This summer vegetable salad makes great use of all the pretty produce available during this time of year. I wish I could eat like this year round!

Check out your local farmer's markets to find things that taste great right now. :D

I make this vegetable salad a little differently every time, but it's always super yummy. And it can make a great meal if you don't feel like turning on the oven!

Step 1: Ingredients

3-4 cups veggies
1 pounds fresh beans OR a 14.5 oz can of beans
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
zest of half a lemon
two pinches salt
a little pepper

Use whatever veggies are the freshest at the time! Corn, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes (though technically a fruit I am lumping it in haha), onion, radishes, etc. I'm just using what looked great at the farmer's market this time. :)

I'm using fresh fava beans here - if you want to use fresh beans buy 2-3 pounds of them if they are in pods so you've got enough once they're shucked.

If you've never cooked fava beans before, check out my instructable over how to do it!

Step 2: Get to Choppin' + Bean Prep

Chop everything up! Just try to cut everything into nice bite sized pieces.

For the carrots, peel them and then cut them into 3-4 inch long pieces. Use a vegetable peeler to shave them down to the cores. This will create slices of carrot that are much prettier and easier to eat.

If you're using canned beans, drain and rinse them.

For fresh beans, I like to shuck them, boil them for a couple minutes and then shock them in an ice water bath. :)

Step 3: Make the Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette for this salad, I did this:

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
zest of half a lemon
two pinches salt
a little pepper

But the possibilities are endless, really! Check out my "how to make vinaigrette" instructable to learn how to make your own. :D

Step 4: Dress the Salad and Serve!

Combine all the veggies in a big bowl and pour over the vinaigrette - do half at first, then toss and taste and add more as needed.

Add the vinaigrette this right before you serve it - the vinaigrette will slightly "cook" the vegetables the longer it's on them, so they won't be as crunchy after a few hours. :)