After we enjoyed a lovely appetizer spread of bread and cheese, fresh and dried fruits, and spiced nuts at our most recent Dinner Series event, we moved onto this salad. Summer salads are often on the lighter side – given the season, it’s just not practical to load tons of hearty ingredients onto a bed of greens. This salad had the wonderful balance of being fairly light, while still packing a serious flavor punch.

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When corn is plentiful in the summertime, it’s fun to find ways to incorporate it into recipes instead of always eating it straight off the cob. You can put it into salads (like our Black Bean and Corn Salad), or you can bake it into golden brown corn cakes, alongside summer squash and other summer veggies you have in excess – just like we did here!

These corn cakes are really simple to assemble, and completely delicious to eat! They are very hearty without being too heavy to enjoy on a hot summer day. I used just corn and squash in this batch, but you could certainly add more squash, or other summer vegetables that you might have in your kitchen – whatever suites your tastes! The recipe is very much like a guideline, and allows for flexibility so you can make it your own Continue Reading

Strawberries and lemon are a pretty classic combination. Maybe not on the level of strawberries dipped in chocolate, or strawberries and cream – but generally speaking you can’t go wrong. This recipe is a fusion of traditional sugar cookies with lemon and strawberries added in, resulting in a completely new summer cookie.

The edges are a bit crispy, the centers delicate and soft – a really wonderful texture contrast that kept us grabbing for cookie after cookie after cookie. These little beauties are dangerous, since it’s hard to stop after just one. Continue Reading

With the same 10lbs of utility peaches that produced the Peach Cobbler Cupcakes we shared last week, I made this vibrant roasted vegetable and peach summer salad. I’m sure you can tell after a quick glance that this dish features beets – with that gorgeous vibrant Cabernet color, they make for a stunning bowl of food! Often root vegetables are associated with the winter months, for their heartiness and suitability to be slow roasted in the oven, but this dish does a wonderful job showcasing summer root vegetables alongside peaches, a surprising contrast that works really well together.

This salad starts with Israeli couscous – I used an Israeli couscous blend that worked wonderfully. Quinoa or farro would likely work as well. The veggies are roasted (beets and carrots), the peaches are diced, the feta is crumbled and the herbs (thyme and chives) are finely chopped. When each component is done, you toss them all together, watching each ingredient turn some hue of beet red, and dive right in! This is a wonderfully refreshing summer dish, full of fresh produce, nutrients, and some hearty carbs. I served this salad just a bit cooler than room temperature, and it really hit the spot. Continue Reading