Congratulations Kristen!  You are the winner of the Cooking Light Magazine subscription giveaway!  Woohooo!!!!  (Confetti thrown in air…you’ll be contacted shortly to claim your prize).  Your story reminds me of a time when I baked chocolate chip-coconut cookies for a coworker’s birthday, only to find out the birthday girl couldn’t have any because she had a coconut allergy!  One of the lessons I’ve learned – now people think I’m overly paranoid to ask if they have food allergies prior to a potluck/dinner party/holiday goodie gift-making, but really, it’s because I’ve learned my lesson from prior experiences.  Now, if I bring stuff to work, I always list what’s inside! 

Now, back to more food.  This sweet corn, tomato, and basil salad is one of my favorite summer salads to make.  I first whipped it up last summer, after I picked up some sweet ears of corn, vine-ripened tomatoes, and fresh basil straight from the farmer’s market one Saturday morning near Diamond Head crater.  This was the end result, and I’m so happy to make it again now that it’s summertime.  It’s such a versatile side dish -  dress up a barbeque with some of this chilled salad or bring it to the beach with some sandwiches.  Since it’s eaten cold, just throw it into your cooler!

The recipe from epicurious.com calls for more olive oil (like 5 tablespoons worth) and balsamic vinegar, but you only need a little bit.  I don’t like my salads oily.  I added more garlic, and I kid you not, when that garlic and olive oil saute with the corn, it’s all creamy, buttery-like, and caramelized all at once.  Yummy goodness.  Too much balsamic would overpower the vegetables, and since the sweet corn, tomatoes, and basil are so lovely and delicate, just a touch of balsamic will just heighten and enhance those flavors.  I would say that this would serve four, but who am I kidding?  Hubby and I got carried away one afternoon, and done ate the whole thing in one sitting!

Sweet Corn, Tomato, and Basil Salad

adapted from Epicurious.com, serves about 4 normal people, or two hungry ones

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 ears sweet white corn (makes 4 cups of corn kernels)

1/2 cup basil leaves, packed

6 cocktail tomatoes, halved and seeded (or use any flavorful tomato you have)

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

1.  In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil.  When the oil is smokin’, add the garlic, and stir it around until bubbly, happy, and slightly browned.  Add the corn, and saute some more, about 4-6 minutes until cooked.  Remove the corn from the heat; add 1/2 the basil.

2.  Put the corn mixture into a medium bowl.  Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and black pepper to taste.  Stir to combine, add the rest of the basil, and stir again until all ingredients are incorporated.  Season again to taste, if needed.  Let the salad cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature, then cover the bowl and place it in the fridge until cold, about 3-5 hours.

Nutrition Facts (per serving, about 1 cup): 175 calories, 5.3 grams fat (of those, 0.75 grams saturated fat, 1.25 grams polyunsaturated fat, 3 grams monounsaturated fat), 32 grams carbs, 5.4 grams protein, 4.6 grams fiber