Long time no blog – been so busy wrapping up the new EP and such… I’ll keep you posted on that.

Meanwhile, so many great things have come out of the kitchen! A couple of Fridays ago, my friend Raquel came over for lunch to discuss her newest philanthropic yoga venture, Yoga Gives. (Check it out on her facebook page, Raquel Bueno Miles. Great Sunday yoga classes in Sevier Park, donations for which benefit the Sexual Assault Center, 100%.)

So I had 3 ears of corn, a pound of medium shrimp, lots of fresh peppers from the garden and cherry tomatoes from Virginia’s garden next door. Looked in the cupboard and found a can of black beans and came up with this healthy, delicious summer salad:

You take 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, 1 each jalapeno, habanero and banana peppers, seeded and chopped, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (or whatever you have on hand, even a lime), 3/4 cup good quality olive oil and 1/2 cup or so cilantro leaves. All that goes in the blender or food processor and when pureed, you pour it over the peeled and deveined shrimp in a medium bowl. Cover and let marinate 20 minutes.

Husk and de-silk the corn, rub it with olive oil, salt and pepper it and either roast it under the broiler or grill it, turning in 1/3 turns – set a timer every 3 or 4 minutes to check it if your forgetful like me. While that’s roasting and cooling, chop 1/3 cup each red, yellow and green bell pepper, quarter 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes and chop 1/2 cup red onion & a couple of scallions. In a large bowl, cut the kernels from the cobs and add the peppers, tomatoes & onions along with a tablespoon of ground cumin, a teaspoon dried oregano and 2 teaspoons chile powder. (I used pasilla chile powder which is medium heat and traditionally used in moles and such.) Rinse & drain the can of black beans (14.5 oz.), stir them in and salt & pepper to taste.

Finally, either grill or pan saute the shrimp, bring the marinade to a simmer and add the juice of a lemon or lime. Let that cool while you stir the shrimp into the corn-bean mixture and plate on beds of mixed baby greens. Garnish with sliced avocado and cilantro and serve the dressing on the side.

This one’s great for leftovers – that’ll be my next blog installment!

Feedback always welcome!