Local Corn, Tomatoes & One Delicious Dish
Quick Summer Time Meals Don’t Have to be Stressful!
Last night I decided to take as much advantage of the sunshine as possible – I look my daughter to the beach, did yoga on the dock and relaxed in a hammock by the lake. I was thoroughly content…and then it was time for dinner. Now, I love food and I have done a good share of professional cooking but I sometimes still have trouble coming up with quick, nutritious vegetarian dinners for my family. I like to keep it fresh, you know – change it up. I vowed to never be one of those “Monday is pasta night, Tuesday is pizza night” type of home cooks (although I can now understand and appreciate that almost flawless menu organization).
After taking inventory of what I had on hand (corn from Davidian Brothers Farm, vine tomatoes from Backyard Farms, fresh herbs from the garden, 365 Everday Value feta cheese, and a can of 365 Chickpeas), I decided to make a simple grilled salad. And you know, it really was quick and easy, and all three of us (my four year old included) loved it!
Here is basically what I did:
Preheated the grill to about medium – don’t let it get too hot…
Chopped the fresh herbs I had on hand, which happened to be parsley, sage, and thyme (so close to that Simon and Garfunkel song I always liked…) I hummed a bit in my head at this point, but that is totally optional. These I added to softened butter with a pinch of sea salt and some fresh black pepper.
Took 8 ears of corn and peeled the husks back to remove the strings inside and smeared the corn with herbed butter
before pulling the husks back up and throwing them on the pre-heated grill. Closed the grill lid for about 4 minutes, then opened it to turn the corn over and left it open. Turned the heat down to medium low.
While the corn continued to cook, I roughly chopped up those beautiful tomatoes and cubed the feta cheese (about 1/2 the container). Then I opened the can of chickpeas to drain and rinse. After you do all this, the corn is probably going to be done.
Wait until the corn is coolish and then use a sharp knife to remove the kernels. Add those to your tomato/feta/chickpea mixture and put the whole thing on a bed of arugula. If you have cucumbers, throw those in there. If you have red onion, slice some up and throw ’em in the mix. Keep it simple and use nature’s bounty and you’ll have a perfect summer meal everytime.
Tips and Suggestions
- Have your kids peel back the corn husks and remove the strings (we do this outside b/c it can get messy!)
- Use the same knife and cutting board to chop everything, it’s less dishes to wash in the end
- Have your kids mix the herbs into the butter
- Keep the “stalk” of the corn attached – you can use it as a handle later when you are cutting ther kernels off
- Eat outside!
List of Ingredients (more or less, to taste)
- 1 box pre-washed arugula – I like the Olivia’s Organics
- 1 can 365 Everyday Value Chickpeas
- 1 container 365 Everyday Value feta cheese
- 1 stick of butter
- 8 ears of corn (get local, if possible)
- 10 fresh tomatoes (also local, if possible)
- Fresh herbs, really whatever you’d like, about a bunch of each (less if they are pungent varieties like rosemary)
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
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This is a fabulous idea and I love the tips that include kids to help with meal prep.
Thanks for the easy meal and encouraging us to use what we have on hand! Keep those recipes coming!
Ann