Summertime… and the livin’ is easy… Provided the air conditioner keeps running, that is!
It’s mid-90’s out there. And just a tad humid. I hate it. I grew up 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. The very cool Pacific Ocean. Where if it happened to hit 70°, we would go to the beach. 70 degrees. Beach.
No one has air conditioning out there. Don’t need it but maybe twice a year, and even then, it’s not like this. Heck. I bought my truck in San Francisco. It doesn’t have air conditioning, either. Now I leave it at home and take the (air conditioned) car.
Okay. Enough whining about the weather…
Summertime. Salads. Yum.
I actually went just a tad overboard with these. I just kept finding fun things to add to them. I almost added beans, too. I’m glad I showed a little bit of restraint!
First thing I did was make a cucumber salad.
Cucumber Salad
- 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut vinegar (I love my coconut vinegar – made in The Philippines – but any white wine-type vinegar will work)
- 2 tbsp assorted herbs, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.
Quick, easy, and refreshing.
Next was the Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing. I had raspberries in the ‘fridge that needed using up.
Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 cup coconut vinegar (I’m on a run… any vinegar will work)
- 2 tbsp minced onion
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
Place raspberries, honey, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, and onion in a blender and puree. With blender running, drizzle in 1 cup of olive oil. Add poppy seeds, and briefly mix.
Chill until ready to serve.
This worked well – and I think any fruit would work well. Peaches…. yum…..
The salad itself was mixed greens, radicchio, hard cooked egg, avocado, broccoli, zucchini, peach, tomato, cucumber salad, and a grilled chicken breast.
It’s going to be a while before I think about dessert.