Recipe Monday. 5 Great summer salads to stay cool in the heat!

It's Hot and we love it! Inspired by this months amazing heat waves we decided to dedicate this week's recipe ideas to great salads.  Not just for lunch or sides, these rich and textured salads can easily pass for a late light dinner.  

All photos and recipes are sourced from one of my favourite food blogs called 

love and lemons.  

Full of delicious foods and stunning photography this blog has us coming back for more.  please follow this link for more information and inspiring recipes.

www.loveandlemons.com

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups asparagus, tender parts only, cut into 1 inch pieces (blanched)
a few handfuls of arugula or other salad greens (about 2 cups)
2 Tbs. sesame seeds, toasted
3 Tbs. sliced almonds, toasted
feta or other cheese, optional

dressing: (use only as much as needed, there will be extra)
1 shallot, minced
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. white wine or champagne vinegar
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
1/3 c. olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is boiling, get a medium bowl of ice water ready. Drop asparagus into the boiling water for 30 seconds or until it’s bright green but still crunchy. Remove from boiling water and transfer to the bowl of ice water to quickly stop the cooking process. Once asparagus is cooled, lay it to dry on a towel.

Toast sesame seeds and almond slices in a small skillet with a few pinches of salt. Set aside.

Whisk all dressing ingredients together.

Toss arugula and asparagus in the dressing (taste and decide how much or little you want to use).

Arrange greens on a platter and top with the toasted almonds, sesame seeds & a bit of cheese if you wish.

Quinoa, Strawberry & Feta Salad
serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side

I’m not gonna lie, while I was making this my husband Jack was doubting. He’s not particularly crazy about strawberries as it is, so he wasn’t so thrilled to see them for dinner… but he loved this. I feel like I deserve a pat on the back for winning him over, but really the guy can be convinced of anything as long as there’s cheese involved.

The salty feta is the perfect contrast to the sweet, juicy strawberries. They’re mixed together with hearty quinoa, crunchy walnuts, and tossed in a light, tangy lemon dressing. This would be great as a side dish for a picnic but it’s also hearty enough to be a full meal. We ate it along with some simply grilled salmon. The plan was to save the leftovers for lunch the next day, but if you put a bowl of food between the two of us, leftovers don’t stand a chance. —Jeanine

Ingredients

1 1/2 c cooked quinoa (3/4 c uncooked, plus 1 1/2 c water)
3/4 c sliced strawberries (about 5-6 large strawberries)
1/2 c chopped or crumbled feta
1/4 c chopped mint
1/4 c chopped scallions (green and white parts)
1/3 c chopped walnuts, toasted
2 c baby salad greens
1/4 c sprouts (optional)

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette:

2 tbsp olive oil (plus a little more to drizzle on at the end)
2 tbsp lemon juice (plus a little more to squeeze on at the end)
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp honey
salt & pepper

Cook your quinoa. I like this method.

In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.

Toss all salad ingredients together and pour on the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. I added a final squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil on top.

This is the kind of salad that gets better as it sits and the flavors mesh together… so if you have the patience, let it chill for 15-20 minutes before serving. Make extra if you want leftovers for lunch the next day.

Grilled Peach Salad with Mint & Basil Pesto
serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side

I’ve been a peach purist until now. Peaches and cream, cobblers, and peach cakes have never been my thing. Plain ripe peaches with sticky hands and peach juice running down my elbows is more like it … So why mess with a good thing? Because it turns out that sometimes good things can be made even better.

The natural caramelized sweetness that came out of these peaches straight off the grill was to die for. Paired with contrasting flavors—spicy arugula, creamy fresh mozzarella, and herb-y pesto. It’s complete perfection. This one has moved to the top of my list for favorite summertime dishes. It’s simple enough to put together for a light weeknight meal, but fancy enough to serve as a starter at your next dinner party. This one’s sure to impress even your snobbiest of foodie friends. —Jeanine

Ingredients

2 firm, yet ripe peaches
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 c baby arugula
fresh mozzarella, sliced
a few dollops of pesto
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted and chopped
salt & pepper

Mint & Basil Pesto:

1 c packed mix of mint & basil
1/4 c pine nuts, toasted (you could also use walnuts)
1/2 garlic clove, roughly chopped
juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon
1/4 c olive oil (or more)
a few pinches of red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Slice the peaches into 6 segments per peach. In a small bowl, toss peaches with olive oil, balsamic, and just a small pinch of salt.

Heat your grill (or grill pan) to medium-high heat and brush it with some oil. Place the peach slices on the hot grill and cook each side for 2-3 minutes without moving them (near the end you can gently peek to see how your grill marks are coming along).

