Easy and delicious salads.

Summer is the season for salads. When it's hot and humid out there it is most likely that you don't  want to turn on the stove or even come near it. So salads become the best meal for these days. They should not be difficult to make, nor need a recipe. You can simply look around your pantry and your refrigerator to come up with some easy and delicious combinations that everyone will love. You can surely use salads as meals, even when you have company. The only extra thing you'll have to do in this case is to make the presentation a little dramatic.

SEAFOOD AND BEAN SALAD

The last time I made this salad I had a lot of leftover seafood from a bollito misto I had made. You can also make it fresh, either you cook your seafood or buy it already cooked. If you want to cook the seafood, please do not boil it. Take it out of the shell, cut it in bite size (lobster for example) and simply toss it with some lime juice, a pinch of garlic powder or minced garlic and salt and pepper in a skillet with a drop of oil. When it turns red (actually orange) it is done. Let it cool, then assemble your salad. For this salad you'll need:

1 cup each: crab legs meat, shrimps, lobster meat
3 stalks of celery
1/2 red onion

1 can chick peas

1 can black beans
1 can (6oz black olives, pitted)
1 tomato
1 avocado
Juice of 2 limes
2 to 3 tbsp oil (olive oil or any oil you prefer in your salad)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a big bowl put all the seafood pieces and toss with the lime juice and some salt and pepper. Chop the celery, slice the black olive in small rings, and add to the bowl. Drain the beans, rinse and drain them again. Add the beans to the bowl. Dice the tomato and add it to the salad. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, dice it in the shell and then remove the flesh from it with a spoon. Add to the salad and sprinkle with lime juice. Add oil and toss. Adjust the seasoning, refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

CRAB MEAT SALAD

I made this salad when some friends called and said they were coming to see us one afternoon. Since they were from out of town, my husband thought that we should prepare a quick dinner and his first reaction was to go and buy some kind of meat or chicken to be grilled. Instead, I told him that we had at home many ingredients for a very good meal, and that there was no need to buy anything. Of course he was not convinced, until they came, had dinner with us and enjoyed every bit of it (there were no leftovers). I had a box of hors d'oeuvre in the freezer that I could bake in 35 minutes. I also made an easy pasta al forno and this salad. You'll need:
2 containers of crab meat (chunks and pieces, about 2 lb total)
3 stalks of celery
1 medium carrot
1/2 red onion
2 to 3 tbsp capers, drained
3 tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 bunch of dill
3 heaping tbsp of mayo
Salt and pepper to taste
3 endives for serving
Whole wheat toast for serving

In a large bowl put the crab meat and sprinkle with lime juice. Make sure that the are no shells or bones in the meat. In a food processor, or the small chop-chop, chop the red onion, then the carrot followed by the celery. I usually pulverize them so that you don't have any big chunks in the salad, just the taste and the color. Add to the bowl. Toss the salad. Add the capers, toss and adjust seasoning. Be careful not to add too much salt. Fold in the mayo, one tbsp at a time. You may not need to add all the mayo. Sprinkle with chopped dill.
To serve: remove the leaves of the endives and fill them with the salad and arrange them on a serving platter.

Put the remaining salad in a small serving bowl. Toast the bread slices by putting them in a 375 degree oven until browned. Slice them in triangles and arrange them around the salad bowl.

RICE AND BEANS SALAD

                                                       

Beans are very nutritious. They are rich in vitamins, protein, fiber and minerals, and they really taste good. You may think that it's difficult to cook beans, but it's not true. Even if you cook the beans from the dried state, the only thing you need is a little bit of extra time. You should pick the beans, in case there are some little stones or debris, rinse and soak them overnight. The next day just boil them in water with a pinch of salt until they are done. Again this salad doesn't need a recipe, it only needs a formula to mix any kind of beans, grains and vegetables, toss them with your preferred dressing or simply with a vinaigrette or even salt and pepper with any oil you prefer, lemon or lime juice  and your salad is ready. This formula is very simple, it consists of: equal amounts of beans and cooked grains (2 cups) + 3 cups of vegetables + 1/4 cup fresh herbs + onion to taste (1/2 red onion or 4 scallions) + 1/2 cup extras (cubed or crumbled cheese, toasted nuts, olives). You may use raw or cooked vegetables, anything you prefer or you have around the house. Usually I combine raw and cooked veggies. The raw vegetables can be tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers etc., and I put 2 cups. For the cooked vegetables (corn, green beans, peas etc.) I only use one cup.  As for the grains, you can also use what you have on hand: cooked white or brown rice, couscous, bulghur, quinoa or small size pasta. For this salad you'll need:

2 cups cooked rice
1 can black beans
1 can black olives, pitted
2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 small cucumbers
4 scallions
A small bunch of basil
A dash (1/4 tsp) of sumac
Lime juice, salt and pepper, oil, all to taste

Drain the beans, rinse them and drain them again. In a large bowl, put the rice, add the beans. Slice the olives, cut the tomatoes in half and thinly slice the scallions, white parts and some green. Peel the cucumbers, and with a knife cut them in four lengthwise, then slice them. Add all the vegetables to the bowl, and toss. Sprinkle the sumac (it's a Middle Eastern spice with lemony taste), lime juice and salt and pepper. Add the oil and toss. Note that the sumac tastes a bit like lemon and it is also salty, so don't add too much salt or lemon juice. Arrange the basil leaves one over the other, roll them and cut them in thin slices. Sprinkle the basil over the salad. Lightly toss and serve.