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It is horrendously hot here in LA, so I've been puttering around the kitchen putting together salads and composed salads. Yesterday I came up with an extra-delicious white bean/arugula/salmon salad.
Rinse a can of white beans. Toss with a little chopped onion, salt and pepper, chopped parsley, flaked smoked salmon (not the lox type), and some good balsamic vinegar. (Don't skip the balsamic. I initially used lemon juice, but the balsamic takes it from "okay I guess" (lemon juice) to "I think I'll make this again tomorrow.")
Toss arugula, kale or baby kale, or other raw bitter-ish green of your choice with olive oil and more balsamic.
Boil an egg to the point where the yolk is still somewhat soft. Slice it in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put some of the white bean salad on top of the greens. Put the sliced, still-warm egg on top of that. Enjoy.
What are your favorite "too hot to cook" recipes?
Rinse a can of white beans. Toss with a little chopped onion, salt and pepper, chopped parsley, flaked smoked salmon (not the lox type), and some good balsamic vinegar. (Don't skip the balsamic. I initially used lemon juice, but the balsamic takes it from "okay I guess" (lemon juice) to "I think I'll make this again tomorrow.")
Toss arugula, kale or baby kale, or other raw bitter-ish green of your choice with olive oil and more balsamic.
Boil an egg to the point where the yolk is still somewhat soft. Slice it in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Put some of the white bean salad on top of the greens. Put the sliced, still-warm egg on top of that. Enjoy.
What are your favorite "too hot to cook" recipes?
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spork of friendly fooding
My go-to summer salad is baby spinach, chopped-up stone fruit (peaches are especially nice right now), candied pecans, fried-up pancetta (crumbled bacon would also work), and yogurt honey mustard dressing.
I hope it cools down soon where you are!
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Seed the cucumber if it's one of the ones with lots of watery seed stuff.
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I could eat your salad except for the egg, and I think during the next heat wave I will totally try it.
P.
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a bunch of chopped tomato
a can of rinsed chickpeas
crumbled feta
generous quantities of basil
green onion, or regular onion, or garlic, or all of them
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
maybe a wee bit of sugar, depending on the tomatoes
Honestly it's better without the chickpeas but the chickpeas are what turn it into a meal instead of an appetizer so I put them in. But I could eat this salad forever.
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Dice some tomatoes. Add diced cucumbers if you've got 'em. Toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil (preferably lemon-infused). Set aside till the rice is done. Then dice some semi-soft cheese -- fresh mozzarella, queso fresco, anything that seems like a good mesh in terms of taste and texture. (The cheese is optional, but I very much prefer it that way.)
In a bowl: rice, cheese, tomato mixture, chopped scallions. Some crispy-fried shallots, the kind you can get from the right kind of Asian market, are a nice addition. Fresh spinach or other greens go well here too. Sometimes I add a splash of balsamic vinegar, if I feel like it. A fried egg on top is a great addition, but sometimes it's too hot for that.
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It's like the "banana ice cream" thing, but chunkier and doesn't require a blender.
Also works for seedless grapes (not chopped, obviously), strawberries, and sliced pineapple. Would probably work for many other fruits too. I like that it tastes good, is nutritious, and requires as close to zero effort as possible. (I hate summer.)
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Also, green soup: blenderize plain yogurt, avocado, and cucumber with some salt and pepper. (Garlic if you can tolerate it, which I can't; I use green onions, greens only.)
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My fave is gazpacho. I don't have a recipe, I just wing it from a combination of fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, scallions, tomato juice, evoo, and seasoning. Put 2/3 of the vegetables in a blender or food processor, dice the rest. Combine in a big bowl with tomato juice and evoo as needed to thin it out. Toss in an ice cube or two if you like. Eat with crusty bread. So refreshing!
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P.
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My favourite tuna salad: tinned tuna, chopped cucumber, sweet pepper (red and green, I like the bitterness of the green), chopped pickled cucumbers(I prefer in brine), and green onions (scallions). and mayonnaise.
My favourite at "too hot to cook" is ice cream and a spoon.
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My favoured quick light meal for hot weather (though it'll do year round), thinly slice new potatoes and ping in the microwave. While that's doing, slice some large mushrooms and then microwave with several thick (back) bacon rashers. Drain off assorted juices, mix everything together, serve in wraps with or without a dollop of salsa).
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* Definitely with the cilantro-tomatillo dressing, that part's mandatory. https://www.skinnytaste.com/creamy-cilantro-tomatillo-dressing/
* I leave out the cheese. It doesn't seem like it would go with the rest of the flavors.
* I totally make it in a trifle bowl. In fact, I make two, in two trifle bowls because my family eats a lot.
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congratulations you wonderful person
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Cooked small macaroni (mother's rings if you can find them, salad macaroni will work, so will the little rings or stars you can find in Mexican markets)
Frozen peas
Canned tuna
Sharp cheddar cheese cut into cubes slightly larger than the peas
Sweet pickles (not bread and butter) diced a little smaller than the peas. juice reserved.
