Summer Recipes

Asparagus Salad

  1. bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed
  1. teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
  1. tablespoon red wine vinegar

      3   tablespoons olive oil

       Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steam asparagus until just tender, drain well. Place mustard, and next 3 ingredients in small bowl and whisk to combine. Spoon dressing over warm asparagus and serve immediately.

4 Servings

Purple onions are left in larger pieces so they can be pushed aside if someone does not like onions. Always a crowd pleaser.

Black Bean-Roasted Corn Salsa

  1. (15-ounce) can Mexican corn, drained (or 2 ears with kernels cut off each cob)

      2    tablespoons olive oil, divided

      1   (16-ounce) can black beans, drained

     ¼    cup finely chopped purple onion

      1 teaspoon minced garlic, or 2 cloves, finely minced

      3  medium tomatoes, diced

      ¼  cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

  1. jalapeño peppers, seeded, deveined, minced
  1. (5.5 ounce) can chopped black olives

                  Juice of 1 lime

                  Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. To roast corn, place drained corn in ovenproof pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes until fragrant, stirring several times to ensure even roasting and browning of kernels. While corn is roasting, mix beans, onion, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, olives, and lime juice. Add roasted corn, mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for several hours.

4 Cups

Serve with tortilla chips. Disappears very quickly, great with wine, margaritas or beer.

Broccoli and Mandarin Orange Salad

SALAD

  1. heads broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

    ½    cup sliced almonds (chopped pecans or walnuts can be used)

    ½    cup raisins (yellow or dark)

  1. small purple onion, thinly sliced and rings separated
  1. (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges, drained

DRESSING

  1. cup low-fat mayonnaise

   1 ½    tablespoons white cider vinegar

      3     teaspoons sugar (or 3 teaspoons Splenda)

Mix first 4 ingredients in serving bowl. Drain oranges and set aside. Mix dressing ingredients in small bowl, add to broccoli mixture, and toss lightly. Add drained oranges, toss. Chill in refrigerator overnight. To serve, add additional purple onion rings, Mandarin oranges or nuts to garnish top of salad.