VeganMoFo Day 22: All Local, All Seasonal, All Delicious

Today's MoFo Prompt: "Make a dish using all seasonal produce."

3 varieties of summer squash, cilantro, avocado, 3 colors of bell pepper, a lime from our tree, and corn kernels

Oh yeah, I got this one in the bag. I'm pretty much all-seasonal, all the time to start with... so 99% nights of the year I'm using exclusively local produce. Every once in a while I buckle under the winter blues and buy an imported bell pepper or a mango. But for the most part, I am super lucky to live in a part of the world with totally rad year-round organic & local produce, and even fruit all year long. I'm not a snobby-poo-poo about it, it just sort of became my rhythm many years ago, and I enjoy it, and I've stuck with it. I enjoy the way that eating seasonally keeps me feeling connected to and aware of the cycles of nature around me. I love the thrill of seeing the first ears of corn each summer, or sampling the first delicious pear of autumn. In some perverse way, I even enjoy that fateful autumn day that the nectarine people don't show up to the market... It's all a way of noting the passing of time, and being a part of it.

 still hanging on to my summer veggie friends

grilled up and ready to salad-ify. color & beauty!

I thought it would be fun to take the extra step with this MoFo challenge and make a dinner with only seasonal produce... so, naturally I turned to the The Long Weekend Grilled Summer Salad from The Oh She Glows Cookbook. I love this recipe soooooo much. It's quick, summery, filling, nutritious, and flavorful -- the flavors and textures of the veggies really shine out and they aren't overpowered at all. I've simplified the recipe a little by pan-frying the corn kernels rather than grilling the corn cobs.

ready to be enjoyed!

just *barely* squeaked this picture in before the shorter day light hours of late summer gave out on me.

It's kind of remarkable how filling this salad is, even though it's just made of veggies. I love how the veggies are cut in big chunks and how they are only lightly grilled. I love the slightly charred bits from the grill. And I love the bright, tangy lime-cilantro dressing that goes with it. This recipe is one of my favorite summer-stand-bys... it was nice to reconnect with it at least one more time, before the onslaught of winter squash comes steam-rolling into our lives.

attack of the autumn veggies

I've seen them at the market, and I have averted mine eyes.