Serious Salads - Light Summer Meals for Hot Summer Nights

Summer is finally in full swing... after what seemed like the longest, hardest winter in memory. The farmer's markets are expanding from the meagre spring offerings to stalls filled with a wide selection of fruits and veggies, and our salads are improving with each week. 

We eat a lot of fresh veggies at our house... and started moving into fresh over cooked early in the season. After a winter of cooked greens, we started eating our kale raw. We started looking for ways to add crunch and zest to our plates.

A few tricks for keeping hot summer meals easy on week nights is to prep food on the weekend - often fresh from the market. First, I wash all of the greens and keep them covered in a bowl in the fridge. This means picking up a handful and placing it directly on a plate when I need it. I don't bother dressing greens anymore - instead I place a number of (often pre made & pre dressed) heartier salads on top of the undressed base of greens. 

I've tired of sloppy big green leaves and find myself preferring everything chopped small and fine. This makes for denser, crunchier salads. An added bonus is that these types of salads age, store and travel well too. Two important tools have been the mandolin slicer (for super fine slices of fennel or cabbage) and the grater - for carrots and beets.

Some salads store very well for a few days - bean salads (provided not too wet), slaws, and salads made from heartier veggies like fennel. I make a few salads at once, and rotate them over the next couple of days - and take them for lunch too. These dense salads make fantastic simple sides or dinner in and of themselves, particularly when one or more includes a form of protein like beans, nuts or cheese. Here is a sampling of some of our summer standards. I've included the classic caprese which requires little more than slicing a tomato. 

Carrot Beet Salad
Grate peeled organic beets and carrots
Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar and celery seed (optional).

Celeric Slaw (no image) 
Wash and peel celeriac root. Using a mandolin slicer make long thin strips of this crunchy white vegetable. Toss with finely chopped fresh parsley, a small amount of mayonnaise, dijon mustard and freshly ground black pepper. Celeric is available all year and makes an excellent winter side too!

Red Cabbage Slaw
Using a mandolin cut red cabbage on the finest slicer and then use the teeth to make thin crunchy strips of carrot. Toss with olive oil, apple cider vinegar and celery seed. You can use a knife and grater to make a less delicate looking, but just as tasty version of this salad. 

Black Bean & Radish
Rinse black beans until the water runs clear and place in a bowl. Add radishes chopped into little cubes about the same size as the beans and lots of chopped cilantro. Sprinkle a light dusting of cayenne pepper, a dollop of good olive oil and squeeze in the juice of a fresh lime.

Caprese Salad
Finely slice fresh tomatoes and assemble on a platter. Slice bocconcini (fresh baby mozzarella) and place on top. Add chopped fresh basil and dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Finish with a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Simple Arugula with Walnuts and Olives
Fresh baby arugula (or larger leaves chopped) with fresh walnuts (toasted or raw) and salt cured olives. Sprinkle good olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a light sprinkle of salt. 

Pesto & Corn Potato Salad

mix fresh pesto (read labels on store bought pesto!),corn cut from roasted cobs, chopped fresh basil leaves, salt & pepper

and the tiniest fresh baby potatoes (boiled and cooled). 

For a post on a number of variations on potato salad click HERE.

If you're wondering what the heck this post has to do with "gluten-free"... well, absolutely nothing. In fact - there are so many good foods out there that have nothing to do with gluten... perhaps that is the point :). 

Winter is a season of pasta, and starchier comfort foods, but I've always found summer easier because fresh and lighter foods are more appealing when it's hot. 


May your summer be full of foods so fresh and delicious, that you think about abundance more than lack. Add a glass of chilled vino bianco and celebrate virtuous and easy summer meals!

rice paper spring rolls - refreshingly gluten free!

We've been eating a lot of cooked veggies these days - and I have been craving something fresh. Normally, I'd make spring rolls for a party or a pot luck as they appeal to lots of people and work with many dietary restrictions. Today I made them just for us, to be carted off for lunches on the road over the next few days. They are light, travel well, don't require warming up and keep for a few days tightly wrapped in the fridge. They are easy, but do require a good deal of assembly. Put on some good tunes, get well organized, and it's actually a pretty enjoyable way to spend an hour.

What you need: rice paper wraps (approx 10" diameter).

Salted hot water in a large bowl for soaking. As for the rest of the ingredients, they can be few or they can be many. 

