I’m tired of the same old salads. I need new and fresh ideas and happily, Martha has come through in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living. Beans with Skillet-Toasted Corn and Tomatoes (Hello? Martha? Could your people work on getting these recipes up on the site???) sounded fun and different.

Now it’s confession time. The recipe calls for dried beans which you are supposed to soak. So not happening! I used canned pinto beans.

The first step is to cook the corn until it browns. Add garlic and cook a little longer until it makes popping sounds. It really did! That tickled me pink, I must admit.

Next you cook the tomatoes. I used cherry tomatoes, but Martha says to use plum. Cook them until they are slightly charred. The dressing is easy – oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. I added a little sugar, which I always do to my dressings and Martha never does – a major point of contention between us.

You serve the salad warm, over lettuce leaves with some smoked cheese grated over it. I could not get it enough of this! It was delish! The corn had this wonderful sweet, roasted flavor and so did the tomatoes. The dressing gave it some added flavor.  I cut up the lettuce leaves and ate them with the salad. This was a perfect lunch and it was good cold the next day too. I know that this salad sounds so simple – it is simple to make, but it really has a wonderful complex flavor to it. You must try it!