Just Salad It

Most of the Northern Hemisphere is roasting right now. Theres no way anyone wants to cook let alone sraind in front of a hot grill flipping burgers. What to  do? Turn all those ingredients into a salad.

A salad can be just as simple or as compl.ex as you want it cna be. It can have lettuce or not. if you want a hearty one though, then add some protein to it. You can easily buy any kind of cold cut and julieene it into thin strips and pieces. Think Italian cold cuts like salame and capacola cut thin and mixed with a crisp lettuce like Batavia or French crisp. Add some sliced tomatoes or whole grape ones and chunks of mozzarella .Add a zingy Italain dressing, redolent with oregano and garlic. A nice side is sliced Italian bread drizzled with olive oil. This makes for a satisfying and tasty lunch or supper. A shredded rotisserie chicken also makes a great base for a salad. Save the legs and wings for munching on later. Shred the body and skin and add to a bowl of cold , crisp Romaine lettuce. Croutons would work here along with sliced almonds. You could turn it into a chicken Caesar with dressing or go for something lught like a lemon  or lime juice vinaigrette.Even fried chicken can be cut up and added to a salad. Add some cherry tomatoes and a honey mustard dressing for a quick and flavorful dinner.

Can you sub in another ingredient for the lettuce? Yes Cole slaw works well with any other ingredient . Think an Asian cabbage  one with fried tofu squares and a ginger dressing. You dont have to fry tor bake the tofu. That'll creare too much work and generate too much heat. Cube it first . Coat in cornstarch and then air fry it for five minutes, the toss and then air fry for an extra five more minutes. Add  some sliced carrots and water chestnuts for more Asian flavor. Serv with a soy sauce  based dressing. Rice is an excellent sub in for lettuce. A tasty rice salad can include tomaotes, broocoli and a hard cheese line Parmiginao or Gran Padano. If you want mor eflavor think about adding a few artichoke hearts. You coukld make the fun cowboy rice salad which is combining the grain with black beans.it has the usual salad extras like tomatoes,peppers and onions but corn kernals are also adde dalong with the beans. The dressing is a tangy lime dressing. If you want to make it heartier, sub in chopped steak for the beans. Macaroni also makes for a good salad base.  Put in some summer sausage along with mozarella , tomaotes and broccoli. Again an Italian dressing works here.

It's summer.It's hot.It's not the time to cook. Make a cool salad for easy eating during these  sweltering days.

Dressing Up

What makes an ordinary bowl of tossed greens and chopped veggies a stand out? The dressing.Any dressing from a simple vinaigrette to a creamy ranch or tangy Thousand Island can add zip and verve even to just shredded iceberg lettuce and tomato wedges.Homemade dressings are not only yummy they're a snap to make.Even kids could create fancy ones for the evening salad. Sometimes the simplest is the best.Many salad devotees opt for the great Italian food writer,Marcella Hazan's recipe for a good side salad! Toss greens in olive oil, add a few drops of vinegar and then shake in fresh ground pepper and sea salt.This dressing works well if you have a strong main meal such as pasta or a roasted meat.The salad is secondary in this case.However with these hot June days, salads are becoming the main meal. Yes, you can still have an oil and vinegar base but try adding aromatic herbs such as oregano and rosemary.This is a basic Italian dressing recipe and can even be used on heroes too.A fruit infused vinaigrette is always a nice change of pace.Buy fresh picked blue berries or strawberries and bruise then( crush them with the back of a spoon)'Add to a white wine vinegar for fourteen days. If you want you can make several different fruit flavors, including peach and blackberry along with raspberry.Try these with salads having grilled chicken or turkey as the main ingredient. Creamy dressings are a bonus.They not only give a certain oomph to ordinary salads but they are chock full of flavor.One of the easiest and tastiest is French.This is just a simple mix of mayo and ketchup.There are recipes that nix the mayonnaise and sub in corn oil and white vinegar.Many prefer the first recipe .For added zing put in sweet relish or even chopped gherkins to create Thousand Island dressing.Sub in chopped pickles for the gherkins or sweet relish and you have Russian dressing.This is not only good in a salad but also slathered on a Reuben sandwich as well. Ranch dressing is popular right now and it's an easy one. Mix buttermilk with mayo and add garlic , onion powder and chives.Caesar salad is always a treat and the dressing is an easy to whip up.It"s mayo ,anchovy paste,Parmesian cheese and lemon juice mixed together and then minced garlic is thrown in.If you're making a creamy dressing ,then think big salad.Any of these dressing goes well with a chef salad laden with all sorts of meat. You can also add grilled shrimp, salmon to these as well as croutons and variety of veggies. warm weather calls for a salad.Jazz it up with a home made dressing.Any one is easy to whip up and dress a variety of meats,greens and veggies.

Tons Of Tomatoes

August is the times for tomatoes. Nothing says summer more than a ripe red beauty bursting with juice and flavor. Not only are these good on their own with a sprinkle of sea salt, they amazing in a variety of recipes. Any kind from cherry to beefsteak is  the best ingredient in any summer meal!

Lush tomatoes were the subject of an article written by the Dining section's regular Melissa Clark in today's New York Times food section. She has many good recipes for what has turned out to be a bumper crop for Summer 2012. Thanks to perfect weather situations, from good temps to no flooding, these delicious gems are in abundance. You can have them anyway from the traditional pasta sauces to tasty salads.What's even better is that there are so many different kinds out there now  from the small  plump cherry to the hearty  beefsteaks.

Ms. Clark goes for the usual route with them  - salad - but with a twist. She offers up a Caesar salad full of cherry tomatoes. This also includes a nice mix of garlic  , anchovies and Parmesan along with romaine lettuce. It;s a wonderful blend of brininess from the anchovies to the tomatoes sugary sweetness. She also has a fig and tomato salad, with a sprinkling of blue cheese. It's an interesting combo, perfect for a summer barbecue. The best recipe, though, is her bread salad,. This is a favorite
,that she makes with country bread(I would use Italian and French though for more chewiness and flavor) She a;so adds Spanish sausage for crunch and a spice along with a Spanish onion. This would make just a nice dinner by itself.

It 's the season of tomatoes. Use them anyway you want. However they're heavenly in a good salad, where their flavor can shine!