Recipe: Sauteed sweet corn and vegetables

This time of year, I make a weekly trip to the State Farmers' Market and load up on fresh fruits and vegetables.

My girls - ages 7 and 2 - help me pick out our produce for the week and we talk about what we'll have for lunches and dinners. One popular side dish is this mix of sauteed sweet corn and vegetables. It's a fantastic way to get rid of leftover vegetables and super easy to put together on a weekday night.

I usually leave the market with an order of six ears of unhusked corn (most farmers give you seven when you order six). The first night, I steam it and we eat it on the cob. Then I cut the leftover corn off the cob - usually about 2 1/2 cobs - and refrigerate for later in the week.

Once the refrigerator has a few containers of leftover vegetables, I heat a skillet with a little olive oil and, maybe, some chopped garlic and mix in the cooked corn and any leftover vegetables. I season with salt and pepper. Dried or fresh herbs make a great addition.

Sometimes I mix in some fresh vegetables too, including sweet peppers, spinach and cherry tomatoes. You could add some black beans to the mix too.

I saute it until the fresh vegetables are soft and everything is warm and cooked through. It's delicious warm, but I also like to eat it cold topped on a pile of lettuce with a little feta cheese ... if there's any left, of course.