Cucumber and pepper salad

Great for picnics and barbecues!

1 English cucmber
1 yellow bell pepper
1 small white onion
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
small handful of freshly cut mint

Peel abour 4 strips off the cucumber, leaving it 'striped', then quarter and sliced thinly. Cut the bell pepper into small strips and the onion into thin rounds.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and oil. Pour over the vegetables. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Snip mint leaves over the bowl. Toss well.

Chill, then serve.

Cucumber, tomato and mackerel salad

I love canned mackerel. (The plain kind - not the ones marinated in sauces.) You can get a can for about a euro here, and it's enough for two lunch salads.

Lettuce or greens, washed
ripe tomatoes, sliced
cucumber, sliced
carrots, peeled and sliced
vinaigrette
nutritional yeast flakes (optional, but sooo good)
freshly ground pepper

Toss the lettuce with a little vinaigrette. Top with veggies, mackerel, then yeast flakes. Voilà!

More marinated vegetable salad

I know I've already posted a version of this recipe recently, but we've been eating huge bowls of it for dinner about 3 nights a week. So good.

1/4 head purple cabbage, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
2 med tomatoes, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1 cup canned corn
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
Italian dressing

Optional: feta cheese or sliced grilled chicken

Combine vegetables in large bowl, along with feta or chicken if you're including it. Pour 1/2 cup Italian dressing over top, and also the lemon and black pepper. Stir to coat vegetables lightly. Add more to taste.

Let marinate two hours in fridge before serving. Or don't :)

Tabouleh recipe, right off the box

This recipe is pulled from the box of bulghur I bought recently. (Well, pulled and translated!) It was a big hit with my family, so I've made it twice this week.

2 bunches of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp of fresh mint, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
6 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup bulghur, medium
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil

lettuce leaves (optional)
pita bread (optional)

Optional add-ins: chopped cucumber, chickpeas, chopped bell pepper, lentils, chopped green onions, cinnamon, allspice, crushed garlic


Bulghur, fine grain

Heat a large saucepan of boiling, salted water. Add 2 cups bulghur. Cook at a low boil for ten minutes. Drain off excess water. Let the bulghur cool to room temperature.

Combine all remaining ingredients, stirring into the bulghur mix. Serve immediately or, if you prefer, chill first.

Serve tabouleh on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by extra lettuce leaves, lemon wedges and warm pita bread.

Broccoli slaw with purple cabbage and bacon

This is an adapted version of Aunt Betty Ann's broccoli salad. I think it's a close relative of broccoli slaw... but my family always talks about it referencing my great aunt.

1-2 heads broccoli, cut into florets

1 small red onion, chopped (I used a shallot)

6-8 slices bacon, well-cooked and crumbled (I used French lardons)

2-3 carrots, grated

1 small wedge purple cabbage, chopped

Dressing: Whisk until smooth.

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup light cream

freshly ground pepper

Mix vegetables. Pour dressing over top and stir until coated. Refrigerate at least two hours.

Romaine hearts salad

This salad doesn't really require a recipe, but I find I eat significantly more salads when I see how other people are eating them. Visually inspired, I guess. I've has this one a lot recently, so thought I'd share it. (This post by Mark Bittman always inspires me to eat more salads.)

Romaine hearts, washed and torn into pieces
Grated carrots
Ripe cherry tomatoes
Sliced fresh button mushrooms
Nutritional yeast flakes
Balsamic vinaigrette
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Marinated vegetable salad

It started off as a Greek salad... but I just kept adding more and more to it! We ate huge bowls of it with some French bread for dinner the other night. And it's been requested again for tonight.

1/4 head cabbage, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
2 med tomatoes, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1 cup canned corn
1 handful black olives, pitted and cut into quarters
2-3 cloved fresh garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
Italian dressing

Optional: feta cheese or sliced grilled chicken

Combine vegetables in large bowl, along with feta or chicken if you're including it. Pour 1/2 cup Italian dressing over top, and also the lemon and black pepper. Stir to coat vegetables lightly. Add more to taste.

