Good Monday morning! And welcome to Salad Week! Yup, that’s right—an entire week of posts devoted to things cool and veggie laden! No turning on the oven—no standing over a hot grill—nope, for the next few days we’re keeping things light and summery around here. Sounds good, right? Especially with all the hot and humid weather we’ve been having lately! First up is this wonderful, colorful and very refreshing spin on a traditional dish—Summer Succotash Salad! Get ready for some crunch and zing my friends!

Are you a huge fan of succotash? I have to admit that in its hot form (think veggie stew) I am kind of meh—I might take a few bites but it’s not something I’m going to write home about. Too much bland, starchy, mushiness for me! But take away the heat, add a zesty vinaigrette and magic happens.

All of sudden this becomes one of those salads on the buffet table that everyone’s crowding around and taking second and third servings of—the one you know you won’t be enjoying in leftover form the next day!

It’s just so gorgeous!

And lest you think this salad is just another pretty face, it’s aces in the taste department too! The crunch of fresh corn (uncooked) and juicy cherry tomatoes perfectly balances out the earthiness of the lima beans.

And it’s all coated in a light lemony/garlicky/mustardy tangy vinaigrette that comes together in just a few minutes.

Perfect for parties or just as an easy weeknight dinner side.

It’s like a big bowl of summer!!

Okey, dokey, Day One’s a definite keeper—stay tuned for more!

Summer Succotash Salad

Makes 6 generous servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• The juice of 1 large lemon

• 1 garlic clove, smashed and minced

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, divided

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 1 package frozen lima beans, thawed (mine was an 10 ounce box that came to about 1 1/2 cups of beans)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1 small onion, diced

• 5 ears fresh corn, husked and kernels cut off

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

• 1/4 cup canola oil

• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

The Recipe

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, sugar, mustard, 1 tablespoon vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to boil. Add the thawed lima beans and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the beans are bright green and almost tender. Drain well and rinse under cold water well. Then drain again and pat dry.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened but is not brown. Lower the heat and add the lima beans and another pinch of salt, and cook stirring constantly, for a minute or two. Then add the remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar and cook, stirring, until the liquid evaporates. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Let cool a few minutes and then add in the corn and tomatoes and mix well.

4. Whisk the lemon juice mixture again to bring it all together. Slowly add in the oil, whisking constantly. Pour over the lima bean mixture in the bowl and toss well. Taste and add in salt and pepper as needed as well as the parsley and toss again. Serve immediately or chill up to one day ahead.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Carla Hall’s Soul Food. I tinkered a lot with ingredients and proportions.