Favorite Summer Salads

Can you believe it's already August?? Where has the summer gone?! Last time I wrote a blog post was on Memorial Day at the end of May, then I started my dietetic internship in June, and next thing I know it's August 6 and summer is almost coming to an end. How did I let this happen?? This dietetic internship has pretty much taken over my life, and it will most likely continue to consume me until the end of January when it's finally over; BUT I can't go all summer without posting some of my favorite summer salad recipes. Even though I've been busy, I still have managed to find time to cook up some fun dishes with inspiration from the farmers' market, which is just out of this world at this time of the year. Corn, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, cucumbers... you name it- it's there. These two dishes I've shared below are made up of the best combinations of summer vegetables and flavors.. I can't make it through summer without making both of these!! I promise you will enjoy them!

RAW CORN AND BLACK BEAN SALAD
I have to give my new roommate, Mia, props for helping me out big time with this one. Her and I are masterminds in the kitchen and we just work so well together to come up with the craziest, most delicious dishes ever. And this one sure didn't disappoint. We just sat out on our back porch one cool summer night, drinking some Boordy wine and chopping up veggies to throw into the mixing bowl et voila! You can choose to cook the corn (steam, boil, grill) if you want, or just skip that step entirely and just throw it in raw!

INGREDIENTS:
(For one large bowl's worth)
3-4 ears of corn,
1 can of black beans, drained and washed
1-2 green peppers, chopped
Few tablespoons of scallions, chopped fine
1 small onion (red or white), chopped
Few handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
LOTS of fresh squeezed lime juice
~2 tablespoons extra virigin olive oil
Few tablespoons of chopped cilantro
Few dashes of cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Carefully shave the corn off of the stalk with a serrated knife and place into a large bowl.
2. Add in the chopped peppers, scallions, onions and have fun getting messy mixing it with your hands!

3. Add in the tomatoes, olive oil, cilantro, cumin and salt/pepper, and squeeze in lots of fresh lime juice. Adjust seasonings as necessary and ENJOY!

PANZANELLA (Italian Bread Salad)

I first saw a few of the food network stars (Giada, Tyler Florence, Rachel Ray..  pretty much all of them) make this salad on TV a few years back, and so I had to try it at home. And let me tell you - I've been hooked ever since. I know that having huge chunks of bread in a salad that doesn't even have lettuce in it is kind of a strange concept in the US, but apparently this is an Italian classic, and I think the Italians got it right on this one.  The flavors and colors of this salad are the epitome of summer to me and I'm pretty sure I could eat this dish every day for the rest of my life and be a happy camper. What's great about this salad, as with the corn salad above, you can't go wrong with the proportions of ingredients and you can throw in whatever summer veggies you've got. That's the way I like to cook! Seriously- you gotta try it!

INGREDIENTS:
(for a large bowl's worth)

1/2-1 loaf of day old bread (any kind will do.. a GREAT way to use old bread!)

3 large tomatoes (any color.. I have gorgeous yellow ones in this picture)

2 large peppers (again.. any color. The more colors the better!)

1/2 red onion

2 cucumbers

LOTS of basil

1/2 cup feta cheese

2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tblsp red wine vinegar

Salt/pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. First make the croutons, starting by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Cut up the loaf of bread into chunks (I like having big chunks, but any size is fine) and spread onto a baking pan. Lightly toss with olive oil, salt/pepper and bake for about 20min or until golden brown and crispy. 

2. While the croutons are baking, chop up the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and onions into roughly the same size chunks as the bread (This is supposed to be a rustic, chunky salad) and toss into a large bowl.

3. Chop up lots of fresh basil and add to bowl, along with feta cheese and salt/pepper. 

4. Once the croutons are done and have cooled slightly, add them to the bowl. Toss into salad and add olive oil and red wine vinegar. The croutons will soak up all the great flavors in this delicious, hearty, healthy, one-bowl meal! ENJOY!

Mediterranean Kale, Tomatoes and Chickpeas

Here is another twist on my traditional beans and greens one-pan, one-bowl meal... Mediterranean style. I love any kind of Greek food... hummus, olives, feta/goat cheese... you name it.  I probably have no clue what "real" Mediterranean food tastes like, but all I can say is that I love the greek flavors and how easily vegetables can be incorporated into this cuisine.  Kale, onions, garlic, diced tomatoes and chickpeas can be used in a variety of cuisines with all sorts of different spices, but I especially like using greek-style spices like oregano, paprika, rosemary, parsley, thyme, pepper, etc. to really give a mouthful of flavor.  It's super easy, cheap and quick to make (especially when using canned tomatoes and beans- less than 20min); and it's also an incredibly satisfying and tasty meatless meal. Adding goat cheese at the end makes the dish creamy and tangy and really brings the Mediterranean flavor to the next level. You gotta try this!

