It just happened to be that this last week, I conjured up several salads for the family. Must be the post-vacation urge to eat healthy. By healthy I DO NOT MEAN LIGHT. I am not a fan of “light” food. I need satiety. I need fat. And I need calories. Have you seen me in person???
Anyhoo, here’s a roundup of our summer salads this week, with links to some of the recipes. The Nicoise Salad vinaigrette will be posted here tomorrow morning. I’ll list here what I paired with what, with absolutely no forethought to whether it was a good match or not. However, the pattern that you may or may not see emerge, is that almost all of the produce is seasonal (which is certainly not difficult in the midst of Texas summer), and much of it is from local farms. I shop mostly now at either farmers’ markets, Wheatsville Co-op, and occasionally the Indian market and Whole Foods Market.
And it also just so happens that most of our dinners this week were prepared either within an hour (shocking for me) or an hour and a half, and right before dinnertime. Need I remind you of our family’s dietary restrictions? I have to balance our meals to include protein for my vegetarian daughter, exclude grains/lentils for my semi-Paleo husband while including meat for him daily, and fulfill my obsession with cooking from untouched recipes trapped in my labyrinth of a recipe binder.
- Meatless Monday: Vegetable and Chickpea Quinoa Salad with a Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette and Chaat Masala; Navrattan Korma; Naan; Ridiculous Roasted Okra
- Tuesday: Black Bean, Avocado, and Corn Salad; Margarita Shrimp “Salad” with Tequila Lime Sauce; Bruschetta with Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon Olive Oil; Fruit Salad
- Wednesday: out to the movies! We went to a double feature (Prometheus and E.T.) with Parkside Happy Hour sandwiched in between.
- Thursday: Nicoise Salad with Smoked Trout; Watermelon and Arugula Salad with Sunflower Seeds; Ridiculous Roasted Okra; Orecchiette with Cherry Tomato Olive Oil Sauce
- Friday: Roasted Eggplant Salad in a Peanut-Soy Sauce; Soba Noodle Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Julienned Vegetables in a fermented black bean and garlic sauce; Salmon with a Coriander-Honey-Soy Glaze
So, remember the calories I mentioned earlier? I got extra, in the form of Delish cupcakes, twice, and Upper Crust Bakery, once. (After trying Delish’s Pineapple Upside Down cupcake, my cupcake score with them has improved. You can see my sum-up of Austin bakeries here). I ended the week making Nancie McDermott’s Coconut Cream Pie from her book Southern Pies. I used some tips from Shirley Corriher’s Bakewise for perfecting the meringue. I’m still working on the perfect meringue. I think I need to use ALL her tips!
What is your favorite summer salad? What seasonal produce is your favorite to tuck into a hearty and energetic salad?
Here are a few other salad links on some of my favorite blogs:
- A wonderfully nutritious chopped salad from 5 Second Rule: http://5secondrule.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/07/cliftons-chopped-salad.html
- And strawberries paired with arugula! Here at Rustic Garden Bistro: http://www.rusticgardenbistro.com/arugula-and-strawberry-salad-with-spiced-walnuts-goat-cheese-and-balsamic-vinaigrette/
- Tortilla Salad recipe (and more!) at 101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/tortilla-salad-recipe.html
- And her beautiful Friday Flowers series, from Cooking on the Weekends: http://cookingontheweekends.com/2011/09/friday-flowers-thai-basil-flowers-and-tomato-salad-recipe/
Hey Shef – Do you have your recipe for the roasted okra posted? I couldn’t find it, and I’m dying to make it with my Farmhouse delivery this week. Thanks! Tina Wall
I do not have it posted. But thank you for the reminder. It’s very simple. I’ll just write it in this comment and then make it into a recipe format for this post later. Preheat oven to 450 F. Slice about a pound of okra (or however much you want) lengthwise in half, cutting the pointy tips off if desired and the heads if desired. Place the okra slices in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle a teaspoon and a half of kosher salt. Add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to coat. Spread the okra out on a greased baking sheet (don’t crowd them–you may need two baking sheets). Pop into the hot oven for about 20 minutes, using a heat-proof spatula to toss around halfway through. If you like the okra nice and browned you may need to leave them in there for 10 more minutes. Taste for salt and sprinkle more if you like! This has become a regular summer staple for our whole family!
Perfect – thanks!!