Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Summer salads, had me a blast.

I did it!  I found the perfect summer meal, no grilling required.  Nothing against grills personally, my apartment complex doesn't allow them.  

Don't worry, future grill.  Our time will come.


Arugula salmon salad?  Meet watermelon feta salad with mint.  So many good things happening on this plate.  


Arugula & Spinach Salmon Salad with Capers and Shaved Parmesan
Adapted from Skinnytaste

Ingredients
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 1 cup baby spinach 
    • If you're really fond of one of these greens, double your favorite and cut out the other one altogether!  Or, use a different green.  The power is YOURS!
  • 4 ounces salmon, skin removed (optional)
  • 1 tsp capers, drained
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp shaved parmesan
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Season salmon with salt and pepper.  Cook in pan with oil or grill for 10 minutes.  Remove the salmon skin if you want to be healthy.
  2. Place greens on plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Top greens with salmon and capers.
  4. Drizzle oil and vinegar, then sprinkle parmesan.  As you can see above, I used way more than 1 tablespoon.
I bought a lot of greens, cooked up a lot of salmon, and brought this salad to work for lunch for a few days.  It was quick to throw together in the morning, which is a must because I'm always running late.



Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint

Ingredients
  • Seedless watermelon, chilled
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Lime juice
  • Fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • Crumbled feta
  • Salt and pepper
Directions
  1. Cut rind from the watermelon, the cut into 1-inch chunks.  Place in colander and drain.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.
  3. Place watermelon in a bowl, toss with dressing and mint.
  4. Add feta, stir to combine thoroughly.
  5. Serve with a slotted spoon so watermelon juice stays away from the rest of your food.  Unless you really like watermelon juice.
You may be skeptical about combining watermelon, feta, and mint.  If I had to throw three things into a salad, they'd be the last three things I'd pick.  But trust me.  A friend made this for a recent spa night, and the salty and sweet complement each other perfectly.

Three notes:
  1. I purposely omitted amounts from the ingredients.  I didn't make as much as the original recipe called for, so I just eyeballed it.
  2. Make this salad just before serving.
  3. Try to avoid leftovers.  It doesn't keep well.  The dressing congeals and it's just gross.


Looks great, doesn't it?  With sangria to drink, everything about this meal just oozes summer.


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