Mid-Summer Classic Greek

Approximate quantities: 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 6-8 French breakfast radishes, quartered, length-wise; 1 English cucumber, roughly chopped; 4 artichokes, quartered, length-wise; 1 cubanelle pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 roasted yellow or red pepper, roughly chopped; 10-12 cherry tomatoes, quartered; Alison Roman's herbed chickpeas; 4 ounces feta cheese, cubed; mixed Greek olives; drizzled with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

Serves four as a appetizer and two as a main.

Vinegar-Based Coleslaw with Purple Cabbage

Based loosely on Billy Parisi‘s recipe.

Approximate quantities: 1 head of purple cabbage, thinly sliced; 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced; 1 orange pepper, thinly sliced; 1 red onion, thinly sliced; 4 carrots, grated; 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar; 2 TBS of grainy mustard; 3 TBS of honey; 1/4 cup of olive oil; 1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil; 1 TBS of celery seed; 1 TSP of crushed red pepper flakes; Salt and pepper to taste

Green-on-Green-on-Green

A Monday night detox after a particularly indulgent weekend. 

Approximate quantities: 5 ounces baby kale; 1 lb of sauteed garlic green beans; 1 cup of avocado-lemon-rice; 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped; 1 lb grilled chicken breast, roughly chopped; drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper

Serves two as a main.

An Israeli-ish Salad

It was slightly cloudy and cool last Saturday -- perfect weather to go absolutely crazy at the Union Square Greenmarket -- and so that's exactly what I did. And then I came home and made caprese for lunch and this Israeli-ish salad for dinner.

Approximate quantities: 1 medium sized tomato, cubed; 10 black cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1 small cucumber, cubed; 6 medium sized carrots, sliced into thin disks; 100 grams of feta cheese, cubed; 4 French breakfast radishes, sliced into thin disks; 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped; drizzled with juice of one lemon, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste

When you are ready to eat, make a version of Bon Appetite's insanely easy and insanely delicious herbed chickpeas: Peel and crush 4 cloves of garlic, drain and rinse one can of chickpeas, place chickpeas in a large skillet or Dutch oven and add garlic and a few tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are crisped and some have split open (these will be the most delicious ones), 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in a few additional tablespoons of parsley and then toss with salad.

Serves four as an appetizer or two as a main.

Tortilla-less Tortilla Salad

An all Trader Joe's middle-of-a-busy-week-tortilla salad minus the tortilla. But if you have chips around, toss them in!

Approximate quantities: 3-4 cups of chopped kale; 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice; 1 cup black beans; 3 carrots, sliced into thin disks; ½ of a cucumber, sliced into thin disks; 1 avocado, cubed; 1 cup sugar snap peas, strings removed, ends trimmed; 2 cups of grilled chicken breast, roughly chopped; drizzled with olive oil, Cholula's chili lime hot sauce, salt, pepper, and grated Tillamook cheddar cheese

Serves four as an appetizer or two as a main.

Fig, Fennel, and Parmesan Salad

Inspired by a small plate that I ate at June almost two years ago: Baby kale, fennel, brown figs, Parmesan, parsley, and marcona almonds drizzled with olive oil, yuzu vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Approximate quantities: 2-3 loosely packed cups of baby kale; 2 fennel bulbs, sliced into thin crescents -- a spiralizer or mandoline works well here; 8 fresh brown figs, quartered vertically, or cut into 8ths if they are very large; 1/4 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 1/3 cup marcona almonds, roughly chopped; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved; drizzled with olive oil, yuzu vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two as a main.