Taste of summer: Beat the heat with main course salads

Tag : Vegetables and Salads
breasts take just minutes to make and are easy to toss with theother ingredients. Another virtue here is that you can limit theprotein to just enough to satisfy hunger and play up otheringredients that fill the belly. Whole-meal salads can include lotsof meat but needn't; 8 ounces is fine, but 4-5 ounces per persondoesn't feel like too little. One more benefit - meat for saladneedn't be hot or even warm, so you can get the ingredients readywell ahead of time and put the dish together at the last minute.
Vegetables for dinner salads can be raw or cooked. Steam freshveggies or use leftovers from last night's dinner. Add chunks offresh, cut-up tomato, cucumber, bell pepper. Grilled vegetables area good bet, too; brush some olive oil on slices of eggplant,Vidalia onion, red onion, portobello mushrooms, zucchini orasparagus spears, and sear them on the grill to give the salad arobust, smoky taste. Grilled ears of corn work nicely in a salad:brush the kernels with vegetable oil and cook over a slow fireuntil the corn is tender and browned, then scrape the kernels offwith a chef's knife.
Starches make a dinner salad heftier; legumes make them healthier.Use cooked beans, chick peas, lentils or whole grains such ascooked farro, as well as pasta and potatoes. If you're grilling,brush cut-up potatoes with olive oil and char the surface on thegrate; this gives the tubers far more flavor and a pleasantlycrispy edge.
Don't forget eggs, which are nutritious, cheap salad fillers.Hard-cooked eggs will go with any meat, poultry, fish or vegetablesalad and even make a tasty contrast for potato salad; firmscrambled eggs are a nice surprise addition to mixed meat andvegetable salads, too. You also can include flavorful additions byway of scallion, shallot, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, marinatedartichoke hearts and similar items.
Consider using cheese as well; crumbly varieties such as feta, bluecheese and goat cheese are particularly good choices, but you couldalso include cut-up mozzarella, Cheddar, Swiss or fontina.
Summer dinner salads benefit from freshly made dressings.Vinaigrette is a simple recipe, just a matter of mixing vegetable(or olive) oil and vinegar or lemon juice. The formula usually isabout 1/2 cup oil to 3-4 tablespoons of vinegar. Mix in Dijonmustard, add minced garlic or fresh herbs, and the taste changes,creating a variety of flavors to play with when accenting any saladyou create.
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Ronnie Fein is the author of "Hip Kosher: 175 Easy Recipes forToday's Kosher Cooks."
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RECIPES
Grilled Chicken, Shrimp and Feta Cheese Salad
12 small Red Bliss potatoes
2 cups cut-up green beans
4 skinless and boneless chicken breast halves
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
12-16 extra-large shrimp
6 cups mixed salad greens
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 medium avocado
1/2 cup black imported olives
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tblsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tblsp. chopped fresh dill
* Preheat an outdoor grill or oven broiler. Cook potatoes inlightly salted water,10-12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drainand set aside. Cook the green beans in lightly salted water, 3-4minutes. Drain and set aside. Brush the chicken with olive oil,sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill or broil for 6-8 minutes,turning occasionally, or until cooked through. Set aside. Grill theshrimp, 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside. Place thegreens on a serving platter. Slice the chicken into strips andarrange over the greens. Scatter the shrimp and cheese over thetop. Peel the avocado and cut into chunks; place over the greens;place olives over the greens. Whisk together the remaining oil,vinegar, mustard, parsley and dill. Pour over the salad, let rest 5minutes and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.
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Skirt Steak Salad with Eggs, Blue Cheese and Grilled Potatoes
2 lbs. skirt steak
3/4 cup olive oil
5 Tblsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 large eggs
12 small Red Bliss potatoes
1 large or 2 small stalks broccoli, cut up
6 cups mixed salad greens
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tblsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
* Place the meat in a glass, ceramic or stainless steel dish. Mix1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, Worcestershiresauce, garlic and some salt and pepper. Pour over the meat andmarinate 1-4 hours. Preheat an outdoor grill or oven broiler. Placethe eggs in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil overhigh heat. Turn heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for 10 minutes.Drain under cold water, peel, cut into quarters and set aside. Cookthe potatoes in lightly salted water, 8-10 minutes or until justtender. Drain, cut in half and set aside. Cook the broccoli inlightly salted water, 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Place themeat and the potatoes (cut side down) on the grill or broiler pan.Grill or broil the meat and potatoes for about 3 minutes. Removethe potatoes and set aside. Turn the meat and grill for another 3minutes or until cooked to the degree of doneness desired. Setaside. Place the greens on a serving platter. Slice the meat intostrips and arrange over the greens. Arrange the eggs, potatoes,broccoli, tomatoes and cheese over the greens. Whisk together theremaining oil, remaining red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Balsamicvinegar and thyme leaves. Pour over the salad, let rest 5 minutesand serve. Makes 4-6 servings.
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Grilled Chicken Salad with Pesto Dressing, Cheese and Pignoli Nuts
4 skinless and boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups mixed salad greens
2 large summer tomatoes, cut into chunks
2-3 scallions, shredded
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pignoli nuts
3-4 Tblsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tblsp. finely chopped fresh basil
3 Tblsp. finely grated Parmesan
* Preheat an outdoor grill or oven broiler. Brush the chicken witholive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper; grill or broil for 6-8minutes, turning occasionally, or until cooked through. Set aside.Place the greens on a serving platter. Slice the chicken intostrips and arrange over the greens with tomatoes and scallions.Scatter the shaved Parmesan, mozzarella and pignoli nuts on top.Whisk together the remaining oil, vinegar, basil and gratedParmesan. Pour over the salad. Let rest 5 minutes and serve. Makes4 servings.
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Grilled Pork, Pasta and White Bean Salad
1 1/2 lbs. boneless pork chops
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 oz. bow tie pasta
2 15-oz. cans white beans
2 cups cooked corn kernels (or thawed, frozen corn)
1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
3-4 medium scallions, chopped
3 Tblsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 bunch arugula
Salad greens
* Preheat an outdoor grill or oven broiler. Brush pork with oliveoil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill pork 3-4 minutes per sideor until cooked through. Set aside. Cook pasta in lightly saltedwater until al dente. Drain and set aside. Rinse and drain thebeans. Combine the pasta, beans, corn, tomatoes, scallions, parsleyand thyme; toss ingredients. Cut the pork into bite-size pieces andadd to the bowl. Mix remaining oil and lemon juice; pour over theingredients. Arrange arugula and greens on dinner plates and topwith salad ingredients. Makes 4 servings.