Corn Salad

This is one of our denser salads, which we like to throw in for dinner between lettuce-salad nights.  I serve it on a bed of lettuce, though, so we still get some leafy veggies.  And as you can see, there's no bell pepper in this photo.  It's impossible to find it organically grown around here, so I just leave it out.  The lettuce provides plenty of crunch for us.

CORN SALAD (vegan) 

1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen corn kernels, cooked & cooled

2 tsp. brown or Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 sm. red or green bell pepper, diced

1 lg. tomato, cored and diced

1 avocado, diced (or substitute 1/4 cup sour cream)

lettuce leaves

Stir mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper into corn.  Add tomato, bell pepper, and avocado, and toss gently to mix.

If you happen to be out of avocados and you're not vegan, you can top each serving with a dollop of sour cream instead.

Can be served on a bed of lettuce.

Serves 4.

Repurposed Furniture

This bench was made by my good friend, Steve, who built it for our patio out of recycled wood.  As you can see, he used cedar fence boards, posts, and other odds and ends.  I think this is a great example of the success you can have with a little imagination and some old stuff.  Steve builds all kinds of furniture for his wife's shop, Just Looking, in Texas.

Here are some more examples:

Outdoor bench made from recycled cedar fence materials.

Side table made from old sewing machine cabinet.

Standing cabinets made from old kitchen wall cabinets.

Child's bench made from twin bed headboard and footboard.

Hutch cabinet made with old window shutters.

Coffee table made from recycled weathered wood.