Simple Summer Succotash

Cooking is best when you don't have a plan!

One of my favorite ways to cook is letting the ingredients I have on hand inspire me. I know that may sound counterintuitive. You may be thinking, what if you don't have an ingredient you need and you don't realize until it is too late? What if you don't have enough of something? What if you don't know what to make? That may be true, but none of that is a problem for me.

When you don't have a plan or a recipe you have to depend on you culinary instincts. You cook what you know, what you love to eat most, when you don't have a plan holding you down. It is exciting and freeing, knowing anything could happen! I may see a single ingredient like tomatoes or peppers and be inspired to make countless dishes depending on my mood. ​

I simply walk into the pantry or look in the fridge and grab whatever speaks to me. I let my mind explore the possibilities that a single ingredient can have. It gives me the opportunity to work my culinary imagination in a way I don't get to all the time. ​This Simple Summer Succotash recipe is the culmination of one of those inspirational culinary experiences I had recently. I happened to have a squash, tomatoes and corn on hand and everything else just fell into place. This dish is full of wonderful summer flavors like basil and zucchini and the pepper flakes and Parmesan make the different ingredients dance on the tongue.  

I encourage you to try this dish, and maybe even let the ingredients you have on hand inspire you to make something amazing too!

​Summer Succotash

Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 banana peppers, deseeded and chopped
1 medium Zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 ears of corn, shucked and removed from the cob
1 can of beans (kidney, black, white, whatever you have)
1 handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
Chili flakes
Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat a generous amount of oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic to the pan and sauté until the onions just begin to turn translucent.
Add in the peppers and zucchini and mix well. 
After about 5 minutes add the tomatoes and corn to the pan and mix to combine.
Once the tomatoes are soft, add in the beans and basil, as well as the pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste.
Mix everything together and let everything cook through for another minute or two then serve.