Green Rice Salad with Nectarines and Corn

The window was cracked open just enough so I could smell the ocean and hear the squawking seagulls outside. It was March so I also had the fireplace blazing to offset the chilled air coming from off the water. I was alone, in a hotel room for two nights with the primary mission to finish the proposal for what is now almost a real book.

Somewhere between the marketing plan and the recipe list I got an email from Kimberley Hasselbrink of, The Year in Food. She was asking for a bit of advice on how to write a proposal. At that point (and possibly this point too) I felt in no place to be giving advice but I gave her what I got and needed from my husband and close friends throughout this whole book-making process – a cheerleader. Someone to say, “you got this! Keep writing. It’s going to be amazing!” Because I think that maybe genius is maybe more like 1% inspiration 69% perspiration and 30% cheers, hoots and hollers coming for your cheering squad standing right beside you. I’m sure Thomas Edison would agree.

Well, Kimberley it is amazing. Your book, Vibrant Food, is full of inspiration. You have me both running to my camera to work on taking better images and into the kitchen to whip up one of the many recipes that I’ve already creased the corner of the page. Girl, you did it and you did it real good.

This salad sits right next to another in the book that I can’t wait to try but this one went first because I had all the ingredients already in the fridge and cupboards. It’s simple to make, bright and full of flavor and screams summer from the corn to the nectarines. Also, it tastes great even after a night in the fridge, which scores big-time salad points in my mind because good salads that keep are hard to come by. Somehow it’s both hearty and light and since my mind is still on picnics I think this salad would make a mighty fine picnic addition.