Weekly Recipe: Corn & Zucchini Salad

Anyone who cooks knows that some meals are hits and some are misses.  You have the benefit of only hearing (reading) about the hits on my blog but believe me, there are plenty of misses too.  I can tell you that after many years of cooking, it's much easier for me to pick out the misses before even trying them.  

Sometimes the hits are accidents, sometimes they are copied verbatim.  Wes has gotten so he'll ask, "Did you come up with this on your own" when something is extra good.

While I take that as a compliment that he thinks I'm capable and that he thinks it would be that good, it's also a little frustrating to have to answer "no" time and time again.

I kid you not, he must have commented 15 times how good this salad was.  I appreciate the compliment but I was beginning to blush by number 8.  How many times can you say "thank you?"  I was running out of things to say.  It was good, don't let me dissuade you, it just wasn't as earth-shattering to me as it was to him.  I will gladly make it again and again though to boost my self-esteem.  Oh and as an added bonus, Wes' adulation was echoed by our little mocking bird and he gobbled up every last bite as well.

This salad started with a recipe but I ended up just using that as an inspiration and creating my own dish.  I will say, I am much prouder to serve a delicious dish that I created than when I successfully recreate someone else's work.  Someday when I have more time to actually think while I cook and not have 2 screaming banshees at my heels, I hope to do more exploration and creating on my own.

   

Corn & Zucchini Salad
adapted from Foodies at Home

1 small to medium zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 of a jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1/3 cup crumbled feta

1.  Add the first 6 ingredients to a large serving bowl.  Toss to mix.
2.  Make the vinaigrette by whisking the red wine vinegar, oil, cumin, chili powder, honey and salt and pepper together. 
3.  Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat.  Let sit at room temperature for the flavors to meld for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 24 hours.
4.  When ready to serve, top with crumbled feta.

Makes 6-8 servings (as a side dish)