A few notes about grilling peaches: They will pick up the flavors of what you previously grilled on your grill. Depending on what that was, you may want to clean your grill well before beginning. Also, I experimented with using grill pans—a cast-iron (seasoned) grill pan and a nonstick grill pan. The nonstick created “prettier” grill marks because the peaches stuck less. The seasoned cast-iron pan imparted a hint of zucchini flavor from a previous dinner (that was surprisingly not awful tasting). Both ways, the peaches tasted wonderful.

When your peaches are grilled, set them aside and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the pesto. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and pulse to combine. Add more oil for a smoother pesto, or leave it chunky—whichever consistency you prefer.

Toss the arugula with just a little bit of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Assemble on a platter and top with mozzarella slices, peaches, dollops of pesto, and a few pinches of red pepper flakes. Squeeze just a bit of lemon on top and serve.

Grilled Panzanella with Poached Eggs
serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side

I love charred bread, but I haven’t always.  When I was younger, my dad ate all the family reject burnt food. Overdone toast, accidentally burnt pancakes, cookies we left in the oven too long … my sister and I had a preference toward underdone and doughy food so whatever we messed up and overcooked, we’d pile on a plate for my dad. And he’d say “this is the best kind.”

The first time I put burnt toast on a plate for Jack, he looked at me and said, “What’s this, am I your dad now?” I had just always assumed that burnt food equaled man food. So over time, I selflessly became the eater of the black toast … not quite as black as the way my dad liked it, but I’ve come to love bread with a nice deep char. Especially in a salad like this.

Toasty, garlicky bread cubes kick up your average panzanella. That char offers such a delightful contrast to the juicy tomatoes, sweet basil, and fruity olive oil.

Make it a full meal by topping it with a poached egg. —Jeanine

Ingredients

1 small red onion, sliced thin
half loaf of day-old ciabatta bread
olive oil
1/2 garlic clove
1 1/2 c cherry and/or pear tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 c ricotta salata cheese, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
5 or 6 basil leaves, torn
1/4 c toasted pine nuts
2-4 eggs, for poaching (optional)

Dressing:

1/4 c olive oil
2 tbsp champagne vinegar (or white or red wine vinegar)
squeeze of lemon juice (1-2 tbsp, to taste)
salt & pepper, to taste
a few pinches of red pepper flakes

Optional step: In a small bowl, toss red onion slices with a teaspoon or two of the champagne vinegar. Set aside while you work on the rest of the steps. This helps cut down on the harsh raw onion taste.

Slice bread into 1/2-inch thick slices, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle a few pinches of salt and grill both sides until lightly charred. Remove bread from grill and rub it it with the sliced side of the garlic clove while the bread is still warm. Chop the bread into cubes and set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl toss the bread cubes, tomatoes, onion slices, ricotta salata, and basil together with the dressing. Top with toasted pine nuts and a few more red pepper flakes. Allow the salad to sit for 15-20 minutes for the dressing to soak into the bread. Taste and adjust seasonings.

INGREDIENTS:serves 2-3 as a full meal, 4-5 as a side

charred corn & poblano:1 poblano pepper
1 ear of corn, kernels sliced off the cob (about 1/2 cup)

cherry tomato pico:1/4 c. sliced tomatoes (cherry)
1/2 lime (1-2 tablespoons)
1/4 c. sliced scallions, white and green, 2-3
a few pinches of salt

chipotle lime dressing:1/4 c olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 tablespoon agave syrup
salt, pepper, to taste

other salad components: 
red quinoa – 1 cup, cooked
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup cubed tofu (or meat or cheese of your choice)
1/2 c. cilantro
1/2 sliced avocado
tortilla strips from 1 tortilla, sliced, baked, salted

METHOD:Roast the poblano pepper and char the corn. Place poblano under the broiler for 20 or so minutes, until blistered on all sides. (time will vary depending on the heat of your broiler). When it’s fully blistered, remove and place in a bowl and cover (not touching) with plastic wrap or at towel. Set aside for 15 minutes or so, until it’s cool enough to handle. Using your fingers, slide off the skin and remove the stem and seeds. Chop into roughly 1/4 inch pieces and place in a small bowl.

Toss corn kernels with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast corn kernels under the broiler for 4-5 minutes or until they just begin to blacken. Remove from oven, toss with chopped poblano and set aside.

In another small bowl, toss together cherry tomatoes, lime juice, scallions, and a few pinches of salt. Set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together the dressing: olive oil, lime juice, ancho chile powder, chipotle powder, agave, salt and pepper. (It might tasted too tangy/spicy/sweet on it’s own… but remember that it will get diluted when you mix it with everything else). Set aside.

In a large bowl combine red quinoa, arugula, tofu and cilantro with the dressing. (you might not need all of the dressing, start with half and add more to your liking). Toss in the charred corn, chopped poblano and pico. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with sliced avocado and tortilla strips and a squeeze of lime.