Mollie Katzen’s recipes are always a hit in our house and this one, from 2013’s The Heart of the Plate, was no exception. It is the perfect summer salad as fresh cukes and tomatoes are in abundance, and it is easily adaptable – as I quickly discovered when I neglected to buy fresh corn at the farmstand this week.

The recipe calls for pearl barley, red onion, scallions, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, a sweet red (or orange pepper) and corn. My substitution for the corn? A half-and-half mix of thawed frozen peas and thawed riced cauliflower (a leftover ingredient from another recipe).

Mollie Katzen’s Summer Corn and Barley Salad recipe, found on page 120, suggests more enhancements: edamame, cilantro, parsley, avocado – and more. You get the picture. And we can personally vouch for the deliciousness of this salad on the day after.

We’ll definitely be breaking this one out again before corn season is over.

The serving dish is a piece from Edgecomb Potters in Edgecomb, Maine, a must-stop whenever we are traveling in the Mid-Coast of Maine.