Summer Corn & Tomato Salad

The end of summer is here and I find myself in a place for which I’m truly grateful and also filled with a spectrum of feelings. Do you ever find yourself in a place of flow? The best way I can describe it is a place you arrive at (hopefully) after finally committing yourself to veering away from so many distractions that are forever swirling around and placing your attention on the little voice within. And this can take years. It’s not easy and it’s so easy, all at the same time.

Novio, Peter, our wonderful website builder, and I just completed the jacket design for my documentary, Life On The Bridge. And last week we picked up 200 DVD copies of the first cut of the film. The support I’m receiving is amazing. And that will be my springboard to move this project forward to share the message it has for others. For more information, check out lifeonthebridge.com.

There’s new stuff to report on the Bumbleberry Breeze front too. I am excited  to alert you to a few changes to the site, both in appearance and in function.

There are updates on the header and the sidebar. Best of all, I can now offer you a user-friendly way to print recipes without being bombarded by all the photos spewing out of your printer and without needing to do the copy & paste method. Simply click on the Print Recipe link immediately preceding the recipe (on the right). A new document with the recipe ONLY will pop up which you can print.

I’m looking  at all the bounty here in Southern California at summer’s end and reveling in all the delicious food, with all its colors and textures and flavors. We’re eating lots of salads but we don’t always want greens to be the star. The heirloom tomatoes just keep showing up . They’re so sweet, we don’t need to do much with them, other than enjoy.

I love corn on the cob, especially the yellow and white ears. Grilled corn is SO good, but when no one is doing the grilling and my grill pan is buried at the bottom of the drawer, I love to use this method.

Wash the ears.

Wrap each ear in a piece of waxed paper. Twist the ends closed, Tootsie Roll-style. Microwave for a few minutes, and they’re perfect. Two ears take about 4 minutes.

For this salad, shave the sweet kernels off the cob.

I wanted to add some heft to the salad so I mixed in two different types of beans. Of course, that’s your choice.

Added to the mix are diced celery and red onion, for flavor and crunch.

Fresh herbs brighten the salad even more.

Print Recipe

Summer Corn & Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

2 ears yellow and white corn

1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes (or regular cherry tomatoes)

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

1 14-oz.can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 14-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2 T. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped (or oregano or tarragon or cilantro)

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. honey

salt and pepper

Directions:

Wash ears of corn, removing all silk threads.

Wrap each ear in wax paper, large enough to roll and twist ends, Tootsie Roll- style.

Place 2 ears in glass pie plate and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Use care removing glass dish from microwave.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Cut cherry tomatoes in half.

Holding cob vertically, shave kernels off cob with a sharp knife.

In a large bowl, combine corn kernels, tomatoes, celery, red onions and beans.

Combine oil, vinegar, honey in small glass jar and shake vigorously.  Pour over vegetables.

Season with salt and pepper. Add fresh herbs and toss.

Serves 6.