Summer Goodness

One of my favorite things about summer is all of the bountiful food and wonderful selections at the Farmer's Markets.    One of the best ways for me to spend a Saturday morning is to get in a nice run in with friends and then follow it up with a leisurely trip one of the local Farmer's Markets.    Unfortunately I sometimes get in over my head and end up with too much food and not enough time to eat it all before it goes bad!    This past Saturday was no expection.   I had a lovely run with my MIT friends and then went over the the Worthington Farmer's Market with my friend, Kathy.    It was a great selection and before I knew it I had walked away with 2 bags of fresh veggies, including, heirloom tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, basil, sweet corn, brocolli, fresh spinach, strawberries, and blackberries.    I also walked away with several baked goods, which I managed to finish off later that day!   Once I got home, I was wondering how in the world I was going to eat all of this food and started looking at my recipes for some inspiration.  

So, I was thrilled when I found this recipe in Simply in Season

Stoplight Salad

2 cups tomatoes (chopped and drained)

2 cups corn (grilled gives a nice smokey flavor)

1 medium green pepper

1 medium red sweet pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, basil, or parsley (chopped)

2 cups cooked black beans

Combine the above ingredients into a bowl.

3 TBS olive oil

3 TBS balsalmic vinegar or lime juice

1 clove garlic (minced)

Whisk together in a separate bowl.  Pour over salad.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Toss gently and serve.

**Few notes of interest for this salad.  It serves very nicely as a side salad to any protein.   I turned it into a maindish by adding 2 cups cooked quinoa to it.   I also substituted fresh green beans (broken into small pieces) for the green pepper and thought it tasted just as good!