Let marinate two hours in fridge before serving. Or don't :)

Middle Eastern chicken salad

I have no idea if this is actually Middle Eastern, but with the yogurt, mint, cumin and parsley... sure tasted like it to me!

2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pot plain yogurt
1 small tart apple, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 small handful chopped mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Let marinate 2-3 hours before serving.

You can serve it with crackers, as sandwich wraps in tortillas, in pita bread pockets, etc....

Mâche salad with honey vinaigrette

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
8 cups mâche
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup cubed roasted beets

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in oil until blended. Pour over mâche and toss gently. Serve with beets and pecans.

Spinach and warm roasted beet salad

I found spinach at a great price the other day and also had beets and walnuts on hand. (What? You don't keep beets on hand?) A salad sounded good, but I was already so cold from the snow... so a little improv on the beets to cut the chill.

3 large handfuls spinach, rinsed
1-2 beets, roasted or boiled, then peeled and diced
goat cheese
walnuts
lemon vinaigrette (not too much)
freshly ground pepper

Warm the beets slightly in the microwave - not hot, just a little warmer than room temperature. Toss the spinach with a little vinaigrette, then top with beets, walnuts, goat cheese and pepper.

Warm fennel and orange salad

I'd never had fennel before moving to France. And the description of 'celery and licorice' did not entice me at all. But it really is delicious!

2 bulbs fennel, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 oranges, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
4 Tbsp Dijon vinagrette
chopped fresh mint leaves

Heat oven broiler. Brush the fennel with olive oil, then place in cast iron skillet or baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until tips are just blackened and fennel is soft.



Place fennel in a bowl. Place orange pieces on top.

Whisk together the orange juice, zest and vinaigrette in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

Warm beet & carrot salad

Leave your preconceived notions about beets at the door (enough with the fake gagging already) and just try this recipe. It's delicious. I promise. And very, very nutritious. But more importantly, it's delicious. (I found the original recipe on this site, which I love.) The recipe says to serve warm, but I enjoyed a couple chilled helpings later in the day too.

2 roasted beets, grated
3 carrots, grated
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup apple juice
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Melt the butter in a large sautee pan on low heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is soft, but not yet brown. Add the beets, carrots and cider and cook for about five more minutes, stirring occasionally. Finish with salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper and the lemon juice.

Ugly beet and avocado salad

Ugly... but delicious! Creamy, sweet, and just a little crunch.

1 avocado, scooped out
1 roasted beet, cubed
1 wedge lemon

Toss avocado and beet in a bowl. Squeeze lemon over top and voilà!

Cheryl's blue cheese dressing

1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 oz Roquefort or other blue cheese

Blend all ingredients (except blue cheese). Crumble cheese into dressing, then stir. Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.

Melon, mint, cucumber and tomato salad

chopped cucumber
chopped canteloupe
chopped tomato
chopped mint

Toss together. Chill before serving. Mmm...

Summer vegetable salad

Inspired by this article on raw vegetable salads and a craving for Greek salad, this is what I wound up with. Big fan. I love vegetables and salads, but am not actually a huge lettuce lover. So the raw vegetable salad is my perfect match. And I ate a lot of it this summer!

The original post I read suggested mixing:

- four different vegetables you’d eat raw (corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, fennel, carrots, radishes, cabbage, radicchio, endive, sweet or green onions)

- cheese (feta, mozzarella, Swiss, cubed parmesan) and / or toasted nut or seed (pecans, almonds, pine nuts)

- simple vinaigrette

- chopped fresh herbs (parsley, marjoram, chives, thyme)


So I went to the fridge and herb garden and here's what I came up with. (I think the mint really made the difference.)

2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/3 English cucumber, chopped
1 ear of sweet corn kernels cut off the cob
mint leaves, snipped
basil leaves, snipped
1-2 tsp vinaigrette
1/2 small round of semi-firm goat cheese, crumbled

Toss all together and dig in. Go light on the vinaigrette. It's just a flavor binder, not an actual dressing - and you can always add more.

Spicy carrot and potato salad with mint

I based this recipe off one from North Africa for spicy carrots. I added potatoes and swapped cumin and curry for the paprika. The result tasted very Indian, which I love.

