Summer Vegetable Medley

To prepare the vegetables, first start with the corn. The easiest way to prepare the corn is to microwave it. With the corn still in the husk, microwave it for about 8 minutes. Once done, remove from the microwave and let sit for a few minutes to cool off. Alternatively, the corn can be cleaned first and then boiled on the stove top. While the corn is cooling off, char the poblano peppers. There are various ways you can do this: over a flame on the stove top, on the grill of a barbecue or under the broiler in the oven. Once the peppers are charred on all sides, put them in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for about 10 minutes. Next, put a medium pot of water on to boil for the fava beans. While waiting for the peppers, you can finish the corn. To remove the husk and silks, simply cut off the bottom of the corn (just past the first couple of rows), then grab the top of the corn and give it a few shakes. Cut the corn off the cob. Try not to break the corn up too much as a few bigger pieces are nice. Set aside. Next, dice the onion and zucchini into approximately 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside in separate bowls. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and dice into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside. Next, clean and parboil the fava beans. Once done, remove the skins from the beans and set the beans aside.

*Note: Any oil with a high smoke point can be used; however, the coconut oil adds a nice flavor to the vegetables. To cook the vegetables, start by sautéing the onion. Use a fairly large frying pan for this, as you do not want to overcrowd the pan. Set the heat to medium. Add the oil, followed by the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Once the onions have become translucent and are just starting to turn brown, add the zucchini. Let cook for a few minutes. Once the zucchini has begun to cook and soften slightly, add the remaining vegetables and let cook for a few minutes to heat through. Be gentle when stirring the vegetables, as you do not want to break them up too much. Lastly, taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or freshly ground pepper, if desired.

This dish can be served as a delicious side dish or it can be part of a more substantial meal if you add it to pasta or grains. You can also use it as the main filling for corn tortillas.