Crisp and Refreshing Salads

One of the things I love most about summer is the access to fresh, Ontario grown vegetables. The tomatoes are red and vibrant, the asparagus is thick and green, the red onions are pungent and the herbs are abundant. I enjoy mixing up the flavours of these different vegetables into fresh and crisp salads, tossed with a touch of some flavoured vinegar. I often turn to the ever popular, ever known tomato, red onion and cucumber salad but every now and then I look for something a little different. Today I tried throwing corn and asparagus into the mix. It turned out delicious. I tend to always serve my salads cool or cold but I think this would be delicious at room temperature as well. I can imagine this would go nicely with a good sangria or a cold beer but I will have to trust you to try that out. Enjoy!!!

Corn Salad with Asparagus 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of frozen corn (or fresh corn on the cob) cooked and drained. 
• 1 bunch of Asparagus - cooked and cut up
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half - about 1 cup
• 1 bunch of basil - chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions:

1. Toss the vegetables all together into a large bowl. 
2. Mix the basil, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Pour over the vegetables.
3. Shake or toss the salad - seal and pop into the fridge for an hour or two. 
4. Serve.