Face it, when the summer heat sets in the last thing you want to do is stand in front of a hot stove. I love to grill as much as I can, sit outside and sip some nice white wine. To accompany my grilled main dishes I often make simple salads that require little or no cooking on my part. As a bonus, I can usually enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day. Today I want to share two of my favorite recipes with you: Herby Tomato and Feta Salad and Corn and Black Bean Salad. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. You can also check out Cooking Light’s website for more tasty options.

Herby Tomato & Feta Salad
Ingredients:
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes quartered
o You can also use grape tomatoes, which will make it a bit sweeter, or larger varieties but they require more chopping.
• 1 small onion thinly sliced or diced
o I like mine sliced, but do whatever is easier for you.
• 1/8 cup each chopped fresh basil or parsley
o If you only have dried herbs you can us 1 tablespoon of each.
• 6 oz. feta cheese chopped
o Place the cheese in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to make chopping easier. However, you can also crumble up the brick. If you buy it pre-crumbled it tends to be less flavorful.
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup of white wine, red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 1 small clove of garlic grated
• ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Directions:

Stage 1: In a large bowl whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs and salt and pepper.

Stage 2: Quarter the tomatoes and slice the onions. Place them in the bowl on top of the dressing, but do not mix yet.

Stage 3: Pull the feta out of the freezer and chop into generous bite sized cubes.

Stage 4: Gently mix all the ingredients together just enough so that everything is coated in the dressing. Serve at room temperature

NOTE: If you want to make a more substantial salad, add in ½ cup cooked quinoa or bulgur that has been cooled to room temperature.

Corn & Black Bean Salad
Ingredients:
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn or 1 ear of corn sliced off the cob
• 1 pints cherry tomatoes quartered
• 1 small red onion diced
• 1 avocado chopped
• 6 oz. feta cheese chopped
o Place the cheese in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to make chopping easier. However, you can also crumble up the brick. If you buy it pre-crumbled it tends to be less flavorful.
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 small clove of garlic grated
• 1/8 cup each chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Stage 1: In a large bowl whisk oil, lime juice, herbs, cilantro and salt and pepper.

Stage 2: Place all veggies into the bowl, but do not mix yet.

Stage 3: Pull the feta out of the freezer and chop into generous bite sized cubes.

Stage 4: Gently mix all the ingredients together just enough so that everything is coated in the dressing. Serve at room temperature.

Stage 5 (optional): If you want to make a more substantial salad, add in ½ cup cooked quinoa or bulgur that has been cooled to room temperature.

One final tip: If you enjoy having company over, and don’t want to assemble the salads while your guests are there just place everything in a bowl, dressing first and ingredients on top, and mix right before serving. This will keep everything from getting wilted and it will taste fresher.