Mix mayonnaise and sweet pickle juice until it's liquid but will coat the back of a spoon such that drawing a line through with your finger it will more or less stay.
Cook the pasta, drain, add the frozen peas to help cool the pasta. Add all the other mix-in things except the cheese and toss with the dressing, by this time it should be cool enough to add the cheese without the cheese melting. toss, leave over night in refrigerator and serve cold.
Do not try to keep for more than about three days after the first day you serve it (something in the way the pickle juice, mayonnaise, and tuna interact starts going a little weird.)
***
I also do cold lentil salads and a buckwheat-quinoa salad which similarly are designed to be made the night before so you're doing your cooking when it's relatively cooler and then you serve them cold.
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I am also very fond of grain-and-veggie salads - one does have to cook the grain on the stovetop or in a cooker of some sort - and add chopped crunchy veggies, optionally cheese, optionally legumes, and dress with olive oil & appropriate acid & spices. E.g.: quinoa, cucumber, tomato, red onion, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano. Or: pasta, cucumbers, red bell pepper, green onions, thawed frozen peas, peanut or cashew pieces, tofu cubes if you want, and dress with some peanut/other nut butter and soy sauce and hot sauce & maybe sesame oil (you do have to actually premix that in a second bowl).
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In autumn, when bitter greens are coming back after the summer hiatus, sweet potatoes or winter squash are in season, and using the oven to roast things is not an appalling prospect (so, maybe other times of the year depending on circumstances, I like: diced sweet potatoes, butternut or acorn squash roasted with a drizzle of oil, salt, and cinnamon, tossed with arugula and/or spinach, goat cheese, toasted or spicy-glazed pecans, maybe a little honey-mustard or vinaigrette dressing.
Recently I've had:
Diced tomatoes, mango, avocado, cucumber, sweet onion, precooked shrimps (ideally grilled or sauteed, scallops would substitute well, maybe crab/Krab), dressed with lime juice, minced cilantro, garlic and/or green onions, salt, pepper and hot sauce or minced jalapeno to taste. Originally the recipe called for about equal amounts of each of the main ingredients; i think it needed more shrimp, for a ratio of about 1/3 or 1/4 shrimp to veggies. Serve on tender greens, soft tortilla or chips.
mixed together: broccoli or cabbage slaw, toasted slivered almonds, sesame seeds, minced green onion, crushed raw unseasoned ramen noodles (optional), dressed with vinegar (rice or cider are good) sugar, salt, oil (preferably at least part Chinese sesame oil, remainder neutral veg oil) soy sauce or coconut aminos, pepper. Proportions are flexible to taste. Up to 1:1 slaw:ramen; around 1/2 cup vinegar, 2 tbs sugar and oil, 1 tsp salt per ~12oz pkg or 3 heaping cups of of slaw. Best at least a couple hours after mixing; keeps a week in the fridge. Delightful alongside mild-flavored seafood or chicken.
Mixed together: broccoli or cabbage slaw (12-oz pkg or equivalent), 1/2 large red bell pepper julienned or diced, 1/2 medium cucumber ditto (remove peel and seeds if obtrusive), 1 small can pineapple (crushed or bits, or equivalent fresh) including the juice, ~1tbs lime juice, small bunch green onions minced, small bunch cilantro minced, ~1-2tbs flaked coconut (optional), ~1 tbs crushed roasted peanuts (or peanut butter), ~1-2 tbs oil (ideally part peanut or sesame, remainder neutral veg oil), ~1tbs soy sauce or coconut aminos and/or salt to taste, bit of minced fresh ginger if available, sriracha or chili flakes if you like spicy. Can add 1-2 cups cooked chicken shreds/chunks. Best 30 minutes-2 days after assembly.
Mix together: ~12 oz/3 cups shredded carrots, ~1/2 cup/1 small can pineapple (crushed or bits), 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 -1/3 cup maynaise (or mix of mayo and plain yogurt), spoonful of marmelade or orange juice concentrate. Best at least a cuple hours after assembly, keeps a week or more in the fridge if you don't eat it first.
Sandwich: any interesting bread, avocado, sliced tomato, and Vegemite, or Penzey's Salad Sprinkle. Optional: handful of tender bitter greens; a fried egg, or bacon, or sharp cheddar.
Tuna, chicken, or egg salad salad: make tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg salad as for sandwich, eat on a pile of salad greens with whatever other salad toppings seem suitable.
Dangit, now I'm hungry.
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5-6 avocados
2-3 bunches of scallions
5-6 Roma tomatoes
the juice of 6 limes
minced jalapeños or other peppers to taste
1 bunch of cilantro
salt and pepper
I don't like jalapeños [or bells], but chilis work. You can eat this as a stand alone salad, put some in a pita, have as a side, or grab a spoon and inhale:)
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