Summer Cannellini Bean and Tomato Salad

We recently moved much closer to the farmer’s market, so that has made me extremely happy.  Every Friday, I walk over to it and get lost in the colors and variety of all the fruits and veggies on display. I am always tempted to buy some of everything even though I know I couldn’t possibly use it all within a week and even if I could, I know I have some picky eaters who would turn their noses up at certain things (ahem, all the eggplant haters).

The one thing we all love though is tomatoes, especially heirloom tomatoes and they literally had row after row of beautiful heirloom tomatoes as well as others in all shapes, colors and sizes.  I’ve been playing around with them since I have such an abundance, and have used them in homemade pasta sauce, on sandwiches, with avocado and onions as a salad, in actual lettuce salads and as a marinade for my tofu.  The last one, I’ll admit I may have gone a bit too far with the garlic.

I invited a friend over for lunch who loves garlic as much as I do, so I was a little free with the garlic in the marinade.  I didn’t cook the tofu since I was serving it as a caprese with even more tomatoes and some basil.  And it all would have been fine if she had not been going to the dentist afterwards for a cleaning.  Pretty sure the dentist is still Febreezing his office after her visit.

I wanted something a little more substantial though that could be eaten as a summer meal that could come together in minutes, so that is when I ditched the garlic and made this dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and dried
• 2 ears of corn (about 3/4 of a cup of kernels)
• 1 cup of chopped tomatoes
• 8 radishes, cut in half and sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion, white and light green parts
• 1/2 cup packed basil, sliced or roughly chopped
• juice of 1 lemon (about 3-4 Tablespoons)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• pepper as desired
• 1 avocado, sliced or chopped

Directions:

1. Combine the beans, corn (cut off the cob if using an ear of corn, otherwise you can use cooked fresh or frozen), tomatoes, radishes, onions, and basil in a bowl.  Toss to combine.
2. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper if using, then add the lemon juice and toss.
3. Top with the avocado and basil (you can mix these in if you prefer before adding the salt and lemon juice).

Enjoy!