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Summer Dinner Salads suggestions please
I always look forward to fresh ingredients for substantial salads during the hot months of summer. Unfortunately, my repertoire is wanting. I make the same basic salad every time just changing a few ingredients depending on availability. This consists of greens, sometimes cold penne or other pasta, usually garbanzo beans, sometimes meat of some kind, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, basil or oregano and/or mint and perhaps hard boiled egg, sometimes pickled beets.
Thanks for any suggestions or recipes.
Avocado
Parmesan
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Lettuce
Red onion
Cashew nuts
Sunflower seeds
Balsamico+olive oil+black pepper
My go to fancy salad.
I forgot about cashews (but I have to be disciplined because I'd eat them all before they go into the salad otherwise, they are a bit of a treat for us) and sunflower seeds. Thanks!
My favourite salad is sort of Vietnamese style with cold rice noodles, julienned mango/papaya, carrot, mint, coriander (the leaves, for some reason I'm blanking on the US word for that herb), cucumber, chilli, fish sauce, lime juice. Peanuts if you have some, shallots and so on if they're around. You can add animal protein if you want, it's great with shredded chicken.
I also like Nam Sod which is a Thai salad with minced pork.
My wife made something this weekend with puy lentils, spring onions, whitecurrants, mint, flaked smoked mackeral, toasted pitta pieces and a cucumber/yoghurt/mint dressing that was pretty amazing.
Edit: cilantro. That's what coriander leaf is called in the US.
Thank you, I was hoping for oriental influenced salad ideas. I sometimes do a very simple side dish with mandarin oranges, almonds, green onion, whatever greens I have on hand and a spicy dressing.
Edit to add: That Nam Sod salad looks fantastic, that is one I will definitely try. I love BudgetBytes, not sure how I missed that.
I'm not a religious person but if there was any sort of proof of a god it's the existence of nước mắm pha which you can put on just about anything - especially salads - and it will make it better.
Bookmarked. I need to expand my skills and flavor profiles. That does look heavenly and easy to make, I will give that a try this week.
Is this used primarily for dipping and dressings or can you also use it as a glaze or marinade?
I've never used it as a glaze or marinade but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work as such. I might try that...
YUM!
I love a good salad, too. Depending on the flavors you like or the particular salad mix, here are some things to try adding or substituting:
You can experiment with preparing your ingredients in different ways. For example, I like to sauté portabella mushrooms in a light herbed sauce (like balsamic vinegar or a sweet white wine) till they're golden brown. I'll brush thin zucchini slices with olive oil & smoked paprika and bake them till they're lightly browned. In either case, I'll let them cool before adding them to a salad.
Try making your own salad dressings to completely change the character of your salads. Simmer some olive oil and minced garlic on low heat for 10-20 minutes, being careful the olive oil doesn't brown. That'll give you garlic-infused olive oil. That's a good base for lots dressings. You could then blend in some dry white wine & honey with a little salt, ground black pepper, dill, lemon balm, capers and chives for a light, citrusy dressing. If you added balsamic vinegar, you'll get a richer flavor; try blending in crushed or puréed raspberries with oregano, basil, ground fenugreek, and some salt and pepper. I also use low fat/no fat unflavored Greek yoghurt as a dressing base; it has a sour, citrusy favor and creamy texture that goes well with a lot of flavors.
I don't really use recipes for salads, but here are a couple I make pretty regularly.
Coarsely chop a bunch of tomatoes & sweet onions, throw in lots of fresh basil & rosemary, some almonds, dried cranberries, julienned sweet peppers, slivers of water chestnuts with ham or prosciutto, a dusting of a grated sharpish cheese, and toss it all with balsamic vinaigrette. I also like a butter lettuce, spinach and sorrel salad with crisp pear slices, green onions, a bit of sliced brie, walnuts, & grilled chicken with a warm honey vinaigrette.
The portabella mushrooms and zucchini is a wonderful idea, why didn't I think of that? I'm experimenting this year and wonder if garlic scapes might be a good addition. Have you ever used those and if so, did you lightly sauté them?
I've also considered perhaps small portions of grains of some kind but I'm reluctant, have you ever tired using any of them?
Salads are so versatile, I needed this as I seem to get stuck sometimes using the same things over and over and not imagine the great number of ways to keep it interesting. Thank you.
I've used garlic scapes occasionally; I was taught to blanch them to knock off some of the bite. They've got a similar but noticeably different flavor than garlic bulbs. I usually mince them. They're wonderful sautéed; you can do a garlic scape infused olive oil, of course. I've also used them just blanched in yogurt-based dressings, or as an accent flavor in a salad.
Qinoa and amaranth work well as grains in a salad, adding an interesting texture and mild nutty flavor. You can add herbs to the water or stock you cook them in to add some additional depth to the flavor. Pine nuts, if you can find them at a decent price, are another great addition, raw, toasted, sautéed, etc.
For me, salads are about blending flavors, textures, and colors in ways that delight the eyes and taste buds. mat & sxo have given some great suggestions to play with.
You can also add flowers for unexpected color, texture, and/or flavor. A lot of flowers are edible, including violets, clover, nasturtium, marigold, bee balm, and calendula.
Excellent, thank you very much. I forgot about nasturtiums which I have used in the past. I've thought about harvesting some of the bumper crop of dandelion greens in the yard we have except the rabbits might just storm the house if I did that.
I'm going to take your advice about the scapes and I'm looking forward to it.
The use of Amaranth is a wonderful idea. I sometimes use toasted walnuts or almonds in salads that include a citrus element.
I've had some great inspiration in this thread, thanks.