ASPARAGUS & SWEET CORN CAPRESE SALAD.

I’m just going to go ahead and quote Lana Del Rey right now. I’ve got that summertime, summertime sadness.

Although, I think she’s actually crooning in her sultry voice about the end of a summer fling, while I’m yodeling in my off-key voice about being hot as ballz, sweaty, miserable and unable to force myself to turn on my oven for all the tea in China.

Even if it was iced tea. Still not budging.

Seriously though.

If you’re anything like me, you have an arsenal of salad recipes to turn to when it gets to this point in the Summer. I mean, you can only feed your kids popsicles and ice cream cones dipped in Fruity Pebbles for dinner so many times before you start to feel the guilt creeping in.

This particular fresh veggie combination is our current family favorite. It’s got all the greatness of a classic caprese, with the added bonus of sweet corn and asparagus for both color and crunch. (Healthy Aside: Did you know that asparagus is chock full of antioxidants and glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps your body break down carcinogens? Yup. Bonus.)

Asparagus & Sweet Corn Caprese Salad (makes 4 servings)

• 1/2 lb fresh asparagus spears (trimmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 cup fresh (or frozen) sweet corn kernels
• 16 oz fresh grape tomatoes (halved and seeded)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 10 – 15 fresh basil leaves (chopped)
• 8 oz fresh pearl mozzarella (drained and cut in half)
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water, sprinkle in a little bit of salt, add the trimmed asparagus and simmer over medium-low heat until they’re tender, but still a bit crisp (around 3 – 5 minutes.)

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked asparagus to a bowl of ice water (this will basically shock them and stop any residual cooking that would turn them to mush.)

Cook the corn kernels in the same pot of water you used for the asparagus. Transfer the cooked corn to the same ice bath, drain it all and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Add in the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella and toss to mix.

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour this over the top of the salad and gently toss to evenly coat.

This salad is best when eaten the same day, simply because the asparagus starts to look a little tired. Although, I would too if I was busy fighting off cancer and wrinkle causing nasties all day long.

OMFG. SO GOOD.

Jenn is a full-time mom, flex-time advertising industry ninja, full-time food lover in Scottsdale, AZ. When she’s not busy feeding faces, wiping butts or searching for her sanity, you can find her trying to outwit other food bloggers at http://www.omfgsogood.com, on Twitter @OMFGSoGOOD, Facebook, or promoting her husband’s graphic design and fine art business, Trapdoor Studio.