summer salad – In Good Taste

Summer Heirloom Tomato Salad

Maris Callahan — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 05:00:49 +0000

Heirloom tomato salad made with corn, red onion, string beans and a handful of fresh herbs mixed with a summery vinaigrette and feta cheese is a perfect summer salad to serve at a picnic, cookout, or even as a late Saturday or Sunday afternoon lunch. I’d like to know: who was it that decided to put lettuce in salads? I’m not saying there is anything wrong with lettuce salads. Or spinach salads, arugula salads or even kale salads for that matter. What I am saying, though, is that salads are perfectly good without lettuce, especially in the peak of the summer when fruits and vegetables are arguably at their freshest. Before we talk about heirloom tomatoes, let me tell you a little sob story. Well, one might call it a first world problem but for the sake of this story, it’s a sad one. Last summer, the beautiful Green City Market farmers’ market that Chicago is known for opened a little outpost in a parking lot about three blocks from my apartment building. I loved it and took Henry there every weekend to sniff the basil plants and say hello to the different vendors. I tried to buy as many […]

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Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad

Maris Callahan — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 00:43:54 +0000

Classic basil pesto pasta salad tossed with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. This summer, I’ve been attempting to grow basil, thyme, mint and parsley on the balcony attached to my apartment. Despite my initial enthusiasm for urban gardening, it turns out that my tiny piece of green Chicago is the place where plants go to die. Despite my lack of skill in the gardening arena, I’ve been loving any and every recipe that incorporates fresh herbs this year, even if I have had to buy them from the farmer’s market after my homegrown goods died on the vine. My basil plant led a short, but meaningful life, in which I was able to harvest enough to garnish a few strawberry lemonade cocktails and a couple batches of pesto. When I have pesto, I inevitably need to marry it with a bowl of pasta and preferably, a whole bunch of cheese. Which is exactly what I did here. Save Print Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad Author: Maris Callahan Recipe type: Cooking for a Crowd, Wornight Dinners Prep time: 20 mins Total time: 20 mins Serves: 6 Ingredients 16 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta ¼ cup pesto sauce, homemade or store-bought 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ […]

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Fruit, Nut and Goat Cheese Salad

Maris Callahan — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:01:48 +0000

When I was in elementary school, I didn’t worry about my weight or count calories. If I had, I have no doubt that the summers would have been my healthiest season of the year. Of course, I wasn’t making fruit, nut and goat cheese salad in elementary school, so we can all agree that things are different now. Summers once meant playing kickball on balmy evenings and eating ripe peaches, plums and nectarines for dessert, but now, summer means iced coffee, sweating on the subway and doing everything possible not to use my oven when it’s 87 degrees. Under these circumstances (and because I can’t squeeze a grill onto my too-tiny balcony) it’s easy to reach for chips and salsa and call it dinner. True, there are some nights where a hunk of Brie and some whole-grain crackers might seem like a well-balanced meal, but to afford that occasional indulgence, I like to fill the rest of my summer nights with crisp, healthy salads with produce fresh from the farm stand. Before I share my favorite, simple salad for a busy summer weeknight, there are a few things you should know so you can make your own healthy salad in what […]

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