I am SO. FAR. BEHIND. I will never catch up on writing out all the things we've been cooking.
In these post: four of my favorite salads from the summer of 2015: two non-creamy vinaigrette potato salads (I don't like mayonnaise), a summer squash salad, and a raw kale salad. The first three were adapted from Bon Appétit recipes; the last was an attempt to recreate a chopped kale salad with shredded roast chicken from the Cherry Creek Grill in Denver. Way back in 2009, I gave cooking with kale a try because a food writer raved about it. I was not won over. The Cherry Creek Grill salad finally made me reconsider.
Spicy potato salad
Ingredients:
In these post: four of my favorite salads from the summer of 2015: two non-creamy vinaigrette potato salads (I don't like mayonnaise), a summer squash salad, and a raw kale salad. The first three were adapted from Bon Appétit recipes; the last was an attempt to recreate a chopped kale salad with shredded roast chicken from the Cherry Creek Grill in Denver. Way back in 2009, I gave cooking with kale a try because a food writer raved about it. I was not won over. The Cherry Creek Grill salad finally made me reconsider.
Spicy potato salad
Ingredients:
- Olive oil, 1/4 cup plus more
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- Garlic, 1 clove, smashed
- 1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
- Fingerling or other small, tasty potatoes
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- Flat-leaf parsley, 1/4 cup torn
Directions:
1. Whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Slice potatoes in halves or rounds (if on the larger side - you want just the right surface area). Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Roast potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet at 375˚F until outsides are crisp and insides are tender.
4. When potatoes have cooled somewhat, toss with vinaigrette, jalapeño, and parsley. Serve.
5. Variations:
-- Thinly sliced, fried-crisp garlic adds a nice touch.
-- Adding jalapeño to the oven toward the end of roast results in, paradoxically, jalapeño flavor that is stronger and less sharp.
Great with: hamburgers (nice ones, with grass-fed beef and brioche rolls)
Kale potato salad
Ingredients:
- Fresh lemon juice, 3 tbsp
- Capers, drained, 2 tbsp
- Apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil, 3 tbsp plus more
- Tuscan kale, 1 bunch (you can get away with curly kale), coarsely chopped
- Shallots, chopped
- Fingerling or other small, tasty potatoes, about 1 pound
- Parsley and scallions (optional)
Directions:
1. Whisk together, lemon juice, capers, apple cider and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Prepare potatoes as in the previous recipe, including shallots on the baking sheet this time.
3. Toss kale with olive oil, salt and pepper. During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, sprinkle kale over the top of the potatoes and allow to roast.
4. Toss potato kale medley with vinaigrette, parsley and scallions (if desired). Serve.
Great with: grilled steaks
Summer squash salad
Ingredients:
- Soy sauce, 1 tsp
- Honey, 1 tsp
- Lemon zest, 1 tsp
- Lemon juice, 3 tbsp
- Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp
- Olive oil, 3 tbsp
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Zucchini, 1 small to medium, cut into paper-thin wide slices (requires a mandoline)
- Yellow summer squash, 1 small to medium, cut into paper-thin wide slices
- Macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped, 1/4 cup (can substitute hazelnuts)
- Pumpkin seeds, roasted, 1/4 cup
- Arugula, sorrel or other tender baby greens
Directions:
1. Whisk together soy, honey, lemon zest and juice, mustard and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. After thinly slicing squash and zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and quickly sauté in olive oil over medium-high heat until just barely tender (no more than 3-5 minutes).
3. Toss squash and arugula with vinaigrette and then with nuts and pumpkin seeds. Serve.
Great with: grilled lemon-pepper salmon
Raw kale salad
Ingredients:
- Fresh lemon juice, 6 tbsp
- Olive oil, 6 tbsp
- Apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp
- Champagne vinegar, 2 tbsp
- Whole-grain mustard, 2 tbsp
- Honey, 1 tsp
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Tuscan kale, 1 bunch, chopped into thin (0.5 cm or 0.25 inch strips)
- Green (Granny Smith) apple, julienned into matchsticks
- Dried cranberries, 1/4 cup
- Hazelnuts, toasted and chopped, 1/4 cup
- Marcona almonds, chopped, 1/4 cup (optional - toasted, sliced almonds are good too)
Directions:
1. Whisk vinegars, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and honey. Add salt and pepper to toast.
2. Toss dressing with kale and apple, thoroughly coating (this is key - I can't promise that my quantity of vinaigrette is spot-on).
3. Toss with cranberries and nuts. Serve.
Great with: roast chicken
