Day 2 - 39 Veggies to Make a Salad

Off to market we go. I love grocery shopping, mainly at produce stands and local markets. At Graham’s produce stand on 54th Avenue, I got the treat of the day – Silver Queen Corn on the Cob. Among my weekly shopping of fruits and veg, I came across the ears; large, full with plumped kernels pleading to explode. At the time I didn’t know how good a buy this was. Pairing it with succulent black grouper from Neptune’s Fish Market, next door, I was set for dinner.

However, I didn’t have to wait for dinner to please my palate. At Neptune’s I also bought some smoked amberjack for my Salad of Many Colors.

But back to the corn. We grilled out seasoning the fish with salt and pepper, olive oil, a little Essence and lemon juice. The corn was cooked in the husk giving it a smoky, rich aroma. Now I thought the star of the show would be the grouper, but the Silver Queen took center stage. Undressing the ear, my nose was enticed by the steam escaping fragranced like a brushfire, clean burned, sweet and musky. The kernels were perfectly plump. No need for salt or butter, I ate the ear savoring every bite. Dessert was slices of fresh, ripe mango oozing over my chin with their sugary, resin-like glue. To me there are few things better than a fresh mango.

I love food. That is both a blessing and a curse, but yesterday was all healthy and that made me very happy.

Here is the recipe for my Salad of Many Colors:
I chose what was available, but remember the more colorful, the better it is for you and the better it will taste.
Romaine lettuce, red cabbage, radishes, tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, fennel and red onion. For the dressing I used Penzey’s (www.penzeys.com) dried herbs, mixing Green Goddess with ½ cup light mayo (normally I can’t stand the stuff, but as a carrier for the herbies, it isn’t bad at all), a tablespoon each of red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice and a dash of Louisiana hot sauce.

I wasn’t just a homebody on my day off. I visited my friend Renee’s gallery show in Hyde Park. There is a gallery (http://www.tampaartistemporium.com/) there that rents out space to a different artists so they can get their work in the public eye. An illustrator, Renee’s pieces showcase women’s beauty and images of a simpler life, one we all can enjoy from dogs basking in the sun to a Rasta guy fishing. She captures pleasures that many of us are too busy to notice. Check her stuff out at http://diggsdesignstudio.com

There was another artist there who does crocheted jewelry pieces. I bought a red bracelet with shells and beads woven through. I love it. She uses a very tiny crochet needle and Turkish designs to craft pieces that are lovely and affordable. Here is her site www.sukrankirtis.com.

When I was younger I wanted to get out of here, but now I love this area. Traveling around the world is fun, but here is where I can find it all: great food, art, friends, sand and surf. Perfect for a girl like me.