MEDITERRANEAN KALE, TOMATOES & CHICKPEAS WITH GOAT CHEESE

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
olive oil
1 can (~2 cups) chickpeas
1 can organic diced tomatoes
Greek spices (whatever you got!): salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, thyme, paprika, parsley, etc.
Goat Cheese (Feta would be great also)

Directions:
1. De-stem the kale, wash the leaves well, and chop into bite-size pieces or strips.
2. In a saucepan, saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil for a few minutes on med-high heat until soft.
3. Add in the kale and cook about 10 minutes until the leaves cook down and soften (you made need to add a few splashes of water or broth)

4. Add in the tomatoes, chickpeas and spices and cook until heated through and well-combined.

5. Serve portions into bowls and stir in goat cheese until creamy. Add a nice glass of wine and that's what I call a healthy and happy dinner :-)

Kale, White Bean and Tomato Soup

As much as I love making soups in the crock pot, sometimes I just don't plan well enough to get everything into the pot in the morning to have it ready when I get home.  So, on those days when I am really craving a warm bowl of soup, but it isn't waiting for me ready in the crock pot, I want something that I can throw together really quickly. I know it can be tempting to just grab can of pre-made soup from your pantry and throw a bowl of it into the microwave, but nothing can beat the taste and satisfaction of a bowl of homemade soup, especially if it can be made in less than 30minutes. This Kale, White Bean and Tomato soup is a deliciously hearty, seasonal, and healthy dish for this time of year as the nights get colder and all we want to do is curl up in a blanket with a bowl of soup. That is surely what I did last night; so much for getting any school work done! It was well worth it though, and I even had plenty of leftovers that I froze so that I can savor this soup all throughout the cold season.

KALE, WHITE BEAN, AND TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients:

1 tblsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 medium carrot, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of kale (any kind will do), washed and chopped

2 15oz cans of organic, diced, no-salt added tomatoes

~2 cups (or 1 can) navy beans (or any white bean)

4-5 cups Vegetable (or chicken) stock, low sodium

Salt and pepper to taste

~ 2tsp each of dried Oregano & Thyme

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic and carrot in olive oil on medium heat until soft, about 5min.

2. Add the kale, tomatoes (with liquid), beans, stock, and salt/pepper/herbs. Stir everything together.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 25-30minutes until flavors are well-incorporated and kale is soft. Add additional seasonings to taste.  ENJOY!

Cheesy Chicken and Tomato Polenta

As Rachel Ray says... YUM-O!!! This dish is hands-down a crowd pleaser that everyone will devour- and guess what? It only has 4 main ingredients and can be on the table in about 10 minutes! Now that makes me happy! I had some extra chicken that I put aside from my crock pot chicken soup last night and I wanted to keep these really simple tonight so I just whipped up some polenta, added some canned tomatoes and cheese, and DONE!  For those of you who don't know, polenta is essentially just coarsely ground bits of corn, very similar to corn grits.  It's extremely versatile and a great way to change things up from your average rice or pasta. You can buy it dry or in pre-made tubes (which makes things even easier!). I used Bob's Red Mill dry Corn Grits that take about 10 minutes to make, so the cooking time may vary depending on which kind you use. 


This is truly a life-saving recipe for those days when you just don't feel like coming home and cooking an elaborate meal. This dish will make you feel great not only because it's so quick and so easy, but also because you don't have to compromise taste or nutrition to get a meal on the table fast. This is a hearty, delicious and nutritious one-pot meal that you can feel good about serving to your family and friends.  

Cheesy Chicken and Tomato Polenta

Ingredients:
1 cup dry polenta (will vary depending on kind you use)

1 cup organic canned tomatoes

1 cup grated cheese (I used jack cheese for a bit of a kick)

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
(Spinach or broccoli would be really great mixed in also)

Salt/pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the polenta according to the directions on the bag/box. I brought 3 cups water to a boil, added 1 cup polenta, reduced heat and cook slowly for about 5 minutes, then removed from heat, covered and let stand for a couple minutes. This yielded 4 generous helpings of polenta. 

2. Stir in tomatoes, cheese and chicken until cheese is all melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. DONE!