Summer Salads II
My post last week about Summer Salads got such a great response from readers that I decided to capitalize on it and continue with the salad theme. This week's salads are so simple and delicious, they will definitely become regular dishes in my house and hopefully yours too.
The first salad is a take on a Mediterranean Salad. I used the traditional Israeli Salad as inspiration and added my own little farm market twist. All kinds of eggplants are popping up at the markets, and I love the taste of a grilled one. It has a smoky flavor that brings real depth to the other ingredients in this dish. It is important to get a good char on the eggplant and if you don’t have a grill, don’t despair - I was able to achieve it using my stove-top grill plate! (On a gas stove just skewer the eggplant and turn it slowly over the flame).
For this salad I wanted to make a dressing that would elevate all of the ingredients but not overpower the dish. Nicole from Two Acre Farm suggested that I use her Triple Basil Salad Dressing. Its made with - you guessed it - three different kinds of basil and it has so much fresh flavor...its almost as if she made it last week in her cute little kitchen! (She did).
Mediterranean Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Large Red Tomato, ½-inch diced (Mock’s Greenhouse)
- ½ Large Cucumber, ½-inch diced (Westmoreland Produce)
- 1 Large Red Onion, thinly sliced (Westmoreland Produce)
- 1 Japanese Eggplant (Spiral Path Farm)
- 1 Container Triple Basil Dressing (Two Acre Farm)
- 1 Container Feta Cheese (Blue Ridge Dairy Co.)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONSAdd 5 Tbsp Triple Basil Dressing to the onions- this will lighten the intense flavor of raw onions. Let sit while you cook the eggplant.Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Cover in olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool, preferably transferring to the refrigerator when room temperature.Combine tomatoes, cucumber, and the onion/dressing mixture into a large bowl. Cut the feta in half and crumble one half into bowl. Add chilled eggplants. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled!
The second salad has two interesting farm market components - zucchini and sunflower sprouts. The method for cooking the zucchini is one that is used frequently when making zucchini fritters (which I love) or with cucumbers for tzatziki. Salting grated zucchini allows all of the moisture to escape, which means the finished salad will have less liquid.The second summer-themed farm market ingredient that added some pizzazz to this salad, the sunflower sprout, is one of my favorite things grown by Rob from Young Harvests. They have a delicious crunch that works perfectly with the texture of the yogurt and zucchini. I actually like to just sit on the couch, put on a movie, and snack on them! They’re a healthy treat for kids too.
Summer Potato Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 6 Medium Red Potatoes (Twin Spring Fruit Farm)
- ½ Large Zucchini (Two Acre Farm)
- 1 Medium Shallot, minced (Bending Bridge Farm)
- 1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (Blue Ridge Dairy Co)
- 4 Tbsp. Dill (Young Harvests)
- 1 Cup Sunflower Sprouts (Young Harvests)
- Juice of One Lemon
- Salt and Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONSAdd potatoes to a pot of salted water. Cook until you can easily stick a fork into the largest potato. When done, drain into a colander and let cool.Meanwhile, coarsely grate the zucchini into a colander. Sprinkle salt over the zucchini- this will remove the excess moisture, which will drip out the bottom. Wait 10-15 minutes, squeeze the zucchini to drain more, then rinse. Get as much water out as possible.Once potatoes are cool, cut into cubes. Remove the dill from the stems and combine all remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled!Both of these salads can be modified to utilize seasonal ingredients available throughout the year at the farm markets!