Welcome to Summer. It's hot and humid, and along with the fact that heat can kill your appetite to begin with, the idea of turning on the stove or oven is entirely too unappealing. Still, we have to eat. Salads are a great, usually healthy, option. Here are a few of my favorites.
Greek Salad
1-2 Tomatoes
1/2 - 1 Cucumber
1/4 medium Red Onion
1/4 Green Bell Pepper
Olives (optional)
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Dried herbs (oregano, basil, marjoram, etc.) - optional
Cut vegetables into bite sized chunks and mix together in a bowl. (Peppers and Onions can be cut small. Who wants a giant bite of raw onion?) Toss with a bit of olive oil and Balsamic vinegar, to taste. Crumble in the feta and mix well. Herbs can be added, or not, to taste.
Play around with the proportions here until it's the way you like it. Phil used to want his mostly tomato, while I did mine heavier on the cucumber. Also, "meaty" tomatoes work best for this - plum or roma tomatoes are my preference, though small cherry tomatoes cut in half would work, too.
Confetti Salad
Broccoli
Tomato
Yellow Pepper
Cucumber
Red Onion
Black Olives
Feta (optional)
Vinegar(optional)
Cut all the veggies into small pieces about the size of half a medium olive. Mix together in a bowl. Judge how much of what you need by how the color mix looks. If your tomatoes are juicy, you might not need any vinegar. Mix some feta in if you'd like, but honestly, it's good even without it.
Black Bean and Corn Salsa/Salad
Honestly, I've done this as both a salsa to eat with chips and as a salad that I'll eat with a spoon. It's just tasty.
1 Can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (drained) or 12 oz bag of frozen (thawed) corn (Mexi style or regular)
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 can chopped mild green chiles
1/4 - 1/2 cup Diced red/green bell pepper (optional)
Chili Powder
Garlic
Salt
Chopped fresh Cilantro (to taste)
Mix everything together in a bowl and let set for a half hour or so to let all the flavors combine. Adjust the amount of ingredients to taste, and to the juice level you want. I've used pre-seasoned black beans, which work just fine. You can use fresh garlic or powdered, depending on your particular taste. You can even add lime juice if you want, but it often doesn't need it.
Caprese Salad
Dark colored greens - Spinach or Spring Mix
Fresh Basil leaves
Fresh Mozzarella (the kind that's packed in water)
Tomatoes - Cherry, plumb, or any deep red, full flavored variety
Balsamic Vinaigrette, or balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Mix some torn fresh basil leaves into your greens. Slice your mozzarella, or if you have the tiny mozzarella balls, cut them in small pieces. Slice your tomatoes. Top your greens with the tomatoes and cheese then drizzle lightly with your dressing.
Southwestern Salad
Romaine Lettuce - torn to bite size
Shredded Cheddar/Mexi cheese
Diced tomatoes
Bacon Bits (freshly made are best) - optional
Cucumber (Cut in quartered slices)
Chopped cooked chicken ( leftovers work great for this)
Chipolte Ranch Dressing, or ranch dressing mixed with a bit of salsa
This has been a favorite of Phil's for years. There are times we've added other salad bits, but this is the basic recipe I've generally followed. Proportion your ingredients to taste.
"Junk Food" Salad
I went to the store one night craving junk food and came home with salad fixings instead. This is still one of my favorite mixes, and almost counts as "comfort food".
Lettuce - not iceberg. Romaine and Butter Lettuce work well
Diced Tomato
Avocado - diced
Mushrooms - sliced
Bacon bits (freshly made)
Parmesan Cheese
Creamy Italian Dressing
Mix proportions to taste.
Greek Salad
1-2 Tomatoes
1/2 - 1 Cucumber
1/4 medium Red Onion
1/4 Green Bell Pepper
Olives (optional)
Feta Cheese
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Dried herbs (oregano, basil, marjoram, etc.) - optional
Cut vegetables into bite sized chunks and mix together in a bowl. (Peppers and Onions can be cut small. Who wants a giant bite of raw onion?) Toss with a bit of olive oil and Balsamic vinegar, to taste. Crumble in the feta and mix well. Herbs can be added, or not, to taste.
Play around with the proportions here until it's the way you like it. Phil used to want his mostly tomato, while I did mine heavier on the cucumber. Also, "meaty" tomatoes work best for this - plum or roma tomatoes are my preference, though small cherry tomatoes cut in half would work, too.
Confetti Salad
Broccoli
Tomato
Yellow Pepper
Cucumber
Red Onion
Black Olives
Feta (optional)
Vinegar(optional)
Cut all the veggies into small pieces about the size of half a medium olive. Mix together in a bowl. Judge how much of what you need by how the color mix looks. If your tomatoes are juicy, you might not need any vinegar. Mix some feta in if you'd like, but honestly, it's good even without it.
Black Bean and Corn Salsa/Salad
Honestly, I've done this as both a salsa to eat with chips and as a salad that I'll eat with a spoon. It's just tasty.
1 Can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (drained) or 12 oz bag of frozen (thawed) corn (Mexi style or regular)
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 can chopped mild green chiles
1/4 - 1/2 cup Diced red/green bell pepper (optional)
Chili Powder
Garlic
Salt
Chopped fresh Cilantro (to taste)
Mix everything together in a bowl and let set for a half hour or so to let all the flavors combine. Adjust the amount of ingredients to taste, and to the juice level you want. I've used pre-seasoned black beans, which work just fine. You can use fresh garlic or powdered, depending on your particular taste. You can even add lime juice if you want, but it often doesn't need it.
Caprese Salad
Dark colored greens - Spinach or Spring Mix
Fresh Basil leaves
Fresh Mozzarella (the kind that's packed in water)
Tomatoes - Cherry, plumb, or any deep red, full flavored variety
Balsamic Vinaigrette, or balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Mix some torn fresh basil leaves into your greens. Slice your mozzarella, or if you have the tiny mozzarella balls, cut them in small pieces. Slice your tomatoes. Top your greens with the tomatoes and cheese then drizzle lightly with your dressing.
Southwestern Salad
Romaine Lettuce - torn to bite size
Shredded Cheddar/Mexi cheese
Diced tomatoes
Bacon Bits (freshly made are best) - optional
Cucumber (Cut in quartered slices)
Chopped cooked chicken ( leftovers work great for this)
Chipolte Ranch Dressing, or ranch dressing mixed with a bit of salsa
This has been a favorite of Phil's for years. There are times we've added other salad bits, but this is the basic recipe I've generally followed. Proportion your ingredients to taste.
"Junk Food" Salad
I went to the store one night craving junk food and came home with salad fixings instead. This is still one of my favorite mixes, and almost counts as "comfort food".
Lettuce - not iceberg. Romaine and Butter Lettuce work well
Diced Tomato
Avocado - diced
Mushrooms - sliced
Bacon bits (freshly made)
Parmesan Cheese
Creamy Italian Dressing
Mix proportions to taste.
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