I’ve mentioned before that we moved into a new house last summer. Overall, I love everything inch of the new place – the location, the size, the interior, the exterior. I do, however, have one major complaint, and that is the lack of a sunny spot for a proper vegetable garden!Over the years I’ve grown accustomed to having a bumper crop of tomatoes and zucchini year after year, and at this house, that just isn’t happening. 🙁
Thankfully, the farmer’s market has my back! Of course, I always go overboard, and thus this salad/dip was born.
Our last run to the farmer’s market was a real monster – zucchini, cilantro, tomatoes, corn, jalapenos, bell peppers, red onions, carrots, plums…. the list goes on. After a few days some of the veggies were no longer at their peak freshness, and I knew I needed to act if I wanted to use them to their full potential. After reviewing my ingredients, something Mexican-inspired seemed like a no brainer.
So, I chopped up my veggies, made a vinaigrette, and ate it two ways — first, as a dip with tortilla chips, somewhere between salsa fresca and cowboy caviar. Then, after it had marinated for awhile, I made a bed of chopped lettuce, and topped it with the dressed veggies, along with some sour cream, cheese, and diced avocado for a lovely taco-salad style dinner. Two amazing dishes in one!
The quantities in this recipe are definitely fluid – you may find that you want to double or triple the dressing recipe depending upon the size of your veggies. I would start by making the base recipe, tossing your veggies with it, and going from there.
This is such a lovely summer supper AND appetizer. I’m in love, and hope you will be too!
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 zucchini diced
- 4 large tomatoes chopped
- 2 bell peppers chopped
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
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Combine dressing ingredients and mix or shake until well blended. Chop vegetables. Mix dressing and vegetables until well coated.
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Serve as a salad over lettuce, and dress with sour cream and cheese. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips.
