Corn/avocado salad with shrimp and wild rice

Flavor and color explosion!

Now that I am looking at the original recipe in the NYTimes, I'm questioning if this is even the right one. You can compare their photo to mine and play "spot the differences." Or read my explanation below!

My mom and I both thought this recipe sounded good, particularly with the inclusion of avocado, leftover corn on the cob, feta cheese, and a lime dressing. Great flavor combination! The cherry tomatoes from the original recipe stayed, too.

What we added: Chickpeas, artichoke hearts, radishes, and carrots.

How I ate the leftovers: served with wild rice and marinated shrimp.

This is probably not one I would attempt in Russia due to the grocery offerings, but I'd have it again during an American summer for sure!

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018245-corn-avocado-and-cucumber-salad

Bean Tomato Feta Salad

This was supposed to be the last of my summer posts and I got sidetracked. Isn't it a gorgeous salad, though?

White Bean and Tomato Salad

I was craving a bean salad of some sort, which sounds kind of funny, but it's not something I would usually make. Russian salads tend to be mayo-heavy, and my husband prefers straight tomatoes and cucumbers. MY favorite is something tangier, with a vinaigrette or Caesar-like dressing. And adding something like beans helps to add some body when produce is scant.

I had a can of beans on hand and starting looking for recipes. This recipe from Simply Home with a lemony dressing appealed to me right away!

A few changes:

THEIR version had cherry tomatoes and parmesan.
MY version had regular tomatoes and feta.

THEIR version had an herb infusion including anchovies and rosemary.
MINE did not, mainly due to the ingredients I had on hand. I definitely went for the garlic and lemon, and some fresh dill as you see in the photo.

It was a great, refreshing salad that hit the spot! If you have the ingredients, go for it. I might even make this with just the beans.