3-4 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes
3-4 carrots, sliced into rounds

Boil until just tender, but not soft.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, mix together the dressing. Make it to your tastes - just use the ingredients as a guide. Pick one or two spices as the main ones, then use smaller amounts of the others to highlight them. In this case, I used cinnamon and curry as the main flavors.

Start by mixing:
Juice of one lemon
2-3 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar (or more)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp curry
pinch salt

Mix and taste. Depending on how fresh your spices are, you may find one dominates the other. Add more of the weaker taste until the balance seems right.

Now highlight the taste by adding:
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of cloves
more salt if needed

Once the marinade tastes good, toss with the drained carrots and potatoes right away. Let marinate at room temperature a few hours, or refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature. Snip mint leaves over top, then serve.

101 salads...

(c) Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times

Bittman is back with his infamous 101 lists. This time it's 101 Simple Summer Salads - and they look amazing. I read through the whole list (twice) and copied the ones I'm most likely to try. There are about 89 others I'd love to try as well, but these are the ones with ingredients we often have on hand or combinations that I just couldn't resist trying.

Seriously. You need to see his 101 list. It's totally inspirationful.

Here's my to-make list:

Trim crusts if necessary from day-or-two-old bread (or even three-day-old bread), cube and marinate in black olive tapenade thinned with more olive oil. Add chopped capers and toss with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.

Chop or slice radishes (or jicama, or the ever-surprising kohlrabi) and combine with chopped or sliced unripe (i.e., still crunchy) mango, lime juice and mint or cilantro.

Combine sliced green tomatoes and sliced fresh mozzarella; top with roughly chopped basil, olive oil, black pepper and crumbled bacon.

Slice fresh figs — many, if you live where they grow — and top with crumbled bacon, balsamic vinegar (the best you have) and crumbled blue cheese.

Toss cooked bulgur with cooked chickpeas, quartered cherry or grape tomatoes, a little cumin, lots of chopped parsley, and lemon juice.

Toss cooked quinoa with fresh sliced apricots, cherries, pecans, and enough lemon and black pepper to make the whole thing savory.

Cube watermelon and combine with tomato chunks, basil and basic vinaigrette. You can substitute peach for the watermelon or the tomato (but not both, O.K.?). You can also add bacon or feta, but there goes the vegan-ness.

Mix wedges of tomatoes and peaches, add slivers of red onion, a few red-pepper flakes and cilantro. Dress with olive oil and lime or lemon juice. Astonishing.

Roughly chop cooked or canned chickpeas (you can pulse them, carefully, in a food processor) and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, lots of chopped fresh parsley and mint, and a few chopped tomatoes. Call this chickpea tabbouleh.

Cook whole, unpeeled eggplant in a dry, hot skillet or on a grill, turning occasionally, until completely collapsed and soft. Chop and toss with toasted pita, toasted pine nuts, cooked white beans and halved cherry tomatoes. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice and lots of black pepper. Or a (non-vegan) yogurt dressing is good, especially one laced with tahini.

Roast beets whole (or buy them precooked), then slice or cube and toss with a little chopped garlic (or a lot of roasted garlic), toasted walnuts, orange juice and olive oil.

Mix cooked or canned chickpeas with toasted coconut, shredded carrots, chopped celery, curry powder, olive oil, lime juice and cilantro.

Caprese salad with goat cheese

sliced ripe tomatoes
thinly sliced onion
a splash or two of balsamic vinegar
1 tound semi-firm fresh goat cheese, crumbled
fresh basil
salt & pepper

Tomato, onion & basil salad - made in a bag!

For packing picnics, this is the way to go! Can be made in advance and fits easily in a cooler or bag.

6-8 ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 large onions, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
snipped fresh basil
large Ziploc bag

Pour olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper into the bag. Add onions. Seal and squish onions around to coat with oil and vinegar.





Add tomatoes and squish around gently until evenly mixed in. Refrigerate 2-3 hours to marinate and chill.

Before serving, add basil and squish around one more time. You're ready to go!