broth

1 (16 oz.) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can of chopped tomatoes

1 large bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place olive oil in large saucepan over medium low heat. When the oil shimmers, add the ham cubes. Saute the ham for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow all sides to brown. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 30 more seconds.

Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up any bits that might be clinging to the bottom.

Then gently stir in the chickpeas, chopped kale, tomatoes and pepper.

   Bring the mixture up to a boil, then turn it back down to medium low heat and allow to simmer for five minutes.

  Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

Farmers Market Feast

I love farmer's markets. They are a fairly new experience for me because for years, I was too exhausted from work and running the girls around all week to go anywhere on a  Saturday morning. I do have memories of going to them as a kid; my mom would buy lots of fruit and vegetables that were in wooden woven pint containers and little bushel baskets. When we got home, she would let us husk the corn outside. Then we would pretend we were Rumpelstiltskin making gold by turning out bikes upside down and running the corn silk through the spinning wheels. Although I never showed my girls that fun little activity, they discovered farmer's markets on their own.  When Jenn was living close by, she took me to one by her house and I remembered how wonderful they are.  This summer I have been inspired by the beautiful vegetable salads I've been seeing in the foodie magazines. And, when I get the chance to go out to lunch, I've been so impressed by how eating one's vegetables seems to be back in style; it's so trendy now to like corn and beets!   The last salad is just fresh tomatoes and basil with a simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  It's so easy to eat healthy in the summertime. Grab a fork; enjoy the feast! 

Corn, Bean, and Tomato Salad

Ingredients for Four Servings:

3 ears of corn on the cob
1 pound fresh green beans
2 large tomatoes
3 green onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Either use left over corn on the cob or cook the corn by husking it, brushing off the corn silk, and dropping it in boiling water for seven minutes.  When it is cooled, stand the cob upright and use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels. It's alright to have some kernels that stay together in big "patches".
Snap the ends off the beans, rinse them, and place in a sauce pan.  Cover them with water, bring it up to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for just barely five minutes. They should be tender but not mushy. Drain them and set aside.
Wash, core, and chop the tomatoes.
Wash, cut the little end roots off, and slice the green onions.
Place the corn, beans, tomatoes, and green onions in a bowl.
Whisk the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper together.  Pour over the vegetables in the bowl and gently toss.

Lemon Dill Beet Salad

Ingredients for Four Servings

6 medium sized fresh beets

1 yellow bell pepper

Salt and Pepper to shake

1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

1/2  tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon* or 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

Some really good olive oil for drizzling

Scant teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or labneh*

*There is a little Middle Eastern grocery store near my house where I can buy jarred preserved lemon and labneh. The labneh is just really thick yogurt - I've been buying it for years - it's great for dips and sauces for Mediterranean food.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the beets and cut off the tops to get rid of the stems. Place the beets in a foil "packet" and drizzle them with olive oil. Shake a little salt and pepper on them and seal them up. Wash and core the yellow pepper, cutting it into four quarters. Place the yellow pepper in another foil packet and drizzle it with olive oil.  Shake some salt and pepper on it and seal it up.  Place both packets in the preheated oven and let them cook for an hour.  Let them cool. Peel or cut the skin off of the beets and cut them into slices. Cut the pepper into strips.
Arrange the beets and pepper slices on a serving platter.
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and preserved lemon or zest.
Pour over the beets and peppers.
Sprinkle the cut up dill over the vegetables.
Drizzle with just a bit more olive oil.
Sprinkle the kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on top.
Place two tablespoons of the yogurt on each serving.

Tomato Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Four Servings

Four good sized fresh, ripe tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, washed

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar

1 small glove garlic, put througha  press

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pinch pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Wash, core, and slice the tomatoes.  Gently toss with the fresh basil and put in a serving bowl or platter.  Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pinch of pepper. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and basil and sprinkle with the kosher salt and pepper.