Used in the wraps pictured are lettuce leaves (Boston is my preference - but anything "soft" vs crunchy will do), grated carrot, thinly sliced red and yellow pepper, green onion and LOTS of fresh cilantro (coriander)

Other ideas/variations I've tried include grilled tofu, salted peanuts, basil leaves and or mint leaves  and many Thai recipes include cooked shrimp or chicken.

Prepare your ingredients and put on a plate so that you can easily access everything like an assembly line. Lay a clean dry tea towel on your counter. 

1) Place enough boiled salted water in a bowl big enough to soak the rice paper disks. Place a disk in the water and wait until it softens (seconds). Pull out and gently lay flat on the tea towel. 

2) Put ingredients in middle, being careful not to over stuff. I put the lettuce on the bottom because I find that it helps support the delicate rice paper and keeps sharper items from poking out. 

3) To roll, simple fold up the bottom quarter of the disk. Then fold in the left side corner towards the centre. Tuck in the ingredients tightly (but gently as the paper may rip). Fold the top quarter down. Finish rolling towards the right side. Place seam side down on a platter. Don't be disheartened if your first couple are a bit wonky. I find that it takes me about two before I get the hang of it and make them tight enough. 

Once you are done, place a clean damp cloth, or wet paper towel over the top to keep them moist (not wet). Wrap in plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. When ready to serve, slice them in half. They can be eaten plain, or served with a dipping sauce. I tend to whip something up based on what's in the fridge... you can also purchase ready made plum sauce in the Asian food aisle of your grocery store that is gluten free. Watch for store bought sauces that contain soy sauce as that is very often NOT gf.

Today I combined some gluten-free tamari sauce with some rice vinegar, grated ginger, a spoon of sugar, sprinkle of salt and a good dose of hot pepper sauce.  Another classic is to combine peanut butter, gluten-free soy sauce, lime and water, melting it on the stove to form a dip. I hate shopping for ingredients just for one little dish. I would experiment with what you have on hand.  Essentially you want something sweet/sour/savoury with a hit of spice. When I'm eating these rolls for lunches I just eat them plain - they are like a garden of goodness and they leave me feeling very virtuous... which is justification for a treat later!

coleslaw - a mandolin makes fast work of fine chopping

Simple Red Cabbage Slaw

1/2 red cabbage

2 large carrots

1/4 medium red onion

1/2 cup organic apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup raisins

1tbsp celery seed

Once we get into winter, the local veggies are going to start getting more limited. I've decided that this year I'm going to try my hand and making what's available a little more exciting. I'm pretty chuffed about having another purpose for my new mandolin - which to date has only been used to cut fennel very finely to add to salads. This dish is super easy and was a well received hit of colour at the pot-luck.

Cut the cabbage head into quarters and remove the white core. Use the mandolin to shred the red cabbage. Watch your fingers! Next I cut the carrots using a special blade that makes mini sticks. If you don't have that attachment, simply grate it, and obviously, the cabbage could also be sliced thinly with a knife. I shopped the onion very fine as I don't like chunks of onion.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vinegar stirring until dissolved. Add all other ingredients and toss. Let sit for 1 hour in the fridge and serve. Lasts about 3 days, makes an excellent side - and packs well for lunches too!

fresh homemade salsa - no fat & loads of flavour!

salsa ingredients just before we mixed it up - bursting with flavour!

8-10 small fresh firm plum tomatoes diced small

1 small red onion diced small

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed & finely chopped

fresh lime juice squeezed from 2 limes

(optional: roast peppers over flame and remove skins)

As summer begins to wind down, I've been maxing out my in-take of tomatoes. Bill just whipped up this very simple fresh salsa (which lasts in the fridge for about 3 days)... and we've been eating it with corn chips. It would also make a fantastic topping on gf toast (not unlike bruschetta). This is a great way to get lots of good veggies into your diet. Adding two cans of rinsed beans (black beans or white kidney/cannellini) and 1/4 cup olive oil to this would turn this into an awesome bean salad. Consider this two recipes in one!! 

filling up the larder - cook once & enjoy over time...

Last summer we totally got into hitting the farmer's markets on Saturday mornings. As fall approached we realized that a long Ontario winter was ahead of us. A winter of questionable produce imported from distant lands.

