Simple Summer Salad

It is hot here this Summer!

The great thing about that, aside from enjoying the sunshine and blue sky, it makes me want to eat a bit less, and a lot lighter.

This simple Summer Salad is an old favorite. I can remember my Mother making it for the family on hot Summer nights.  I have been enjoying it ever since.  It is simple and nutritious, and quite pretty, too.  It can be made several hours ahead if you like, and kept cold. It is a great picnic take-along too. Make up a big batch; just keep it on ice till it’s time to eat.

I love the crunchiness of the veggies, and the small zing of the white vinegar is just the right touch for this light and cool side dish.

 

Summer Salad
Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium tomato, core removed, sliced
• 4 or 5 very thin slices of white onion. separated into rings
• 1 small cucumber, sliced very thin
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 Tbs white vinegar
• Dashes of salt and pepper

1. Layer the veggies in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix the olive oil and white vinegar together in a small bowl and spoon over the veggies.
3. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
4. Stir and refrigerate another 20 minutes.
5. Divide into 2 small serving bowls and serve cold.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 63; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 6g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.

Layer the prepared veggies in a wide bottomed bowl.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on them.

Spoon the marinade over the top.

Stir part way through the cooling process to make sure all veggies are being coated with marinade.  If you are leaving refrigerated for a few hours, do this a couple more times.

Divide into serving bowls and enjoy!

Printable Recipe

What’s your favorite simple Summer salad?

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Massage Your Kale for Quickie Salads

I had never heard of massaged kale until I read a blog post by Tamara at fitknitchick about making it up and keeping it in the refrigerator, in order to have a quick base for salads when you need it.

I thought it was an interesting idea, and then quite promptly forgot about it.

Now, I am a big fan of kale… I like it baked into Kale Chips, and I love using it in soup, or in my White Bean and Kale pasta sauce, and I also like to use it in place of, or with, spinach when I make Coconut Chicken.

I had really never thought to use raw as a salad green.  I just assumed the kale leaves would be too tough for that.  Oh, boy, was I wrong!

Whenever I find what we call curly kale at my local market for a really great price, I stock up.  Then I wonder what I am going to do with it all!  (Do you ever do that?)

Well, Tamara’s method for massaged kale is such a good idea.  All you do is mix the washed and torn kale leaves with a nice dressing, and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days… taking enough to make your salads as you need, and leaving the rest behind. 

The dressing makes the leaves a bit softer after a couple of days, and it really does make a nice base for lots of different salads.

I made a batch of massaged kale this past week using the following method and I got 3 good sized salads out of it. Now when I have salad for dinner, I have a plate full, so if you don’t eat as much as I do, you might get more servings out of it.  Of course you might want to use the whole thing for one big salad to serve many… up to you, but the method is the same.

Massaged Kale
Enough for 3 dinner salads

• 1 bunch kale, large stems removed and leaves torn… washed and dried in salad spinner

Dressing

• 1Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbs lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and minced

1. Mix well and then pour over the kale in the bowl.
2. Massage the dressing into the kale with your hands for a few minutes. Kale leaves should be completely covered with dressing mixture.
3. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for up to 5 days
4. Use as needed for salads.  Give the remainder a stir, cover and refrigerate till needed.

If you are a Weight Watcher, and counting Points Plus, then the only thing to be concerned about is the olive oil which has a P+ value of 1 for each tsp of oil. So, for the whole recipe, the P+ value is 3.  You can divide that by the number of servings you make and eat.

The possibilities for salads are only limited by your imagination and your tastebuds. 

When I made my first salad with the massaged kale, I added a bit of torn red lettuce leaves to it… then some slices of grape tomato, mushroom, onion, and cucumber, and then topped it with some roast chicken breast, oregano, and dark balsamic vinegar.




I was so good that the next day, I used some more.  This time my salad was made of slices of red pepper, onion, mushroom, and cucumber, and topped with pieces of a navel orange, some roast pork loin and drizzled with blueberry balsamic vinegar.  I also blanched some green beans to eat alongside.

I think you could probably massage your kale with any oil and vinegar combination you like too, or even a nooch and vinegar combo instead of the olive oil and lemon juice that I used… and I am sure you could leave out the garlic too, but why would you?

Have you tried massaged kale yet?

What is your favorite salad green?

Using Flavored Oils and Vinegars

A couple of weeks ago I received a lovely little gift package in the mail... a sampling of a couple of different olive oils, and a balsamic vinegar, from one of my online Weight Watcher friends who lives in Ontario, Canada.



Persian Lime EVOO, Harissa EVOO, Bluberry Balsamic Vinegar

 

 



I was thrilled that Kate thought to send these beautiful little bottles of exotic oils and vinegar to me, but I admit I have been a bit intimidated by them and was hesitant to try them out... until just recently.

The Captain and I went out for a 2 hour walk in the sunshine on Friday morning.  We kept up a good brisk pace as we trekked along the waterfront pathway above the Strait of Juan de Fuca, then around the point into the Inner Harbour, where we stopped and had a bit of a snack... apples and cashews... then carried on through the Harbour to China Town and then completed the circle back at our front door.

We were both very hungry when we arrived home... The Captain's mouth was watering for some Chinese Food, so I prepared a big saucepan full of udon noodles, cut up onions, shredded cabbage and some slivers of leftover cooked pork roast, all in a nice broth.. then set to work on a big salad for me.

I have been daydreaming about a delicous spinach salad that I had at an Ikea store in Vancouver several months ago, and I had a hunch that I could come up with something similar using the Blueberry Balsamic vinegar.  And I was right!

I mixed 1 tsp of EVOO with 2 tsp of the vinegar in a little bowl and then tasted it.  It was sweet and thick and kinda syrupy and just wonderful!

So I put togther my salad...  I started with a bed of spinach and black kale mixture, then slices of leftover baked chicken breast, some dried cranberries and a couple of tablespoons of almond slivers that I had quickly toasted in a non-stick pan on the stove while prepping the Captain's soup. Then I drizzled that EVOO/vinegar mixture over the top and sat down to thoroughly enjoy the best salad I have had in ages.

Every bite was absolutely delightful and I oohed and aahed all the way through lunch.  The Captain even said he could smell the blueberries from the vinegar across the table!

 

Now I am so excited to try out the oils, too... these little bottles have opened my eyes to a whole new world of flavors.. thanks so much, Kate!

 

 

Have you tried Persian Lime EVOO or Harissa EVOO?

 

Do you use flavored oils and vinegars in your cooking?  What's your favorite?