Don't you love it when you get exactly the thing you were craving and it's freakin' delicious? Isn't it the worst when you get what you're craving and it stinks? What a waste! It's actually worse than not getting it at all. Craving french fries and getting cold, soggy fries or no dipping sauce. Craving macaroni and cheese and getting it with not enough salt or not enough cheese. Craving cookies and getting a stale, crispy, crumbly one. Craving a margarita and getting a crappy one with not enough lime or (the horror) not enough tequila. Craving ice cream and... well, you get the picture.
Luckily, that did NOT happen to me today. I bought exactly what I was craving and made it into a salad that was awesome and exactly what I wanted. The bonus was that I bought all these with absolutely no regard to what CA would like to eat for dinner and he liked it too. Sometimes being selfish works for others too.
So, what was I craving? Beans, corn, roasted red peppers, grilled onions, green beans, hearts of palm, tomatoes, basil, avocado and feta cheese. Why? Heck if I know. Maybe because it's almost summer and I love summer veggies. Maybe because I haven't been cooking for a few days and these things were bright and colorful and shiny in the store. I'm often attracted to shiny things.
I wanted to add a bit more flavor to the salad so I opted to grill the green beans, corn, peppers and onion and I'm glad I did. I didn't grill them so much that they fell apart, I still wanted the salad to have some crunch, but grilling the veggies brought out more of their natural sweetness which meant I didn't have to add sweetener to the dressing. Plus, grilling definitely mellows out the onion so it doesn't overpower the mixture.
The addition of the beans and hearts of palm are a little random but I can't tell my cravings what to do. Plus, I love hearts of palm and I never quite know what to do with them... except eat them straight out of the can. They add a little bit of a salty element here which is a nice balance. I bet artichokes would work well too.
The avocado is really interesting because it makes the salad seem like it's creamy without there being anything creamy (besides avocado) in it.
I don't think I've told you all about my basil plant yet. It's weird basil. I planted a few herbs in pots (mint, dill and basil) that are flourishing in the backyard despite my black thumb. Most things I try to grow die... quickly. Unlike my Grandma who can throw seeds out a window and grow small farm. I'm not sure how she does it but the one thing I do know is that she cuts everything back... everything. I remember watching her in the garden as a kid while she practically murdered plants which proceeded to grow back bigger. I did not inherit this gene.
This basil doesn't look like basil. It's actually boxwood basil which is what you buy when you procrastinate about going to the store to buy herb plants and they're out of regular basil. The leaves are miniature... the size of thyme leaves... but they smell and taste exactly like basil. I kind of like it because sometimes I don't even have to chop it.
I am so pleased with how this salad came out! It was absolutely perfect for dinner and again the next day for lunch. CA suggested that maybe I could have put some mint it. I don't know why he would say such a thing because, as I already mentioned, this salad is perfect. I gave him a nasty look for that comment. I think he just feels guilty because we have a lot of mint and he hasn't made a Mint Julep or a Mojito in days. Slacker.
Grilled Vegetable, Bean and Avocado Salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1/2 lb Green Beans, trimmed into 2" pieces
2 ears of Corn
2 Red, Yellow or Orange Peppers
1/2 Red Onion
3/4 lb Tomatoes, seeds removed
1 Avocado
1 can Hearts of Palm
1 can Beans, drained and rinsed (I used mixed beans but any white bean will work)
2 oz. Feta Cheese
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
juice of 1/2 a Lemon (about 1 T)
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
Bring a medium pot full of water to a boil. Add the corn and boil for 7 minutes. Add the green beans and boil 3 more minutes. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Once the corn and beans are done (you want them slightly cooked, but still pretty crisp) drop them into the ice water to stop the cooking process.
Place a cast iron skillet on the grill and heat on high heat. Put the green beans in the skillet and the corn, peppers and onion directly on the grill. Grill the beans for 10-12 minutes until they start to get some color to them. Grill the onions, corn and pepper 10 more minutes (total 20 min.) or until they get some nice color on them. (You're not trying to cook them completely or they'll be mushy - you're just trying to get some good grill flavor).
Rub any really black skin off the peppers (some left is good), remove the seeds and chop to a 1/2 inch dice. Cut the corn off the cob. Dice the onions, tomatoes, hearts of palm and avocado to a 1/2 inch dice. Put all the vegetables and beans in a large bowl. Add the basil, feta, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well. Refrigerate until cold (at least 1 hour).
Enjoy!
Julie
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