Wednesday, August 8, 2012

it makes me very happy.....

being home. as much as I love roadtripping, it feels so good to sleep in our own tiny house in our own tiny room. 
clean sheets.
fresh utah peaches....
....for breakfast, lunch, dinner, bredtime snack.
technology....all of our family lives so far away and I love that I can reach them so quickly via phone or text. after text after text.
kids who sleep in.
drinking ice cold water.
the tuesday night farmer's market has started!
going to the library.
babies. I have been so lucky to be able spend time with my new niece and new nephew in the past few weeks. babies are the best.

Something that makes me very VERY happy, is bringing a few things in from the garden, and mixing and matching our garden goods with my farmer's market finds to make a quick easy dinner that 
everyone loves, and doesn't heat up the kitchen.

We had this with a side of sliced garden tomatoes and mozzarella, and a pile of peaches....kind of a random assortment for dinner, but oh well.
www.inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com
Warm Zucchini, Corn, and Black Bean Salad
in a large pan with olive oil on medium high heat saute:
-2 medium zucchini, diced
-2 ears of corn, cut off the cob
-1 small red onion, diced
-1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-large pinch of coarse salt

when zucchini starts to get tender (I cooked mine for 7-8 minutes, but you can cook it as long as you like, depending on how small you diced it, and how firm you like it), add: 
-2 cups of black beans, drained and rinsed
cook for a few more minutes until beans are heated through. 
turn off heat and add:
-zest of 1 lime
-juice of 1 lime
-a large handful of chopped cilantro
mix together and enjoy!

this recipe is one of our favorites--my kids LOVE it and it's so versatile. 
 -eat is as a side OR a main. 
-it's great cold the next day for lunch
-add it to toasted corn tortillas for tacos
-throw it in with some lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados for a taco salad. 
www.inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com

What makes YOU very happy?

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Mmmm :o) That looks so fresh & healthy! I'm happy that you had a great road trip... you speaking of babies makes me sooo excited to meet my own new little niece or nephew next month. So much goodness!

Nicole and Layne said...

i know what we are having for dinner tonight! we just got back from a 3 week road trip and didn't eat so well. i would love a post on how you feed your family good food on the road/vacation. you are the best. ever!

gram said...

I'm always happy when I get to spend some time with all of my kids.. just doesn't happen often enough... sigh ..

Meg said...

garden tomatoes make me happy, too!
Cracking eggs that are still warm makes me happy.
Getting packages in the mail (even if I ordered them) makes me happy.
New pillows make me happy.
a healthy baby makes me happy.
and ice -shaved, balls, cubes, doesn't matter! makes me VERY happy these days.
hearing thunder at 11am in august makes me happy.

Trevy said...

I've made this very same salad many times, but I usually add a cup of cooked couscous and a touch of cumin to it. So delicious.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. As much as I love to travel, nothing makes me more happy than sleeping in my own bed .. my comfy pillow and cooking in my own kitchen :)
Not a bean crazy person but love mixing zucchini with corn!

Miriam Herm said...

cara lous says she's obsessed, so I'm going to try it out. Great pictures! so beautiful!

Unknown said...

I made this last night and loved it! The jalapeno added the perfect kick. Thanks for sharing the deliciousness!

Kenny said...

I FINALLY made this on Sunday night and it was SOOOOOOOO good! It was the perfect accompaniment to our carne asada tacos. After a couple of tacos, I skipped the meat and just put this inside. We didn't have a jalapeno on hand, but that was ok with me since I don't do spicy and neither do my kids. It will definitely become a staple around here since it is so easy and I always have those ingredients in my summer/early fall veggie boxes.

Wendy said...

I just made this tonight and it was so yummy! Thank you for all of your great recipes, we've been trying to eat healthier around here and many of your recipes are among our favs!

Unknown said...

Love this dish! It is so quick to put together and so satisfying. Plus, I usually have most of these ingredients on hand, with the possible exception of zucchini, so it's a great "what should we make for dinner tonight with the remains of our refrigerator" solution.