Dog Days Salad with Agave Yellow Corn

I know, I know: It's the dead of winter.  But the past few days have been unseasonably warm in Virginia, filling my mind with thoughts of July-weather barbecuing, garden sprouts, and Beat Happening's "Indian Summer" (a song that, in its canted keys, captures a longing for unexpected dog days and heat waves that pop up in early September).  

Driving around town with my windows down, I thought about what I might whip up for such a pleasantly balmy winter night.  Aside from grilled meat, one of my summer favorites: green bean and tomato salad with a side of agave yellow corn.  Although the farmers' markets have closed here as the cold weather has seeped in, it's still possible to find greens (and reds and yellows and oranges) for a late-January veggie feast.  I like to use a variety of tomatoes in this salad, bringing different colors, textures, and levels of sweetness.  Unique tomato pick: black tomatoes bring complexity to any salad, both visually and taste-fully. 

And finally, although I can't claim to know too much about vegan cooking on the whole (as you may have noticed, I'm a bit of a cheese fiend), this entire dinner fits the vegan mold!  (If you're looking for more vegan recipes, I'm happy to share the wealth: This Vegan House, a rad vegan cooking blog created by one of my best friends.) 

The Salad:

--1 lb. fresh green beans

--2 yellow tomatoes

--2 orange tomatoes

--1 handful black cherry tomatoes

--1 handful red cherry tomatoes

--1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped

--1 clove garlic, minced

--6-8 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--2 tbsp. salt

--2 tbsp. freshly ground pepper

--1 lemon, for zesting

First, rinse green beans and snip ends on both sides.  Boil for approx. 10 minutes (they'll still be pretty crisp at this point, just how I like them).  Then, place them in a large bowl of ice water, shocking them.  They can remain here until they're ready to be mixed in with the other salad ingredients.

In a large salad bowl, begin creating your dressing: add approx. 6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.  In a small pan, heat approx. 1 tbsp. olive oil and sauté garlic.  Allow to cool, and then add to olive oil dressing and stir. 

In the same pan (in which you sautéed the garlic), add the chopped onion and another tbsp. of olive oil.  Turn heat to low, cover all onion pieces in olive oil, and simmer until onions becoming crispy, stirring occasionally.  

In a separate bowl, chop large tomatoes into 1-inch cubes and quarter the cherry tomatoes.

Add to dressing and stir to coat.  Mix in green beans and top with crispy yellow onions.

Agave Yellow Corn:

--4 ears yellow corn, shucked

--6 tbsp. agave nectar

This is super easy, but also a very tasty and sweet side for the green bean salad.  In a large pot, boil 2 quarts water and mix in the agave nectar.  Once agave has dissolved into the water,  add ears of corn and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.  (I prefer my corn on the softer side.  If you like it "just cooked," you'll only need to boil for about 5 minutes.  But, keep in mind, the longer it's in the pot, the more the agave flavoring will seep in.)