Garden Vegetable, Avocado & Black Bean Salad

It's crunch time. Sure, I'm giving plenty of organic vegetables away, but it's time to get serious about eating the last of the crop as well. Besides, I hate wasting food! Especially since food is crazy expensive these days. I love this recipe because it uses up so many of my veggies at the same time like cucumbers, corn, peppers, onions, tomatoes, basil and cilantro. Bursting with flavor, it's also super nutritious. 

---

It's also flexible and forgiving. So you put in more of what you like and less of what you don't. I can hardly call this a recipe but here goes! The below measurements are just what I happened to use. This salad made a great lunch just by itself, but tonight I'm going to use the leftovers as a side dish. My 2 and 4 year old actually ate this with my 2-year-old being the better eater. 

Cut up and combine in a small bowl and mix gently. Add shredded basil and/or cilantro and a splash of lime to taste.

1 small white onion
1/2 red pepper (or any colored pepper)
1/2 cucumber seeded
2 ears corn
12 cherry tomatoes
1 hass avocado
1 can organic black beans
basil to taste
cilantro to taste
lime to taste
1 or 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil [Optional]

I think cutting up the vegetables in a small dice is important as to get all the flavors mixed up well. If the pieces are too big; I think the flavor would be off. 

As I get older, I'm starting to appreciate clean eating more. And with a slowing metabolism and little kids to watch, the timing couldn't be better. Besides, the more I read about healthy eating, the more paranoid I get. How about you? And recipes like this allow me to eat the occasional pizza or cookie without any guilt.