Ten-ish Things: New Recipe

It's been a wonderful, busy, full summer!  But it's winding down and school will arrive in Texas in a little less than 2 weeks.

To celebrate Summer 2012 (and to catch up the poor, neglected blog) I'm going to attempt to blog my top 10-ish favorite things about this summer.  (The ones I haven't blogged yet.)  (In no particular order.)

Tomato, Corn, & Black Bean Salad

Summer always brings out the health nut in me.  It probably has a lot to do with all the shorts and bathing suits and sun dresses.  I liked a page on Facebook, 100 Days of Real Food, hoping to find some healthy, quick, easy recipes to spice up our summer menu.  That page is also linked to a blog by the same name, and if you can get past all the organic, additives are bad, anti-hormone, red dye #67 is the devil, it does deliver some good recipes.

(I'm just a busy, West Texas mom, chasing/entertaining 3 kids, and I'm tired of Sonic chicken strips. I don't want to change the world, I just want to make it to softball practice on time.)

So this weekend Honey wanted to grill some steaks and I tried a new side dish.  I started with 100 Days recipe for Tomato, Corn, & Black Bean Salad .  I followed it almost exactly like it was printed.

For the first time ever(!) I bought fresh corn on the cob.  It was so sweet and yummy!  I'm definitely gonna get my hands on some more soon!

Also for the first time ever (!) I bought fresh basil leaves.  Oh yes I did.

And black beans.  Because we eat pinto beans all the time, but black beans, not so much.

I omitted the red onion because none of us are fans.  I used garlic powder instead of garlic cloves. 

I added about 6 oz. of whole grain rotini.  Because I added pasta, I used a bit more oil than the recipe called for.

It was yummo!

I saved the leftovers and added some chicken to it the next day for lunch.  I like it best as a cold salad.

So to wrap up:
3 ears corn, boiled for 3 mins if purchased at the grocery store
2 cups black beans, cooked & drained (and rinsed if canned)
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Cut the corn off of the cob and gently mix with beans, tomatoes, and pasta in a large bowl.  In a small bowl whisk together the basil, vinegar, oil, and seasonings.  Pour over salad mixture and gently blend together.

I think next time I'll use a bit more corn and a bit less black beans to make my family (Mary TuTu) a bit happier to eat it.

What new recipes have you tried this summer?