Sad to see summer go? Swap out your summertime sadness for some summertime salad-ness! At this time of year I have an aversion to using my stove; on a hot day when I already don’t feel like making dinner, it’s easier to do a little bit of chopping and have something ready in half an hour.
(Bonus: if you have extra, you can have it for lunch for the next day).
Here are two refreshing salads to make on a summer evening:
Cauliflower Chopped Salad (serves four generously)
Note: this salad keeps well overnight, even when dressed.
Salad:
½ large cauliflower, broken up into ½ inch or small bite-sized florets
1 bunch radishes, halved and cut into half-moon slivers
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 green onion stalks, sliced on a bias
1/3 English cucumber, quartered and sliced into triangles
¼ green or red cabbage, cut into thin, long strands
Finely diced red onion to taste
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds (extra flavourful if you toast them before serving)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1 small shallot, minced, or 2 Tbsp minced red onion
¼ cup plain yogurt
Juice of half a lime
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp feta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Wash and chop all vegetables and put them in a large bowl. Drain and rinse chickpeas and combine with other vegetables.
2. If toasting sunflower seeds, set in a pan on low heat for 5-7 minutes. Be sure to watch them carefully and jostle them around every couple minutes so they don’t burn. Remove from pan and let cool for a couple minutes before adding to salad.
3. Make the dressing: put all dressing ingredients in a food processor or magic bullet and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients as desired. If you want a thicker dressing, add more olive oil.
4. Toss salad with dressing, then add sunflower seeds on top. Serve and enjoy!
Leafy Greens Salad (serves four)
Note: Tofu, chicken, or quinoa would make great additions to this salad.
Salad:
2 generous handfuls of arugula
2 generous handfuls of kale (either use baby kale or slice into thin ribbons)
5-6 Brussels sprouts, bottoms chopped off and outer leaves discarded
1 pear, apple, or Asian pear, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted almonds, or roasted pumpkin seeds (extra flavourful if you toast them before serving)
Dressing (makes enough for a lightly dressed salad; double this recipe if you like more dressing):
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Rinse kale and arugula and dry well. Without washing the Brussels sprouts, chop off the bottom ends and remove and discard the outer leaves. Peel the inner leaves off one by one and put them into a colander to rinse. When the bud gets too small to peel leaves off, cut off the tough bottom and cut the remainder of the sprout into small rounds to use in the salad. Rinse the Brussels sprout leaves and pat dry. Combine only the Brussels sprouts and kale in the salad bowl.
2. Make the dressing: combine all ingredients in a small jar or tightly sealed container and shake until combined. (If the honey is too thick you may need to microwave it or the dressing for ten seconds in the microwave to make sure it mixes properly.) Taste and adjust ingredients as desired.
3. Dress the kale and Brussels sprouts: pour all of the dressing over and gently massage it into the leaves with your hands. Let sit for at least five minutes.
4. If toasting almonds or pumpkin seeds, set in a pan on low heat for 5-7 minutes. Be sure to watch them carefully and jostle them around every couple minutes so they don’t burn. Remove from pan and let cool for a couple minutes before adding to salad.
5. Cut the pear, apple, or Asian pear and add to salad with the toasted nuts or seeds and the arugula.