My Favorite Salad

It's hot.

So hot, that I don't want to cook, as I'm sure most of you don't either. How can I give my family a healthy, satisfying meal that won't have me looking like a drenched mess in the kitchen? Easy...salad!

A salad doesn't have to be boring. I look at it like a blank canvas. You can mix and match to your liking. This recipe is my absolute favorite. Especially on a hot summer day. We have had this salad at least twice a week and we never tire of it. Bonus, you don't really need to follow an ingredient list because it's whatever you want to throw in! That's why I call this the "Kitchen salad".

This has been the summer of lettuce (right now I'm hearing "summer of George" from Seinfeld in my head). Our garden has been churning out the most delicious types of lettuce for weeks now and I can't get enough of them.

I wash the lettuce thoroughly and use my salad spinner to get rid of excess water.

Chop and and peel any veg you want to add in. I like bell peppers and cucumbers. 

Then my favorite part of the salad is a crisp green apple. I like to leave the skin on (I use organic and still wash it well). Just cut it into bite size pieces.

For a little a bit of dairy/fat, I add in a few slices (cut into cubes) of a sharp cheddar cheese.

Now I add in a handful of raisins and cashews. This is when I really change it up. Sometimes I throw in dried cranberries or other dried fruit. Sometimes almonds or pistachios. Sometimes I'll also add sunflower seeds. It's really all about having different textures and taste profiles in your salad. That's what keeps it from getting monotonous. 

With a "fancy" salad like this one, I like to use a good olive oil and vinegar. Some bottled dressing work well too, I would choose a raspberry walnut or a poppy seed. These were found at this cool little local store http://www.newburyportoliveoil.com/.

The sequence goes: Oil-Salt&Pepper-Vinegar

And then your dinner is ready to enjoy. One big salad (Interestingly enough makes me think of another Seinfeld reference!) will feed our family well and leave leftovers for lunch if we reserve some without the dressing. 

Feel free to copy this exactly or experiment and make your own kitchen salad!

We Got the Beet

Recently I reached out to the Facebook world to find out what people would like to see more of on the blog. The answer? More easy dinner ideas. This salad couldn't get any easier.

I love turning a salad into a meal. Just like a soup, you can pretty much add anything you want into a bowl and call it done. When I see a roasted beet salad on the menu at good restaurant, I can't resist ordering it.

This has everything your taste buds crave. The saltiness of the goat cheese, the bitterness of the greens and the sweetness of the beets. And since I like a little spice, I throw in some toasted nuts with pepper. It may seem "fancy", but it's really quite simple.

Ingredients:

One package/bag of mixed greens
4-5 beets peeled and chopped
Goat cheese (the amount depends on you!)
Couple of handfuls of raw, unsalted walnuts/pistachios
1/2 tbsp of salted butter
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil


Dressing:
Balsamic vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coarse Salt
Pepper

I used both golden and red beets. I just love the pop of color.

Peel the beets, cut off the stems and chop into small pieces. If you haven't cooked beets before, beware, they do stain! Wash your cutting boards, knives and hands quickly after chopping them.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and "grease" it with a little olive oil. Add your beets and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop them into a 425 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until fork tender (Just keep an eye on them so they don't burn).

Oh...and I separate the two colors so they don't bleed into each other.

Wash your greens. I got this beautiful blend at the farmer's market and I couldn't wait to try it!

When he is feeling up to it, I get help from my little guy. He ALWAYS wants to help when I break out the salad spinner! Such a fun job for a curious boy.

In a small frying pan, I add chopped walnuts,pistachios and butter. Sprinkle with black pepper. Toast on medium/low heat until fragrant. Once done, I make the dressing.

First, I put together all the components of my salad. I drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil to coat everything and toss. Add in a pinch of coarse salt, couple of pinches of pepper and toss. Then I add the balsamic vinegar and give it a final toss. Crumble up as much goat cheese as you would like and top the salad.

This salad is a flavor explosion, just try not to fall out of your chair while your eating it!