summer salad: eggplant, corn, avocado, green onions & arugula

 

Late summer is my favorite time of year for vegetables. I am lucky to live in an place where there are farm stands every few miles, so I always get first dibs on the absolute freshest produce. My trip to the farm stand is usually what inspires my lunchtime salad. Right now there are some fabulous veggies to chose from .... and often I find myself picking up anything and everything that looks good and throwing it over some greens hoping it tastes as good as it looks.  And it does, always.

These past few weeks, the corn has been absolutely incredible.  Some of the best corn I have ever tasted.  Big, sweet, juicy kernels that are so delicious and perfect for shaving off the cob and into a salad. I also stumbled upon these bright purple eggplants the other day a farm stand which I originally picked up because I was so attracted to their gorgeous color, but once I sauteed them, I was so surprised at how mild tasting they were. Delicious! I knew those purple eggplants would go well with that amazing corn, toss in some perfectly ripened avocado too just for fun, and throw it over a bed of freshly picked arugula. A perfect summertime lunch. 

Prep Time / Cook Time
around 15 mins / 15-20 mins  

Serves 
2 people 

Ingredients
2 ears of corn 
1 medium sized purple eggplant, cut into cubes
4 green onions, diced (green parts only)
1 avocado, diced
a bunch of arugula (enough to serve two people)

1 serving of the garlic and lemon dressing 

Directions

- Start by cooking the corn.  Place it whole into a pot of boiling water.  Cook until it is tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. 

- While the corn is cooking, sauté the eggplant and green onion over medium heat until tender and slightly browned. About 15 minutes. 

- When the corn is done, remove from the water and let it cool for a few minutes.  Once it has cooled, shave off the kernels using a sharp knife. 

- Toss all of the ingredients together: eggplant, green onion, corn, avocado, and arugula along with the lemon and garlic dressing. 

Enjoy.