Tex Mex Easy Summer Salad

Heaps of fresh summer veggies tossed with a lime vinaigrette; this sweet and spicy no-cook salad will be the next big hit at end-of-summer potlucks.

In Michigan, it’s been extra H-O-T (HOT!) this summer. In fact, it’s been a little unpleasant.  And you want to know something surprising? Out of all the seasons, summer is my least-liked season. I know that sounds crazy but it’s true.  I prefer the seasons (from most to least liked) in this order in which they appear: fall, winter, spring, and summer.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some things I 100% love about summer, namely the over-the-top abundance of healthy fruits and veggies that grow right around the corner including asparagus, greens, beans, berries, onions, peaches, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini. And – hurrah for us –  this year Mr. EN and I finally grew a few things (successfully) in our own backyard. That’s where we got these super-sweet Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, the backbone of this crazy-easy, no-cook (can I get a he_ _ yeah?) refreshing Tex Mex Easy Summer Salad.

This salad is so easy to make and you don’t have to cook anything! It’s perfect for extra hot weather.  Just toss it together, let it chill 30-60 minutes and you’ve got a healthy, flavor-packed salad that’s all you need to serve alongside of one of your grilled summer favorites: BBQ chicken, fish, shisk-kebabs, brats or burgers.

The Nutrition 411

This dish is…

• A Nutritional Powerhouse. It’s high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, plus it’s loaded with antioxidants and cell-repairing phytochemicals.
• A good source of vegetarian protein. The garbanzo beans give this salad a protein-punch and a little extra heft which means it will fill you up. That’s good news for dieters who are trying to eat less (or less unhealthy stuff).
• A GREAT source of fiber. Veggies and beans = fiber powerhouse. Your colon and heart will thank you for eating this healthy summer salad.
• A good source of healthy fat thanks to the dressing which is made with monounsaturated olive or avocado oil.

Prep Tips

• Rinse your beans. That gets all the starchy stuff out plus about 1/3 of the salt. Sometimes you want the starchy liquid (like maybe if you’re making chili) but for this salad – you don’t.
• Use semi firm cherry tomatoes. If you can, use tomatoes that are firm enough to cut in half without squishing all over the place. Riper tomatoes will work (so don’t waste them!) they’ll just be a little squishier. We grew Sun Golds and a few other varieties this year and we are still harvesting almost 100 tomatoes a day. Score!
• Use fresh lime juice instead of bottled. Limes are abundant in almost all grocery stores -and for a decent price- in the summer. (I have a sneaking suspicion this is because of Gin and Tonics.) At any rate, fresh lime juice is best here so skip the bottled kind.
• Don’t be afraid to mix things up. If you have other veggies use them.  Just keep the proportion of dressing to veggies the same. I think diced carrots, cucumber, or zucchini would be great in this recipe.
• Any corn will do. I had leftover cooked corn on the cob so I used it.  You can also use frozen (thawed) corn or canned (drained) corn.

Got 30 minutes? Today is Labor Day, so in celebration of that, why not cut the amount of kitchen labor you do to almost nothing?  Make this Tex Mex Tomato and Corn Salad, today.

 

Peace, love and good eats; from our empty nest to yours.

Trending in the EN Kitchen.  Avocado Oil purchased at our local Meijer Store.