Salad days
As self-appointed queen of slaw I’ll admit that I’ve been slacking off. I’ve not cooked a real meal in days and yet I don’t even care. We’re at that point in the summer that we’ve had a few perfect days, not too cool and not too hot…just right. A hike around the conservancy near my home turned up a few good flower pictures and my own flower garden is flourishing. But alas the end of perfection draws near and the full onslaught of July heat is suppose to be here today.
Despite, or maybe because of, the awesome summer weather, I’ve not had much of an appetite. I still have tons of broccoli in the fridge and I’m not yet tired of broccoli slaw so I made another batch of that (honestly I’ve made it a few times). There were some beautiful lemon cucumbers at the market so I made a cucumber salad, and I’ve been craving chickpeas and sun-dried tomatoes so I concocted a salad to suit that taste. All of these served alongside a pile of cold shrimp, well it might not be your idea of the perfect meal (Dave thought it rather odd) but for me it was perfection on a plate.
The cucumber salad is a baby Wala Wala onion, sliced thin. Two lemon cucumbers, peeled, halved and somewhat seeded, and slice thin, a huge handful of mint cut in a chiffonade fashion, and a clove of fresh garlic, sliced paper thin. Add a 1/4 cup of plain yogurt, the juice of a lemon and salt and pepper. Stir it up and refrigerate it for a few hours. The flavor is delicate yet tangy and the creaminess is a nice addition to this cold salad plate.
The chickpea salad is super simple. Rehydrate 8 sun dried tomatoes and reserve the water. Pop them into the work bowl of a food processor along with 2 cloves of fresh garlic, 1/3 of an onion, 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 of red wine vinegar, a squirt of honey, salt and pepper. Let that rip in the food processor until its a smooth paste. I added some of the reserved tomato hydration water because it was too thick. Stop processing once it’s about the consistency of mayonnaise. Transfer it to a bowl and add two cans of drained chickpeas, stir to combine and refrigerate for a few hours. This combination is not very attractive but it is really flavorful and bright and very satisfying.
I should also mention how much I love all your comments. I do! I also love it when you cook something from here, that just makes me sooo happy. As much as I love your comments and such I have to apologize for not replying to them…I actually become quite tongue-tied and and I don’t know what to say…then I don’t say anything, then I realize that I’m being silly and I should say something….I think you get the picture, I’m socially awkward and I can’t help myself. Thanks for putting up with me.
comments
9 Responses to “Salad days”
Leave a Reply
Ha ha! Glad to see someone else is working the ’salad days’ title as well ;) The cucumber salad sounds very refreshing.
You’re absolutely correct about the weather. It’s been GORGEOUS. Seems like it’s planning to heat up again for the remainder of the week, though — so get more salads ready!
That plate looks simply fabulous. My kind of meal.
I can already taste the chickpea salad…
Such pretty pictures! Your salads look delicious too. What a perfect dinner for these beautiful summer days.
I’m happy to hear that I am not the only blogger who finds replying to comment often is awkward. What to say, thanks over and over? I go back and forth on doing it and not doing it.
I love that flower photo!
I practically live on salad during the summer, so your recipes will be a welcome addition to my menu!
Just recently stumbled on your blog and am loving it…keep up the great work!
Well, if you love it when we prepare your recipes, you’ll be giddy knowing that coneflower photo is now my computer background! And that cucumber salad will be on my plate this weekend for sure. Thanks, Vanessa and stay cool!
love your blog! i also feel tongue-tied when replying to comments and even commenting. i usually just write something lame, wince and hit submit. then i try to never think of it again or i will just obsess for eternity over the most minute detail. so, i guess what i am trying to say is you are not alone and keep geeky.