An I’m-Not-Cooking-Tonight Summer Salad with Roasted Peanuts and Peanut Dressing

Another salad inspired by Sue Li’s Cucumber Salad With Roasted Peanuts and Chile, a salad I’ve made so many times over the years, and made so many variations on that I’ve had to make a “cucumber salad” tag.

Approximate quantities: About 6 Kirby or Persian cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; about 6 radishes, sliced into thin disks; 2 large carrots, sliced into thin disks; a pint of sugar snap peas, strings trimmed, and cut lengthwise; 1 large tomato, diced; and 1 avocado, cut into thin slices, and about 1/3-1/2 cup of roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the dressing: For the dressing: 2 tablespoons unsalted peanut butter, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek — I actually didn’t use sambal this time, my son doesn’t really like spice so I left it out, and added some Blank Slate chili oil separately

Serves 4 as a side, or 2

Serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main, over rice.

A Nigella-ish Salad

I set out to make a Greek-ish Salad, I was ended up making a Nigella-ish Salad: A mix of lettuce, raw and grilled vegetables, and her moonblush tomatoes and halloumi bites.

Approximate quantities: 1 head of red romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 2 kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 2 Italian artichokes, quartered or cut into eighths, depending on their size; 1 grilled red bell pepper, roughly chopped; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; about a half of a pint of moonblush tomatoes; and about 6 slices of crisped halloumi drizzled with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice

Serves 2 as a main.

End of Summer Chopped Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 1 watermelon radish, thinly sliced; 2 large jersey tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 1 medium lemon boy tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 16-ounce can of chick peas, crisped one a sauté pan or in the oven; 6-8 pieces of halloumi cheese, crisped in a sauté pan with a sprinkle of chili and then drizzled with lemon juice, à la Nigella; 1 green pepper, thinly sliced; and 2 Kirby cucumbers, cut into thin disks drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper or tahini dressing

Serves 2 as a main.

Nancy’s Salad

I don’t know that I have ever actually faithfully followed this recipe. I make this salad a slightly different way every single time — in the fall and winter I use roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes, I’ve added artichokes, experimented with other Italian cheeses, omitted onions, made the vinaigrette, not made the vinaigrette, added cucumbers, carrots, and other things I’ve had on hand, and used dramatically less than 1/2 of pound of cheese and salami. Oh and I always crisp the chickpeas. None of this matters; it’s amazing every time. This salad as is or as a jumping off point is, obviously, a genius recipe.

Approximate quantities: 1 head of butter lettuce, roughly chopped; 1 large carrot, sliced into thin disks; 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1 small red onion or spring onion; thinly sliced; 2 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin disks; 8 pepperocini, roughly chopped; equal amounts aged provolone and sopressata, julienned; and 1 16-ounce can of chickpeas, crisped in a skillet or on a sheet pan drizzled in olive oil, red or white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried oregano

Serves two as a main.

Summer Chef Salad

Approximate quantities: 1 head of red romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 1/2 pint yellow pear tomatoes, quartered; 2 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; kernels of two ears of butter and sugar corn; 2 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 1/4 of a head of purple cabbage, finely chopped; 3 jammy eggs, quartered; and 3 slices of ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese, layered, rolled, and sliced, drizzled with Brianna’s Buttermilk Ranch dressing

Serves two as a main.

Pasta Salad

So, yeah, pasta salad is frequently gross and rarely salad. What I like to do is toss a combination of vegetables and herbs together in salt and vinaigrette for a few hours before eating and then, just before serving, I cook the pasta, drain it, and toss it hot with the vegetables and add olive oil, lemon juice, more vinaigrette, maybe cheese to bring it together — I find this makes a really delicious, fresh, refreshing pasta salad.

The Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

Approximate quantities: 3 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered; kernels of 2 ears of grilled corn; a 16 ounce can of chickpeas, quickly crisped in olive oil, salt, pepper, and cured sumac; 6 radishes, sliced into think disks; 8 ounces of penne, cooked al dente; 10 artichoke hearts, quartered; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; about 1/4 cup dill-and-lemon infused mustard vinaigrette

Grilled Peppers, Artichoke Hearts, and Tomatoes

Approximate quantities: 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin discs; two grilled yellow bell peppers, roughly chopped; 14-16 artichoke hearts, quartered; 2-4 tablespoons of fresh dill fronds; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; and dill-lemon-infused vinegar or lighter vinegar, like white wine or apple cider, and then juice of 1 lemon; and then one pound of pasta, olive olive, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Chickpeas, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes

Approximate quantities: 2 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin discs; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; and a 16 ounce can of chick peas; 1 teaspoon of cured sumac, lemon-and-garlic-infused-mustard vinaigrette or lighter vinegar, like white wine or apple cider, and then juice of 1 lemon; and then one pound of pasta, olive olive, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Niçoise Salad

Approximate quantities: 3–4 cups baby lettuce, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 4 radishes, cut into thin crescents; 1 1/2–2 cups grilled wax beans, roughly chopped; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered; 1 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 3 medium or 2 large carrots, sliced into thin discs; 1 can of olive oil packed tuna; and 2 jammy soft boiled eggs drizzled with with dill-and-lemon-infused-mustard vinaigrette

Serves two as a main, four as a starter or side.

Kale, Romano Bean, or Broccoli Puttanesca

This is a mash-up of Samin’s Long Cook Vegetables, that I make all the of the time, and Mark Bittman’s Pasta Puttanesca that I also make all of the time.

3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 anchovies
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small onion or 1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red chili flakes
1/4 cup of oil cured black olives
2 tablespoons of capers
3 springs of parsley — no need to remove the leaves or chop
2 lbs of romano beans — or lacto kale, broccolini, broccoli rabe, or string beans
14 ounces of tomatoes — I like Muir Glen Fire Roasted, but any will do

First, a warning, there is no way around the fact that the veggies need to cook for 2 hours, I’ve tried to cut the time back, I’ve tried this in my Instant Pot, it just isn’t as good. Don’t make this is you are hungry. Don’t start at 8:00 PM — unless you are in Spain and plan to have dinner at 11:00 PM. Don’t think that you can cook it on higher for a shorter amount of time and get the same result. No dice.

So, the real first, set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over low heat. Add oil, anchovies, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, olives, and capers and stir to combine. Gently cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until the garlic and shallot are just very lightly sizzling, 5 to 7 minutes — Do not brown

Second, reduce heat to as low as possible and add the romano beans (or whatever vegetable you are using), the parsley, the can of tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of salt, stir to combine and cover the pot

Third, this is the part that requires patience, allow the beans (or whatever vegetable you are using) to cook about 45 minutes until the steam has caused them to completely wilt and then check them and stir them and put the lid back on and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes more, stirring every 20 minutes or so

Another Greek-ish Salad

Approximate quantities: 1/4 of a head of purple cabbage, finely chopped; 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1 pint of grape tomatoes; quartered; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin discs; 8-10 artichoke hearts; 2 can of chickpeas; and feta cheese drizzled with lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper

Serves four as a side.

Falafel and Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad

This is a super satisfying vegetarian, double chickpea, chopped salad that was inspired by a Mediterranean grain bowl that I ate for lunch the other week that got me thinking.

Ingredients:

6 falafels balls, roughly chopped
8 ounces of butter lettuce, romaine or any mix green will also be fine here
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 seedless cucumber or 6 small Persian or Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments
1 watermelon radish or 4-6 small radishes, sliced into thin crescents
2 tablespoons sliced pepperocini or banana peppers, minced
3-4 ounces of feta, crumbled 
1 15 ounce can of chickpeas or 1/2 cup of crispy chickpeas snacks
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

I did not make falafel from scratch — I bought a dozen from Sahadi’s, it’s up to you if you want to buy falafel, here in New York, they are easy to find them in the prepared foods area of super markets or to make them from scratch or to make them from a mix, which is what we did when I was a kid, if you are making falafel, obviously, that’s step one

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, scatter them across a sheet pan lined with parchment, sprinkle with salt and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes, until they begin to crisp — you can also skip this step entirely and buy a bag of crispy chickpea snacks, they are everywhere lately

While the chickpeas are in the oven, roughly chop the falafel; quarter the cherry tomatoes; chop the cucumbers; slice the radishes; mince the pepperoni or banana peppers; and crumble the feta

Toss all of the vegetables and the falafel with the lettuce in a bowl and then make the dressing — in a small mixing bowl combine 4 tablespoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, and mix vigorously to combine

When the chickpeas are crispy on the outside, remove from oven and allow a few minutes to cool, and then add 1/2 cup to the salad, toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper

Serves two as a main, four as a starter or side.