Summer’s Chopped Summer Salad

Fresh and filling, this salad is easy to make a meal out of, especially on those hot summer days when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or stove. Grilled chicken or shrimp also go well with this salad if you’re looking for an extra kick of protein.

Ingredients

For the salad:

• Arugula
• Artichoke hearts
• Slices of prosciutto
• Fresh mozzarella
• Roasted red pepper
• Cherry tomatoes 

For the dressing:

• Pepper
• Salt
• Oregano
• Balsamic vinegar (or your vinegar of choice)
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

• Chop all of the ingredients into bite-sized pieces
• Toss in a bowl with your dressing
• Add the protein of your choice to make it a meal

 

Easy Tomato Gazpacho

Gazpacho is the perfect summer soup: it utilizes tomatoes, which are at their peak in the summer months and is designed to be eaten cold, which is perfect when you’re sweating it out in the heat. Try this recipe from the folks behind the vegetarian and vegan focused blog, Love and Lemons. 

Ingredients:

• 1 English cucumber
• 2½ pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 fresno chiles, or ½ red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
• ¼ small red onion, rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil,  plus more for drizzling
• 1¼ teaspoons sea salt  
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cherry tomatoes, for garnish
• Fresh herbs, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Finely chop ¼ of the cucumber and reserve for garnish. 
2. Peel the remaining cucumber, cut into chunks, and transfer to a blender. 
3. Add the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. 
4. Blend until smooth. 
5. Season to taste and chill for at least 2 hours.
6. Serve the soup garnished with the reserved diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, drizzles of olive oil, and freshly ground black pepper.

Pesto is one of those sauces where substitutions are super easy. In this recipe from the food blog, The Mediterranean Dish, you can use either pine nuts or walnuts. Pine nuts can get pricey, so remember to freeze what you don’t use. It’ll keep them fresher for longer and save you some money!

 

Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

• 2 cups packed basil leaves
• 1 to 2 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil  
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt
• Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. Fill a small saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set it near your stove. Set up a food processor with the blade attachment (or get your blender all plugged in and ready).
2. Briefly blanch the basil: Drop the basil leaves in the boiling water and blanch just until they’re wilted, 5 to 10 seconds. Use tongs to transfer the basil leaves to the prepared ice water. This stops them from continuing to cook.
3. Dry the basil very well: Wrap the basil in paper towels. Squeeze to wring out all the water and transfer to the food processor, along with the garlic, pine nuts, and lemon juice.
4. Blend: Pulse until everything has broken down into small chunks. With the processor running on low speed, slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil. Do not run the processor too long, you want to have a little bit of texture to your basil pesto.
5. Stir in the parmesan: Transfer the basil mixture to a small bowl. Add the cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine. If your pesto is looking a little thicker or less smooth than you like it, add a little bit more extra virgin olive oil.
6. Serve or store: Use immediately or store for later.

Here are some great notes for storing:

• Storage: Transfer the pesto to a mason jar. Cover with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil (this creates a seal and prevents air from getting to it). Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks. As you use some of the pesto over time, be sure to replenish the thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top. 

To Freeze: Freeze in a tightly-closed freezer-safe jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top for up to 6 months. Or, if you want to freeze it in smaller amounts, pour the pesto into ice cube trays and freeze until hard. Once frozen, transfer the pesto cubes to a freezer-safe bag.