Crunchy Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Dressing

I just crave the taste of garden fresh vegetables in the winter. Though we are under 9 inches of snow here and it is bitterly cold here, we are lucky to get crisp and juicy salad vegetables in our favourite stores. Last week, I bought sweet bell peppers: red, yellow, and orange, crunchy cucumbers, and some beautiful tomatoes for a salad. This is a salad I love - it has a light home made dressing that I make with yogurt and lots of nuts and seeds to add to the crunch!!

Ingredients:
1/2 sweet red pepper, washed and cubed
1/2 sweet yellow peppers, washed and cubed
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cubed
1 cup sweet corn, boiled and cooled
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 cup sour creme
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp pepitas
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped

Method:

1. Place all the chopped vegetables and corn in a large bowl.
2. To prepare the dressing, blend together the yogurt and sour cream in small mixing bowl. 
3. Add the salt, mustard, pepper, and chili flakes. Whisk well.
4. Taste to check the seasonings. They should be a little on the sharp side.
5. Pour the seasoning into the chopped salad vegetables. 
6. Use a spoon to mix in the dressing - ensure that the vegetables are well coated.
7. Throw in the walnuts and pepitas.
8. Serve immediately or cover and save in the refrigerator for the next meal

Good to Know:

• This salad can be made in advance and will stay well in the refrigerator for 2 days.
• Remove from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving. Mix well.
• I find that if prepared in advance the dressing really seeps in and adds to the flavour of this already yummy salad.

Vegan Substitute: Try Soy Yogurt in place of the dairy version for the dressing. Increase the quantity by a quarter cup to cover the sour cream.

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