Summer Corn Salad

This weather is so beautiful! I love summer time, but last week, with temperatures rising to over 100 degrees, I felt as if was winter because we were staying in the house to have some respite from the heat, just like we had to do in the winter from the cold. My kids and I played in the cool basement, my husband talked me (tricked me) into cleaning out the crawl space –“since we were down there anyways”, and we were having movie nights to stay cool inside instead of being outside enjoying what should be beautiful summer nights.. On the 4th of July, the adults were almost begging the kids to come out of the pool and come back inside so we didn’t have to sit outside and sweat.
It was THAT hot.
That is not the summer I envisioned.
Summer for me is warm weather, but only topping out in the mid eighties. Oh, and don’t forget a cool breeze. A nice breeze is a must. I love getting the kids outside and playing all day long until they are good and tired and ready to turn in extra early so I can continue to watch season 2 of The Vampire Diaries.
Whaaat?
I mean….relax.
Well, summer cooking should be fresh and fun as well. This is one of my all time favorites for the summer. I think my favorite part is the smoky flavor of the red pepper and red onion sauteed in the olive oil. The sweetness of the balsamic vinegar tempers the spice of the cayenne pepper and the cilantro is the final, perfecting, finishing touch.This recipe was originally my mom’s, and it brings back a feeling of home every time I make it.
Whip up a big batch of this, serve it along grilled chicken, fish or a nice marinated flank steak for the week. Yum.

Summer Corn Salad

6 ears of fresh corn, cooked, corn scraped off OR 4 cups of frozen corn, thawed
1 tblsp olive oil
1 red pepper, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
5 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4-1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Scrape cooked corn off of husk into a large bowl. Let cool. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onion and garlic and cook until golden and slightly browned. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Add pepper mixture to corn and stir gently. Add tomatoes, balsamic and cayenne pepper. Stir. Sprinkle with cilantro and chill for 1 hour before serving.