Heat Wave Salad Days
Posted on June 11th, 2008 by Ramona
Washington DC’s first heat wave is upon us* and it’s just too hot to cook. For dinner last night, I used leftovers and some produce from the farmers markets to make an entree salad. Leftover cooked lamb chops, sauteed spring peas, spring onions, previously oven roasted golden beets, blue cheese and a red wine vinaigrette made an easy and satisfying dinner.
What are your favorite dishes to eat on a really hot day? Salads? Chilled soups? Grilled dishes?
Let THG know your ideas!
*Last night’s thunder storms has brought us a glorious break in the heat wave-but still…tell me how you cook and cope with the heat-it’s not even summer yet!
We’re salad people all the way! Our personal favorite during the hotter months is a caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. After adding fresh ground pepper, I typically drizzle with a little Ascolano olive oil from Olivier and either cherry balsamic or vanilla fig balsamic from Temecula Olive Oil Company. Of course, the outbreak of salmonella associated with tomatoes has made it a tad more difficult. Thank goodness for heirloom tomatoes and locally grown produce!
We also eat a lot of salad around here. The sad thing about me is that I will turn the oven on– even on the hottest of DC days! However, I do enjoy cold cumumber salads and anything fresh off the grill in the summertime. My husband makes the best grilled bbq chicken (in my book). . . I’m also a big fan of simply cutting up a vegetable, sprinkling it with salt and pepper, and eating the whole thing just like that.
OMG_–looks GREAT———
can I come for dinner?
love the colors of this salad!
that looks tasty. really tasty.
Cold soups like Jose Andres’ gazpacho, a farmer’s market buttermilk and cucumber soup.
This salad looks amazing — I love using leftovers that don’t feel like leftovers.