I fondly remember autumn afternoons spent with my friend Pina and her family... preparing cans of tomatoes they'd order by the bushel to later use in amazing Italian dishes. Rows of sauce lined their pantry shelves for the rest of the year. I prized the jars I'd be sent home with for my work prepping the sugo in the backyard. 

While we weren't quite ready for that level of commitment, Bill was inspired enough to cook up huge batches of sauce to be stored in the freezer. 

We don't believe that you have to live in the kitchen to live well, but we do believe in working smart. One afternoon of well organized play can result in a LOT of ready made dinners for those weeknights when you just can't face food prep. Some really good quality sauce on top of your favorite gluten-free pasta or polenta hits the spot.

As I post this we are down to the last jar. The countdown to spring begins...

gluten free market - it's hip to be gluten free!

This morning Bill and I went to the the Brick Works - an amazing place in Toronto that was once the location of the brick making kilns responsible for producing much of our city. Today this historic site is run by Evergreen, an environmental non-profit. Every Saturday they run an organic & local market. It was our first visit to this super lively venue. Among all the gorgeous fresh organic produce, there were five stalls selling baked goods.  The sweetest surprise was that of these five, three offered delicious gluten free goodies.

I am also noting another trend... many bakers are making goods that are both gluten-free AND vegan as a way of expanding their market with one product. Personally, I prefer butter and eggs in my baked goods... but I don't turn my nose up at any gluten free treat. 

I inhaled an enormous chocolate chip cookie from LPK's Culinary Groove... the image above shows the goods I left behind (this time!).  

Tonight I will scarf down a ginger loaf for dessert with friends. Jose from Pimenton gave me a sample... yum!! I asked him why they were offering gf - he replied that the market had driven the new products. I think that he too is curious to see how this "trend" will pan out.... I'm interested in hearing more about other's take on where this is all going. After all of these years going without - I'm still in shock at what is available around me these days.

gluten free summer fresh food

Caprese Salad:
Tomatoes, Bocconcini, Basil, Olive Oil, Balsamic, S&P

Arugula Salad:
Arugula, Walnuts, Salt cured olives, Olive Oil, Lemon, S&P

What do these foods all have in common? They are fresh,
local and in season. What's more... each dish is comprised of no more than 5 ingredients and takes mere minutes to assemble.

That is how we try to approach food at home. 

Spring through fall we aim to get to the local farmer's market on Saturday morning. We stroll around and pick out what appeals. Purchases here are the basis for the meals the week ahead. Bill will pick up fresh fish or organic meat for the grill to "accompany" our fresh goodies. We try to see the veggies first. 

Potato, Corn & Pesto Salad

Our friend Pina dropped by and joined Bill & I for a typical fast & easy Monday night dinner.

What I'd like to drive home here - is that while I love food and appreciate "good" food... I don't really like to spend my day cooking. I want to spend at least as much time enjoying the food as I do making it.

 When I lived in Italy, it struck me that most dishes were comprised of very few ingredients. If food was fresh and in season... the flavour spoke for itself. 

My approach is to pick three main ingredients: a protein, and two vegetables (one is sometimes more carb like potatoes or corn). We don't eat meat every night - we toss together a quick warm pasta dish (drain the rice pasta and stir in some pesto and a couple of fresh ingredients). Beans are also a great source of protein and fiber.

Ideally anything cooked happens all in one place and one way. By this I mean that meat or fish is grilled on the barbeque in summer alongside the corn, zucchini, eggplant, peppers... whatever we have. In winter the meat or fish goes in one  dish along with the veg. Pasta  often gets assembled in one pot. Done. Did I mention that I also hate washing dishes?

People buy pre-packaged foods in a box or can for a variety of reasons. Usually because they either don't like or know how to cook... or they don't believe they have time or energy. 

It takes 6-12 minutes to nuke something in a plastic tray that won't be good for you and has almost no nutritional value. Lucky for you... very few of these types of  meals are gluten-free :) 

Just because your body wasn't made to eat gluten, does not mean you have to spend hours in the kitchen to eat well. Good ingredients are key to good dishes. Buy the best  quality olive oil you can find. Everything you make will taste better. 
 
This is not a cooking blog. There are plenty of great resources for those who enjoy spending hours in the kitchen. I'll be posting more of what I call "5 under 10" recipes on this blog. By this I mean no more than 5 ingredients, and no more than 10 minutes to make. I look forward to sharing what we will be putting on our table!