corn and blueberry salad (briefly)

this recipe is adopted from an issue of better homes and gardens magazine a couple of years ago.  

i'm not sure why it took me 2 years before finally making it.  

i honestly would never think of combining corn and blueberries. it just seems weird.  but this recipe was  an a-ha moment.  the dressing brought the flavors well together.  the result was a tasty, crunchy and refreshing salad.   

the recipe says it is a do-ahead type of salad, good within a 12 hour period.  also it says to let it sit overnight but mine turned out well in only 1 hour.
(note: the original recipe called for red onions but i used radish instead)

ingredients
3 ears fresh corn
1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed well
3 small persian cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup sliced radish (or finely chopped red onions)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Dressing
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey (or to taste)

1 pinch kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
1. bring salted water to a boil and add corn.  cook, covered, 5 minutes or until tender. when corn is cool enough to handle, cut corn off the cobs.

2. in a serving bowl combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, radish (or onion), cilantro, and jalapeno.

3. for the dressing, combine lime juice, oil, honey, salt, and cumin in a screw-top jar.  cover and give it a good shake.

4. pour dressing over salad and toss. cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Orzo Artichoke Salad

I have been pondering about life lately.
This week I started to follow Jennie on twitter.  In the last week, her Pie-for-Mikey post inspired so many food bloggers to make Creamy Peanut Butter Pie to share with love ones.  You see, Jennie recently lost her husband from heart attack, and the pie is her way of telling us to treasure every moment with the ones we love.  I did not make the pie because I have diabetes tendencies but the significance of making it made me hold my family tighter and dearer.  That day when I read Jennie's post I was snapped out of wanting to give my husband cold shoulders for something he did wrong.  It made me aware of the importance of being together and enjoying life as a family.  It made me think of how important it is to take care of our health - for the sake of ourselves, our spouse, our child, those that love us.  Reading through Jennie's words, I just can't imagine the grief of such loss ( I pray for her strength and courage).
Most importantly it made me realize how life is so fragile.  That we are nothing apart from the Creator who breathe life into us.  So I also realized how important it is to entrust everything to God, and to invoke His presence in our lives each and every minute.

So instead of the pie, I made this Orzo Artichoke Salad.  It was an easy recipe but I was pressed for time when I made it.  I just wanted to make it to yoga class without sacrificing a good dinner to spend with my family.  It was made with love.

Orzo Artichoke Salad

Serves 4 (as a side dish)

Ingredients
1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
1 12 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cup kalamata olives (or black olives) drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Feta cheese (optional)

Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente according to package directions; drain. 

Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid.
In large bowl combine pasta, artichoke hearts, tomato, cucumber, onion, olives, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and lemon pepper. Toss and chill for 1 hour in refrigerator.
Just before serving, drizzle reserved artichoke marinade over salad.