Here’s the world’s easiest (and most satisfying) summer salad for when you’re short on time but need something to go with that barbecue or potluck. Use top-quality produce here for a salad that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
Ingredients:
2 large heirloom tomatoes, washed and cored
1 large avocado, halved, pit removed, and peeled
3 Persian cucumbers
1/2 small red onion
1 garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Quarter the heirloom tomatoes and cut them into thin slices, then place in a large bowl. Thinly slice avocado halves and gently add to the bowl. Thinly slice cucmbers and red onion and add to the salad bowl.
Top vegetables with grated garlic, vinegar, parsley, and olive oil, then gently toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
I’m not a huge sandwich person, and I rarely seek them out, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this flavor bomb of a sandwich I made recently. Garlicy pesto, meaty mushrooms, tangy sourdough, vinegary peppers, creamy mozzarella — this sandwich has it all.
Maybe I’m a sandwich person after all.
Ingredients:
2 to 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
1 pound portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons avocado oil
Salt
1 12-inch wide sourdough baguette or boule, halved lengthwise, toasted
1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced pickled cherry peppers
1/4 cup basil leaves
Place pesto in a large bowl. Remove stems and gills from portobello mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high. Arrange half of mushrooms in a single layer in skilled and cook until they start to sizzle, then wrap the bottom of a second heavy skillet that is small enough to nestle into the first with foil and use it to press down on mushrooms evenly. Cook, pressing down, until mushrooms shrink and are deeply browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Remove top skillet; season mushrooms with salt. Turn mushrooms over, add 1 teaspoon oil to pan, and re-cover with foil-lined skillet. Cook, pressing, until second sides of mushrooms are well-browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with pesto. Repeat process with remaining mushrooms and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil. Toss mushrooms in pesto to coat.
Rub cut sides of baguette with garlic. Arrange mushrooms on bottom half of bread, then layer mozzarella on top. Top with cherry peppers and basil. Close and cut in quarters to make 4 sandwiches.
I’ve been on a make-head breakfast bender, mostly because mornings are hectic and I only have a few minutes to spare. Lately my favorite are these overnight oats, sweetened with bananas and topped with shavings of dark chocolate. A healthy breakfast masquerading as a decadent dessert. Not a bad way to start the day.
This recipe makes enough for two servings, but can easily be doubled (or tripled).
Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon shaved salted dark chocolate, for topping
In a bowl, mash together the banana, maple syrup, and chia seeds with a fork, then stir in the yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Add the oats and mix again. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, spoon into two bowls and sprinkle half the shaved chocolate on top of each bowl.
Remember a few years ago where fast-casual poke spots were opening up in what seemed like every other corner? I liked that. It was a food trend I could get behind. I love poke bowls, especially in the summer, but I’ve started making them at home more often because a lot of those poke restaurants aren’t around anymore (come back please!).
This gingery tuna poke gets its creaminess from the addition of macadamia nuts and an unmistakable herbaceousness from shiso leaves. You can use salmon just as easily as tuna here.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice (preferably Meyer) ponzu
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh shiso (Japanese or Vietnamese), plus more to taste
1 tablespoon crushed unsalted roasted macadamia nuts, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons sesame oil, plus more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger, plus more to taste
1 pound skinless sushi-grade tuna
Sea salt, to taste
Toasted white sesame seeds
Cooked short-grain white rice and nori seaweed, for serving
Directions
Stir together soy sauce, lemon juice, green onions, shiso, macadamia nuts, sesame oil, and ginger in a medium bowl. (Mixture should be slightly creamy.)
Cut tuna into bite-size (about 3/4-inch) cubes. Add tuna to ponzu mixture in bowl; gently stir together until well coated.
Season with salt to taste. Adjust flavors with additional ponzu, green onions (pungency), shiso, macadamia nuts, sesame oil (velvety richness), ginger, and/or salt to taste. Serve atop individual bowls of rice and garnish with sesame seeds, more shiso leaves, and nori seaweed; serve immediately. (Poke itself can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator.)
If you’ve know me at all then you know okra is my favorite vegetable, and this blog is a no-okra-slander zone. This easy summer skillet pairs okra with corn and peppers for the ultimate summer side dish. Eat it with rice and chicken or even better, by itself. (I paired it with Iranian dolma here, because why not?)
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon avocado oil
2 slices turkey bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
10 okra, stemmed and sliced crosswise
4 ears corn, shucked, kernels sliced off (or one 10-ounce package frozen corn, about 2 cups)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the turkey bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Do not wipe out the pan.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet and add garlic, shallots, bell pepper, and jalapeno and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high, add okra and corn, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in green onions, reserved turkey bacon, and remaining butter and season with salt and pepper.
