Enjoying the Summer Bounty

We are really enjoying this summer's fruits and vegetables. Nothing beats vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh Noonday onions. Or a fresh-fruit smoothie. Or a salad, chock-a-block full of crunchy goodness.

Delicious. (Posting this is making me hungry!)

Last weekend we stopped at a roadside farmer's stand on our way back to town. We stocked up on fresh corn, cantaloupe, watermelon, avocado and East Texas tomatoes. (The latter is simply wonderful...read this if you don't believe me.)

The only problem with stopping at a roadside stand is that you often buy more than you can easily eat. Come on...you know what I mean!

So, we've happily been near-vegetarians this past week. By far, our favorite meal has been a simple one:

• fresh tomatoes, diced
• fresh avocado, diced
• corn-on-the-cob, lightly steamed and shucked
• seafood

The vegetables taste wonderful with just a light sprinkling of Tony's Creole Seasoning.

To easily prepare steamed corn:

1. Wash to remove any dirt.
2. Remove loose corn husk.
3. Soak the corn for at least 15 minutes to plump the kernels. (This step is actually optional, but I think it makes for much better corn.)
4. Drain thoroughly.
5. Grill. Or, if you're in a hurry, microwave for 4-6 minutes (time may vary based on your microwave).
6. Strip off husk - silk will come off easily.
7. Allow corn to cool enough to handle, then strip the kernels from the cob (an easy task with this tool).

We had this meal with two different fish preparations. First up was perch, baked with Nando's Garlic Peri-Peri Sauce. I'd show you a photo, but it was so yummy that we ate it before I could take a photo!

For dinner #2, the side dish was shrimp, sauteed in the wok with lemon juice and diced fresh jalapeno.

Yum-yum.

Tomorrow, the perfect drink to cool the palette after eating spicy jalapeno shrimp and veggies!