Vineyard Salad

It was just one of those perfect sunny but not too hot Summer days that leaves a glow on your skin and makes you want to spend time in the kitchen and garden. 

I made 2 great salads. One was just a simple Burratta caprese with basil and tomatoes from our garden. The one I am sharing today was heavily inspired by Toni Bark's Perfect Summer Salad recipe. Please check out the original too. This is my take on it.

First of all I think this salad is best plated up so you can pick and choose a little bit of everything in every bite. Besides it just looks bad ass.

Ingredients:

Endive 

Mixed baby greens

Beets (steamed)

Blueberries

Champagne grapes

Fennel bulb

English cucumber

Avocado

Apple cider vinegar (Bragg's)

Olive oil

Roasted garlic

Maple syrup

Sweet & Spicy Pecans (Trader Joe's)

1. Cut endive in half and brush lightly with olive oil. Throw on a hot grill. Let it get some nice grill marks but be careful not to let it burn. I put mine aside for it to cool.

2. Plate 2 handfuls of mixed baby greens. Top with blueberries and Champagne grapes.

3. Thinly slice fennel bulb and English cucumber on a mandolin. Use the thinnest setting. Watch your fingers. That thing is crazy sharp.

4. Slice avocado

5. Arrange the components around the edge of the plate including a bunch of Champagne grapes. They are so tasty.

6. Throw the following in the blender for some delicious dressing: 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, 2t Dijon mustard, 2t roasted garlic, 1T maple syrup

7. Just before serving add several spicy pecans and a drizzle of dressing. Enjoy!!

Greek Blueberry Melon Salad

For me summertime is all about the Farmer's Market. My friend Doe and I wait for it to start up again every year. Saturday morning is all about getting our market bags and hunting down the cheese lady and the gluten free bakery lady.

Yesterday. I stumbled into a Farmer's Market at, of all places, the mall. It was small but they had a great blueberry vendor. She had the most enormous blueberries I have ever seen. The variety is Chandler and unlike most blueberries that are large they are sweet and not watery or mealy. I have got to find these to plant in my garden!

So, I have a potluck to go to tonight and was thinking that I have got to showcase these little guys. I was brainstorming making a watermelon and feta salad originally. Hmm...and I have fresh mint going crazy in my garden. You can see where this is going.

I really love how this turned out. The melons give sweetness, the mint a nice herby flavor, the feta a rich saltiness and the vodka just a touch of bam.

Greek Blueberry Melon Salad

- 1/2 watermelon 

- 1/2 honeydew

- 1/2 Tuscan cantaloupe

- Handfull of fresh mint

- 1/2 cup

- 1 Tablespoon sugar

- 1/2 cup watermelon juice

- 1 shot vodka

Ball your melons (yeah that does sound fabulously dirty). Keep a bowl handy as you work to pour off excess melon juice. Combine melon balls, blueberries, mint and feta. 

Using a small kitchen strainer strain the seeds and stray chunks out of your melon juice. Combine strained juice with vodka and sugar. Pour vodka mixture over the top and toss.

If you are not eating immediately the mint and feta may get a little soggy. Just combine the melon juice and fruit and add the others just before serving. Enjoy!

Ideas: I also was thinking I could add a drop of mint essential oil to the juice mixture. Maybe swap out mint for basil? Switch the vodka out for flavored vodka? Strawberries instead of blueberries? Lots and lots of option here

Spicy Kale Salad...Oh wow was this yummy

UPDATE: I got the recipe! We have made it a couple of times now, once for a family function and it is very well received.

Central Market Kale Salad

I snagged this yesterday on the cold bar at my local high end grocery. I wish I had taken some pics but it was too good and I ate it too fast.I am not much of a kale fan but this was amazing. Yeah, I know what your'e going to say. It's so tasty and healthy and blah blah blah. I do have to admit that raw, like this, it's the bomb.

My next mission is to figure out how to recreate it so I don't have to stalk the salad bar hoping that I manage to go in on a day that they have made it (Murphy's Law says nope).