Basil Cucumber and Corn Salad

 

  It's a Monday in the middle of summer and that means one of two things :
1.You went to a cookout/pool party/bbq/get-together type thing this past weekend ( I know the weekend that just ended.) aaaaaand you had some delicious food.
2. You have to go a cookout/pool party/bbq/get-together thing some time this upcoming weekend  (yes I know I know it's only Monday and the weekend seems a million miles away but it will be here sooner than you think. One day at a time.) aaaaand have you have to bring some sort of delicious food item to future get-together. Well don't sweat it, I have a recipe for you that's easy and taste like like summer.

   Basil Cucumber Corn Salad is an easy,cool and refreshing salad sure to lighten up any plate full of food. Oh wait...yeah that's zucchini in the picture above. I know I said cucumber and corn,nothing about zucchini. Weeeelllll funny thing happens at my house when fresh produce appears on the counter,it disappears as fast as I get it out on the counter. IF ! I don't get my act together someone ( my husband,my child or sometimes well even me) will walk right by and POOF! that fresh produce is gone.

  Just now as I type this blog post,sitting at my desk and nowhere near the kitchen my child came to me to ask for a CARROT. It's yes, a wonderful thing and yes, one day she could dislike vegetables but UNTIL THAT DAY I will oblige her request for a carrot at 10:08 am. 

    I made up this corn salad yesterday to eat on all week. All of the ingredients were laid out on the kitchen counter. My husband walks in the kitchen to tell me something. I turn around ( away from the counter where all the corn salad ingredients are laid out nicely) to put something in the sink and POOF I look up to see him eating half of the cucumber for this salad. He had lovingly cut the cucumber in half so as not to eat up all of my ingredients. Thanks honey,how thoughtful .

   Well... think,think,think... ZUCCHINI IS HERE TO SAVE THE DAY! No worries,the salad still has cucumber in it and some delicious zucchini too. It also has in it an old friend from a few blog post back: basil pesto.

  Basil pesto makes a fantastic dressing for this salad. It's chunky texture makes for a flavorful coating on the vegetables. I also threw n some feta cheese. The cheese adds just enough savory along with the flavors in the pesto,it makes for a well-balanced salad.

Basil,Cucumber and Corn Salad
adapted from Sumptuous Spoonfuls
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked corn
( I used frozen corn. Frozen corn is blanched but still retains a lot of it's freshness.)
2 cups of cucumber and/or zucchini,peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves,sliced thinly ( or chiffonade the basil)
2 green onions,sliced thinly
2 TBL mayonnaise
2-4 TBL basil pesto
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese optional
Directions:
1.In a medium toss together to combine corn,cucumber/zucchini,basil,green onions. Stir in the mayo,basil pesto and salt and pepper ( and feta cheese if using).
2.Cover and let marinate in the fridge until serving time. Enjoy!