This is a “just because” post, meaning, I’m posting it just because these photos I decided to take of my lunch salad were so pretty, I had to share them. So what’s in it?
Baby Spinach
Crumbled Feta
Leftover corn from dinner—chilled and sprinkled with lime juice and fleur de sel.
Ripe chunks of avocado
Peeled carrot slivers
Leftover grilled chicken thighs (marinated with garlic, mustard, lemon juice, smoked paprika, and olive oil)
And these beautiful thinly sliced radishes from my CSA, Ralston Farm:
The biggest revelation for me has been switching up my olive oil and using walnut oil instead for dressing the salad (for the salad above I just used walnut oil, champagne vinegar, salt, and pepper). It’s a little pricey but a drizzle goes a long way because it packs so much nutty flavor. When it comes to summer salads I find myself making less emulsified vinaigrettes and tossing the salad the Italian-way, with just some good quality, fruity olive oil (or walnut or avocado oil) and a good quality vinegar (champagne, balsamic, or sherry) drizzled on top. Sometimes I just leave the bottles of vinegar and oil on the table–a dish of salt and a pepper grinder alongside–and let everyone drizzle and toss their individual salads themselves. A simpler treatment lets the flavor of the vegetables shine though and is also less fussy, which is what summer really is all about: lots of simple, unfussy, wonderful, fleeting flavors.
So you have a go-to summer salad and a go-to summer salad dressing??
