What makes local in-season produce taste better? Maybe it’s because it’s grown with care and love...

Because our dinner today from a grocery store originates from no less than five countries, we are starting to take a closer look at just where our food comes from. A healthy, sensational salad is featured along with a video and recipe on the website.

Summer Bounty Vegetable Salad

This recipe is adapted from Cooking with the seasons, A year in my kitchen by Monique Jamet Hooker and Tracie Richardson, (Published by Henry Holt 1997) The original recipe called for Blue Cheese Crumbles, but I omitted them because, in the height of the season, I only wanted the flavors of the vegetables to shine.

Monique says: This is a salad that is truly planned by nature. The vegetables listed are merely suggestions. Take a basket into the garden or to the farmers’ market and pick vegetables according to what is seasonally available. Choose a mixture that complements each other in taste, color, and texture.

10 Servings

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

1 cup each, uncooked:

Broccoli florets

Green beans, ends trimmed

Snow peas end, and strings removed

Carrots, cut into ¼ inch slices

Celery, cut into ¼ inch slices

Zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices

Yellow squash, cut into ¼ inch slices

Cucumber, cut into ¼ inch slices

Green onion, cut into ¼ inch slices

Red pepper, seeded and cut into ¼ inch strips

6 cherry tomatoes

Dressing:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

2 Tablespoons honey

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese (optional)

Wash your hands with soap and water before you start prepping.

Instructions:

Bring water to a boil. Drop the broccoli, green beans, and snow peas into the water for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge immediately into the cold running water. Drain. Repeat with carrots.

Place the cooked vegetables and the celery, zucchini, squash, cucumber, green onion, red pepper, and tomatoes into a large salad bowl.

To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, parsley, mustard, and honey in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until all the ingredients are well blended. Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and crumble the cheese on top. Toss the salad gently and let rest for 30 minutes so the flavors blend.

Variations: To turn today’s vegetable salad into tomorrow’s supper, toss any salad left with cooked rotini or mostaccioli pasta. Serve chilled accompanied by a loaf of crusty French Bread.

Food Safe Tip: Gently rub produce under cold running water, scrub firm produce with a clean vegetable brush under running water.