A Kitchen Sink Salad

Approximate quantities: 6 ounces baby spinach; 2 large heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumber, sliced into thin disks; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; 1 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped into 1-2” cubes, and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, 1 medium watermelon radish sliced into thin crescents, 1 lb of ground turkey browned with scallions and red chili flakes, 1 cup of cooked rice, and 1 16-ounce can on black bean, drained drizzled with olive oil, lime juice, and hot sauce

My only note about assembling this is, I browned the ground turkey — actually my Mom did — just before we were going to eat, and then once it was cooked through, she added 1 cup of cold, cooked rice and the black beans to pan to warm them and bring the flavors together and then we tossed this mixture warm into the salad.

Serves 4 as a main.

An Early Fall Powerhouse Vegan Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 head of butter lettuce, roughly chopped; 3/4 of a cup of cooked brown rice; 2 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; about a cup of grilled wax beans, roughly chopped; 2 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 2 medium sweet potatoes, peels, chopped into 1-2” cubes and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and Dried Icelandic Kelp, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes; 1 grilled red bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 16-ounce can of chickpeas, crisped in a skillet or on a sheet pan, and 1 medium sized watermelon radish, sliced into thin crescents drizzled with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper — although it also would be good with tahini dressing

Serves 2 as a main.

End of Summer Chopped Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced; 2 large jersey tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 1 medium lemon boy tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 16-ounce can of chick peas, crisped one a sauté pan or in the oven; 6-8 pieces of halloumi cheese, crisped in a sauté pan with a sprinkle of chili and then drizzled with lemon juice, à la Nigella; 1 green pepper, thinly sliced; and 2 Kirby cucumbers, cut into thin disks drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper or tahini dressing

Serves 2 as a main.

A Boxing Day Detox Salad

Approximate quantities: 10 ounces of butter lettuce, roughly chopped; 2 ounces of radicchio, roughly chopped; 1 medium watermelon radish, sliced into thin crescents; 2 carrots, sliced into thin discs; 10 ounces of sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise; 1 avocado, sliced lengthwise

Dressed with my new favorite homemade vinaigrette blend: 30 ml of olive oil; 30 ml of red wine vinegar; 15 g of Dijon mustard, or if you like a little extra kick, a horseradish mustard; and the juice of 1/2 of 1 lemon

Falafel and Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad

This is a super satisfying vegetarian, double chickpea, chopped salad that was inspired by a Mediterranean grain bowl that I ate for lunch the other week that got me thinking.

Ingredients:

6 falafels balls, roughly chopped
8 ounces of butter lettuce, romaine or any mix green will also be fine here
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 seedless cucumber or 6 small Persian or Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments
1 watermelon radish or 4-6 small radishes, sliced into thin crescents
2 tablespoons sliced pepperocini or banana peppers, minced
3-4 ounces of feta, crumbled 
1 15 ounce can of chickpeas or 1/2 cup of crispy chickpeas snacks
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

I did not make falafel from scratch — I bought a dozen from Sahadi’s, it’s up to you if you want to buy falafel, here in New York, they are easy to find them in the prepared foods area of super markets or to make them from scratch or to make them from a mix, which is what we did when I was a kid, if you are making falafel, obviously, that’s step one

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, scatter them across a sheet pan lined with parchment, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes, until they begin to crisp — you can also skip this step entirely and buy a bag of crispy chickpea snacks, they are everywhere lately

While the chickpeas are in the oven, roughly chop the falafel; quarter the cherry tomatoes; chop the cucumbers; slice the radishes; mince the pepperoni or banana peppers; and crumble the feta

Toss all of the vegetables and the falafel with the lettuce in a bowl and then make the dressing — in a small mixing bowl combine 4 tablespoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, and mix vigorously to combine

When the chickpeas are crispy on the outside, remove from oven and allow a few minutes to cool, and then add 1/2 cup to the salad, toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper

Serves two as a main, four as a starter or side.

A Rainbow Side Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 large red heirloom tomato, roughly chopped; 1 large yellow heirloom tomato, roughly chopped; 1 avocado, sliced lengthwise; 4 kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 1 watermelon radish, peeled and sliced into thin discs; drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste

Serves two as a side.

California Nicoise Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 large head of romaine lettuce; roughly chopped; 1 avocado, cut into slices; 2 carrots, 2 medium sized carrots, sliced into thin discs; 1 watermelon radish, peeled and sliced into thin crescents; 1 can of tuna; 1/4-1/3 of a cup of roasted red pepper, somewhat finely chopped; lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two as a main.

I Also ❤ Links

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend and are able to enjoy fireworks! I'll be making salad for my family's celebration, duh, and also probably a potato salad and another blueberry rhubarb pie. Here's what I've been reading & eating this week:

Two Older Salad Recipes I Love and Cycle Back To: Watermelon Radishes with Burrata and Nancy's Chopped Salad

A Delicious New Sweetgreen Salad: Mexican Corn Elote Bowl

Curious what's in season where you are?: Food Geeks' have a great database

Martha Stewart posted a great summer lettuce guide: There's So Much You Can Do with Lettuce! and a great article on Cindy Daniel and Doug Lipton, the owners of Shed, A Locavore Mecca in beautiful and amazing Healdsberg, CA, and of course check out their recipe for Charred Cucumber and Radish Salad with Yogurt t

And on a slightly off-topic note: The New York Times Food Department did a blind, hot dog taste-test which stuck a chord for me because last weekend, my brother and I grilled hot dogs out of nostalgia and in memory of our grandfather who loved them and made them for us when we were kids