Summer time and Caprese Salad

Feel like singing . . .  "Summer time and the Caprese Salad is easy."
Guess what I made from the garden?

Ingredients:
Tomatoes from the vine
Fresh Mozarella cheese
Fresh Basil
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Slice, season with salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with oil and vinegar. Serve. Yummm.

Lots of other great salads in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Salad from Grilled Corn, Avocado, Cucumber

Similar to Cowboy Caviar on page 180 of Tastes & Treasures, but this recipe has an unique twist.

Grilled Corn, Avocado, Tomato Salad with honey lime dressing

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes

1 ripe avocado

2 ears of fresh sweet corn

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Honey Lime Dressing

Juice of 1 lime

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp honey

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of cayenne pepper


Directions:
Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.


Honey Lime Dressing
Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.


Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle.

Caprese Corn Salad

A pretty side dish with cheese and corn - my favorite foods all in one recipe. Oh My.

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 ear corn, husked and cleaned
8 ounces tomatoes or 1/2 pint grape tomatoes or 1 chopped tomato (drain the excess water after chopping)
3 ounces fresh mozarella (we used shredded)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions: You can boil the corn cob but we love the extra flavors when it is grilled. Scrape corn kernels into a medium bowl.
Cut tomatoes, drain and add to bowl.
Cut cheese into dice a little larger than corn kernels (or use shredded cheese). Add to bowl.
Toss with oil and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 2 servings.

Note: Grilling corn brings out such nice flavors. The recipe for grilling vegetables is on page 100 Tastes & Treasures cookbook. Lon's at Hermosa Inn share easy instructions for Grilled Fennel. It works for most vegetables.