Simple Greens

Sometimes the most refreshing salads are the simplest. The trick is to put down the junk lettuce and try some better greens.  Explore fresh markets in your area and try something new. A good way to spruce up salads is to try shoots. The ones here are snow pea shoots mixed with baby watercress and a couple of grape tomatoes.  We topped it off with a dash of unfiltered olive oil and balsamic.

Get adventurous with your food!

Watermelon Feta Salad

I've seen some really good variations of this but either way, this salad is always good for parties and summertime get-togethers.

Recipe Card (PDF)Cut a ripe, seedless watermelon into bite size chunks (don't go too small).  Add chopped tomato (as always, I prefer to use ripe grape tomatos - easier to control the size and texture) and crumbled feta to taste.  Along with that, add some kind of fresh leaf herb chopped up - mint or parsley or cilantro or basil are good contenders.

For dressing, use a sweetened vinaigrette - 2 parts oil, 1 part vinegar, plus sweetener (honey works best for this one, but agave is also good) and sea salt to taste. Toss only lightly.

Some people like to serve that on top of a bed of lettuce but I prefer the big bowl of scooped juicy melon.

Simple Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an easy-to-make and flexible appetizer - it's especially good for a late evening snack since it's not too heavy but full of flavor.

Prep the toast.  I use any old bread - baguettes, challah, dinner rolls, whatever. It works best when it's just starting to stale, but if not, toast them lightly on both sides under a broiler. It's important to make both sides dried and stiff as a base for the tomatos.

Chop tomato (use very ripe ones - in this photo I've actually used grape tomatos) and onions (I prefer red onions for the color or Vidalia for the taste) - about 1/2 cup of each.  Toss in 1/4C chopped Italian parsley or cilantro, some (maybe 1 clove of) smashed garlic (or even garlic powder - 1/4 tsp), sea salt and pepper to taste, 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 tsp of vinegar (I used balsamic but red wine works equally well).  Mix well in a bowl.

Spoon the mix on top of the toast. Garnish your plate. I can't express how important garnish is - it may be a waste of food sometimes but it always makes the plate more appetizing.

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