New York is burning. For the last couple of week we've been baking in an unprecedented heat weave with no end in sight. In such extreme conditions it becomes totally impossible to cook anything substantial: meats, chicken or fish, need heat to be cooked, and we don't need more heat around us. So what can we do? There are other options, better options: we can eat fruits and salads. And this is what we did for the last couple of weeks: we had salads, lots of salads. Actually we did enjoy it, mainly because I made sure that these salads were a complete meal, so you wouldn't miss any nutrition your body needs. A happy side effect for me is that I can take the leftovers with me at work for a good lunch the next day. The salads I'm making today can be made in advance, you can use a simple vinaigrette with them, or whip up a more elaborate dressing. I made one that I used on several salads, and it can be kept refrigerated for a week. Use my recipes as a blue print for your salads, use whatever you like and whatever you have at hand at home, you don't need to follow the recipe to the letter, tweak it to your liking, as I always do.
LIGHT POTATO SALAD
I usually buy a big sack of potatoes at a time, I cook them in sauce, I stuff them, I use them in many ways. One way I know my family loves is to make them in a salad. Today I'm not talking about your typical potato salad, drenched in mayo, or not. I'm mainly talking about a dish that you can have as a complete meal, but light enough to eat in this horrible weather. I first got the idea from my usual salade nicoise, which I sometime like to serve "deconstructed" (that will be for another blog) meaning not tossed all together. I usually make it with a powerful vinaigrette, with mashed garlic and anchovies, but today, in this heat, I opted for a lighter dressing. I use yellow fleshed potatoes, I feel they have the right texture for the salad and are creamier than other kinds. For this salad, I got some fresh green beans, so try to get the best kind, the one that doesn't need peeling, just cut the stem, cut them in half, and you're good to go. You'll need:
2 lb potatoes (try to get them all the same size, they'll cook at the same time)
1 lb green beans
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
4 eggs
3 tbsp mustard
1 tsp mayo (optional)
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp chopped capers
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 to 2 tbsp chopped dill
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Bring a big pot of water to the boil. Add salt, the bay leaves and the thyme, then add the potatoes. I like to season them while cooking. Adding seasoning at the end will not have the same effect, so season every element as you go. While the potatoes cook, bring another pot of salted water to the boil, then add the beans, and bring again to the boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water, drain and set aside. Also cook the eggs in boiling water. To make the vinaigrette, put the chopped onions and capers in a small bowl. Add the mustard and the vinegar, and the mayo if you're using it. Actually we are more of mustard kind of people than mayo, but sometimes I like to add a little bit of it to the vinaigrette to make it creamier. Slowly whisk in the oil, then add the chopped dill. Taste it to check if it really needs salt or not. Remember that the potatoes are already salted and that the mustard is salted too. When the potatoes are ready and cool enough to handle, peel them and slice them in 1/4 inch thick slices or a little thicker. Put the potatoes in a large low bowl, add half the vinaigrette and toss them being careful not to break the slices (you can even do it by hand). Add some vinaigrette to the beans and toss to coat. Line a large serving platter with mixed greens, lettuce or arugula. Add the green beans to the potatoes and toss, then transfer to the serving dish. Peel the eggs and slice them or cut each one in 4, and add to the salad. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top before serving, with a sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper. You can serve it at room temperature.
CHEESE AND BROWN RICE SALAD
One of the easiest meals you can ever make is this salad. You don't need a recipe, you don't need to shop for ingredients, or even cook to make this salad. I used some brown rice from Chinese take out, and all the other ingredients came from the pantry and the fridge. I even used the vinaigrette I had from the other day (the potato salad), it keeps well in the fridge. You'll need:
1 container of cooked brown rice
1 and 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
3 cucumbers
2 slices of Cheddar cheese, 1/4 inch thick
1 can (15 oz) chick peas, drained
Fresh basil leaves
In a bowl, put the brown rice, and separate it, making sure that there are no big lumps. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the rice. Peel and cut the cucumbers in small cubes (cut in 4 lengthwise, then in slices), add them to the bowl. Cut the cheese slices in 4 lengthwise, then in small dice, and add to the bowl. Add the chick peas. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Put the basil leaves over each other and thinly slice them, then sprinkle them over the salad.
2 lb potatoes (try to get them all the same size, they'll cook at the same time)
1 lb green beans
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
4 eggs
3 tbsp mustard
1 tsp mayo (optional)
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp chopped capers
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 to 2 tbsp chopped dill
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Bring a big pot of water to the boil. Add salt, the bay leaves and the thyme, then add the potatoes. I like to season them while cooking. Adding seasoning at the end will not have the same effect, so season every element as you go. While the potatoes cook, bring another pot of salted water to the boil, then add the beans, and bring again to the boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water, drain and set aside. Also cook the eggs in boiling water. To make the vinaigrette, put the chopped onions and capers in a small bowl. Add the mustard and the vinegar, and the mayo if you're using it. Actually we are more of mustard kind of people than mayo, but sometimes I like to add a little bit of it to the vinaigrette to make it creamier. Slowly whisk in the oil, then add the chopped dill. Taste it to check if it really needs salt or not. Remember that the potatoes are already salted and that the mustard is salted too. When the potatoes are ready and cool enough to handle, peel them and slice them in 1/4 inch thick slices or a little thicker. Put the potatoes in a large low bowl, add half the vinaigrette and toss them being careful not to break the slices (you can even do it by hand). Add some vinaigrette to the beans and toss to coat. Line a large serving platter with mixed greens, lettuce or arugula. Add the green beans to the potatoes and toss, then transfer to the serving dish. Peel the eggs and slice them or cut each one in 4, and add to the salad. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top before serving, with a sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper. You can serve it at room temperature.
CHEESE AND BROWN RICE SALAD
One of the easiest meals you can ever make is this salad. You don't need a recipe, you don't need to shop for ingredients, or even cook to make this salad. I used some brown rice from Chinese take out, and all the other ingredients came from the pantry and the fridge. I even used the vinaigrette I had from the other day (the potato salad), it keeps well in the fridge. You'll need:
1 container of cooked brown rice
1 and 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
3 cucumbers
2 slices of Cheddar cheese, 1/4 inch thick
1 can (15 oz) chick peas, drained
Fresh basil leaves
In a bowl, put the brown rice, and separate it, making sure that there are no big lumps. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the rice. Peel and cut the cucumbers in small cubes (cut in 4 lengthwise, then in slices), add them to the bowl. Cut the cheese slices in 4 lengthwise, then in small dice, and add to the bowl. Add the chick peas. Add the vinaigrette and toss. Put the basil leaves over each other and thinly slice them, then sprinkle them over the salad.
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