Cold Salad Days

 let's face it .August is hot. That means easy and simple dishes. That means salads of any sort and any kind. They don;t have to be the green lettuce and tomato kind.They could be created from other ingredients.

I feel that way during these sticky humid days. It's hot prepping. It's hot cooking. it;s hot washing up a ton of dishes. This is why salads come in handy. One of my favorites is the Neopolitan bread salad made super easy by using croutons and just tomatoes chopped and marinated in oil.

Scallions were added for a bit of color too. I added a handful of  Fresh Gourmet garlic and butter croutons. The company also has other flavors like Texas toast and Caesar Parmesan. Add what you want and have fun with it.

It makes for a yummy salad. You could add onions like the original or even pepperoni slices to give it more depth.

This was a sweet and savory crunchy blend that was just perfect for a sweltering day like today. If you want protein then go for a three bean salad. You can add peppers if you want or onions. 

This is a mix if canellini beans, chickpeas and red kidney beans. It's a great source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. You could add corn , avocado slices and sliced cherry tomatoes for a spin on cowboy caviar. 

Keep in mind you only need four extra ingredients for a successful salad.

Use a good olive oil like Lidl's. It;s light and lets the other ingredients shine. The same goes for vinegar. I prefer Acme's Signature red wine. As for salt  - you don't need the fancy sea salt to flavor. It should be a supporting player .I used Stop and Shop's but you can use any brand. Fresh ground pepper ,like Lidl's give some bite and is better than already ground. Other good salad ingredients are onion and garlic powder a long with paprika for mayo based potato salads.

It's August. It's hot. Make a filling salad for dinner. It's an easy and tasty fix.

The Vegan Stew Dilemma

One of the highlights of any stew is the chunks of meat bobbing in it. They give it flavor and chewiness, along with much needed oomph. What happens when its' eliminated from the equation? There in lies the problem.

That is my dilemma, I 'm a meat eater in a vegan household.There was a recipe in Wednesday's New York Times Food section by regular Melissa Clark, It was a beef and onion stew , fortified with beer. It 's based on the Flemish carbonnade. It sounds wonderful and I can imagine the marriage of earthy beef with sweet onion,.Unfortunately the neat has to be erased from the picture. Do I make it anyway with just more onions? That would be eight onions!! It would turn into a side dish at that point  do I sub in firm tofu at that point?Or add faux beef crumbles to it. That works with Bolognese sauce and chili a stew itself,.The last is the kind that lets all the ingredients shine.A spoonful of it  and you have equal flavors of the protein, tomatoes and chiles. Yet one that solely or partially relies on the meat for taste is at a loss when the lesser stars such as carrots and potatoes have to carry the dish. Probably the best bet is getting the vegan beef chunks from Vegetarian Plus which is sold at Whole Foods. Theylook like lumpy meat balls. Hopefully the taste will compensate for that along with their ability to blend in.

Another idea is to look at vegan stew recipes that focus on the vegetables.Potatoes are pretty hearty and they could be considered the "meat" if there is none. One recipe that I could try is vegan Hungarian paprika stew.It's an intriguing blend of two kinds of paprika, sweet and smoked along with onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. A blob of yogurt tops it off , giving the fiery dish a refreshing dash of cool.Another potato based stew has leeks along with carrots,bell peppers and nutritional yeast.Cauliflower, cannellini beans  and kale can also be added to give it more body.Flax and chia seeds can also be added for more nutritional value. Chickpeas, the bean of the moment ,can also be the star of vegetarian stews. What I love about them is that they're so meaty and versatile. In a way they're like meat, flavoring the stew and acting as the backbone. Go exotic with a Lebanese style one, rich with za'atar and cumin. Tomato paste also are added for color and zing.It also has garlic but theis can be omitted if you want.

Yes, it would be nice to have an old fashioned beef or chicken stew.sadly, that;s a no go in my house. Luckily veggies and beans are great stand ins. They can give a rich, tasty stew, perfect on a cold day,

A Hot Summer Soup

Even though we're gliding towards summer, we can still enjoy some cold weather dishes. That includes a minestrone.This is not one , made for snowy days  but one that's a nice repast after a hot day , whether at work or at the beach. Like Tuesday's column all it takes is updating it to make a dish perfect for now.

This was the premise of David Tanis column A City Kitchen in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. He takes one of the heaviest soups , minestrone and lightens up for hearty summer dining. How does he do so? By subbing in fish broth for beef or chicken stock. Making fish stock is easy Take the bones from any meaty white fish  and rinse them well. You should have two pounds of bones by now and then cook them for half an hour with eight cups of water. Mr. Tanis recommend add ing an onion for more flavor. After cooking then just strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer.

As with minestrone, you can use more onions , celery and carrots. Mr. Tanis also  has saffron and garlic cloves for  flavor  and spice. The meat are littleneck clams and squid to re emphasize the brininess,Beans are a must here too and Mr. Tanis uses cannellini and fava beans. Instead of topping the finished bowls with cheese , he returns to the garden , employing a dollop of fresh pesto.He keeps this simple too , using only parsley , basil and garlic and avoiding the heavily invasive cheese and pine nuts. The end result is a hot satisfying soup, but one that is incredibly light.

There's nothing better than a hot soup for lunch or dinner. Even though it's summer , you can still make a delicious, smelling and tasting minestrone,Sub in lighter ingredients and you have this the perfect summer soup.