Kale, Green Bean, and Potato Salad

Last night I prepared another quick and easy salad for dinner that I'd like to share.  I think this is somewhat reminiscent of a french salad I've had before but I'm not too sure.  In either case I made great use of left over veggies in the fridge and the result is one of my favorite new salads.

To prepare I took 1 potato and cut into cubes. I boiled for a few minutes in water then put in ice water to stop the cooking process.  I did the same with a big handful of green beans.  I then took two large handfuls of kale, washed, roughly chopped, and added to a large bowl along with the potatoes and green beans. I added about 1/4 cup each of thinly sliced onion and chopped olives.  I made a lemon poppy seed dressing by simply putting the juice of 2 lemons, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, olive oil, salt and pepper into a jar and shaking until combined.  I tossed the salad with dressing and it was ready to go.

Corn and Peach Salad

This is a newer recipe I picked up last year around this time.  A nearby restaurant was serving a salad which included peach, corn, goat cheese, lemon and scallions.  It was excellent and they referenced the farm from which the ingredients came.  It so happened that we were driving by the farm the very next week on a trip to Michigan.  We picked up the same fruit and recreated the salad.

Ever since then this salad has been a popular staple of summer cookouts and family gatherings.  I never new the exact combination that the restaurant used but it has always been enjoyable, fresh and delicious.  Last night I made a slightly updated version that I think is my favorite to date that I would like to share.

For this version I did 2 ears of corn, 2 peaches, 1/4 of a red onion, 1/2 of a chile serrano, goat cheese and a vinaigrette made with lemon, honey and olive oil.  I stripped the corn off of the cob using a knife and cut the peaches into smaller cubes.  I added the thinly sliced onion and minced chile.  To make the vinaigrette I added the juice of two lemons, honey and olive oil with cracked pepper to a jar and shook until combined.  I tossed the salad in my vinaigrette and topped with crumbled goat cheese.  The salad was refreshing and I found it difficult to stop eating, it is really that good.  For dinner last night I served it alongside sincronizadas which are simply quesadillas with ham.

I would recommend incorporating this salad into your summer repertoire.  It goes over very well and is a very fresh and flavorful alternative to a traditional green salad or a slaw.

family cookout!

I went to my parent's house for a cookout with the family today.  There were a few flavors that I have been thinking about that I wanted to try out and offered to make some salads.

The first salad is kind of a take on a Vietnamese green papaya and shrimp salad.  I wanted to incorporate some Mexican flavors, my thinking was that there are a lot of similar flavors that work well between the two cuisines.  To prepare this I combined jicama, shrimp, red bell pepper and scallions which then I tossed in a sauce made from lime juice and agave nectar.  I then added 8 cloves worth of toasted minced garlic for crunch and flavor.  To finish I folded in some sliced avocado.

Next I made a corn salad with flavors similar to an elote.  I first took sweet corn off the cob and blanched for a couple of minutes.  After cooling I added red bell pepper and scallions and lime juice.  To finish I stirred in a bit of mayonnaise and cotija cheese.

Finally I made a fruit salad with chopped mango, pineapple and papaya.  I tossed this in a combination of lime juice and orange juice.  To finished I mixed in some fresh mint.