These hot, steamy days, who wants to eat or COOK!? What to do? Try a big refreshing bowl of fresh veggies, leafy greens, some juicy fruit, crunchy nuts, chickpeas or black beans, some pasta or rice, and even a little extra protein like eggs, tuna or left-over meat. What you put in is up to you! It's not just a "salad"; it's a delicious cool meal with very little or no cooking. Light enough to eat on hot days and filling enough to satisfy your hunger.
Start with a visit to one of our Harvest Home Markets where you can get freshly picked, locally grown crisp leafy greens (lettuce, Swiss chard or kale), crunchy sugar snap peas, snappy green beans, REAL, juicy, ripened in the field tomatoes (YUM), carrots, red peppers, radishes, and corn-on-the-cob! Pair together the tastes you like.
Here's an example. Just toss everything together, except avocado and chill for at least a half hour:
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears fresh cooked corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 2 cups)
2 red bell peppers, diced (about 2 cups)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons red onion or shallots
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Add just before serving: 2 Hass avocados, chopped
Dressing: ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons sugar ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
You can add chopped -up greens, sugar snap peas, or crunchy nuts. Want a heartier dish, add some short pasta or rice, or even a can of tuna. NOTE: If you add more ingredients, make more dressing.
Have FUN with your meals while you STAY COOL!!!
Summer Salad Meal Ideas
BASIC RECIPE:
One or two veggies, one or two fruits, a grain (brown rice, small pasta, barley) a bean (black, white, navy) or chickpeas mixed together with a light dressing.
Or skip the fruit and use juicy veggies like tomatoes or cucumbers.
Serve over greens or chop up greens and mix in.
Add whatever else you want, like nuts for extra crunch, or canned tuna for extra protein.
Combos that Satisfy - Here are Some Ideas: The mixture is up to you! The combinations are endless. Try starting with the same amount of fruit as veggie
Cucumber, tomato and onion plus an citrus like mango or orange, brown rice, any bean you like.
Green beans, chickpeas, red onion, small pasta or couscous, almonds and a light dressing. Serve over fresh greens or add them chopped to the mixture.
Greek Salad: Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, feta cheese, a few tablespoons of olive oil and oregano or dill. Serve over greens or add tuna fish or both!
Refreshing Side Salad: Mix together 1 seedless watermelon cut in cubes, 4 tomatoes cut up, 1 small onion, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar. Add mint leaves for more refreshment. Add Feta cheese for a heartier salad.
TIPS FOR TASTE
Dressing for Summer Salad Bowls:The same combination of veggies with a different dressing can give you a different dish!
Light Citrus Dressing:Refreshingly good on really hot days. Combine equal parts of olive oil and lime or lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Vinaigrette: To ¾ of a cup of olive oil, add 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 3 Tablespoons of apple or white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon of water, a pinch of salt and a dash of black pepper.
Light Creamy Dressing: 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 Tablespoons of whole milk yogurt or mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon white vinegar, a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar!
Salsa: Whatever is your favorite. It should be light and thin. Try adding extra chopped tomatoes if it's too thick.
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TIPS:
Avocado adds taste to all salads. Add it just before you serve the meal.
Most vegetables are good without cooking. Just chop them into small pieces. Raw corn off the cob is delicious. If you want softer veggie, steam for no more than 3 minutes.
Nuts are perfect for adding crunch and taste
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