Summertime Marinated Salads

     Summertime is here, there is no denying that! With record-breaking temperatures, it's become a struggle to stay cool. So I figured I'd share a few of my favorite summertime lunch/snack ideas with you. Marinated salads! They're delicious, easy, and served cold to help you keep cool.

Calling All Cukes! 

This marinated salad has been a favorite of mine for my whole life. Mom would always keep some in the fridge as I was growing up. And as an adult I can't help but love it still. There are a number of variations you can make on this, try adding some bell peppers, cauliflower, or radishes. If you don't want to make your own dressing, try using your favorite store bought Italian or Vinaigrette. Or try switching up the herbs in the home made dressing, instead of parsley and basil try dill. Have fun!

Marinated Cucumber Salad

2 medium Cucumbers, sliced

1 pint Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved

1 Avocado, chopped

½ medium Red Onion, diced or sliced

For the Dressing:

¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

2 tbsp Lemon Juice (about 1 lemon)

2 Garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped

1 tsp fresh Basil, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Combine all dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk well. Add in remaining ingredients and toss. Store in the refrigerator for 1 hour or more for best results. (I usually do this in a mason jar that I keep in the refrigerator)

Fava Forever!

     I love fava beans. They're just wonderful, even if they are a pain to process when they're fresh. For that reason, this recipe calls for canned fava beans. But it works just as well with Chickpeas or Kidney beans if you prefer them.

Marinated Fava Bean Salad

1 15-oz can Fava Beans, drained and rinsed

½ Green Bell Pepper, diced

½ Red Bell Pepper, diced

½ medium sized Cucumber, diced

¼ medium sized Red Onion, diced

2 Green onions, diced

½ tbsp Capers

¼ cup Parsley, chopped

5-6 Mint Leaves, chopped

5-6 Basil Leaves, chopped

For the Dressing:

1 clove Garlic, minced

¼ tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

½ tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Combine dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Add in other ingredients and toss. Allow to chill for at least 1 hour for best results.

Just Beet It

     Beets are an under-appreciated vegetable. They're also more than just red. My favorite beets are the golden beets. Largely because they don't bleed all over everything and stain my hands, but also because they have such a mildly sweet taste. Try this recipe with any kind of beet you want. Chiogga beets make for a great visual presentation. Classic red beets are great for a classic beet salad. You can even use a combination of beets to make things a little extra special! This salad is also great with a little Feta, Goat Cheese, or Bleu Cheese on top!

Marinated Beet Salad

5 medium Beets, trimmed and halved (save the greens for another dish!)

2 small Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

½ a medium Red Onion, halved and thinly sliced

¼ cup roasted Walnuts

2 tsp fresh Dill, chopped

1 tsp fresh Parsley, chopped

For the Dressing:

The juice of 2 Oranges

1 ½ tsp Red Wine Vinegar

1 ½ tsp Olive Oil, or Walnut Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Steam the beets for 30-40 minutes, or until tender. Grab them with a paper towel and peel off the skins while they are still warm (or wait until they cool and use a peeler). Thinly slice them. While they are steaming, combine the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Add in remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Allow to chill for 1 hour or more for best results.

It's Greek To Me

Greek salads are a staple in most American restaurants today. But my favorite version of this salad leaves out the lettuce and brings on the marinade!

Marinated Greek Salad

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved

2 medium Cucumbers, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 small Red Onion, diced

½ cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and halved

2 Pepperoncini Peppers, sliced into rings

Marinated Feta or Tofu:

5-6 oz Feta or Tofu, cubed

½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper

½ cup Olive Oil

1 sprig each of fresh Rosemary, Thyme, and Oregano

1 clove Garlic, smashed

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Dressing:

¼ cup Olive Oil (drained from the Marinated Feta/Tofu)

1 tsp dried Oregano

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Marinate the Feta/Tofu 24 hours or more (up to 14 days) in advance. Combine all the ingredients in a sealed container and hold in the refrigerator until ready to use. In a mixing bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk well. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl, including the marinated Feta/Tofu. Toss well to combine and chill for 1 hour or more before serving.

Expect the Unexpected

     You can truly use any vegetable in a marinated salad. This next recipe proves it! Who would ever think that asparagus would make for such a good salad ingredient? This salad is also super awesome when you add fresh mozzarella cheese to it. Almost like an asparagus twist on a traditional Caprese salad.

Marinated Asparagus and Tomato Salad

2 lbs Asparagus Spears, tough ends trimmed off then chopped into 2 inch segments

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved

5-7 fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

*optional 8-16 oz fresh Mozzarella cheese

For the Dressing:

6 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

2 tsp Honey

1 clove Garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Steam the asparagus until tender, then rinse off under cold water to cool. In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing and whisk well to combine. Add in remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for 1 hour or more before serving.

Something Sweet

     You don't have to stick to cold vegetables in the summer, fruit works well too! If you want to get wild and crazy, you can add in some mint or basil leaves. Or for those adult BBQs, instead of the Orange Blossom Water, try using white rum or vodka!

Marinated Fruit Salad

2 cups Watermelon, cubed

2 cups Cantaloupe, cubed

2 cups Strawberries, halved

1 cup Grapes, halved

1 cup Blueberries

For the Dressing:

½ cup Honey

¼ cup Orange Blossom Water

¼ cup Lemon Juice

¼ cup Pineapple Juice

1/8 tsp Salt

Instructions:
Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Add in remaining ingredients and toss well. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.




     In any of these recipes, feel free to change the ingredients around.  Play with different fruit, veggies, and herbs.  Switch up the vinegars and oils. Throw in some of those wild edibles you've been dying to try. Maybe even toss in some chicken or shrimp! Have fun, play around, and let me know what you think below!

5 Great Herbs for Smoothies

     A lot of people are always on the lookout for something life changing for their diets, something that will be tasty, nutritious, and easy to incorporate into a busy American lifestyle.  For me and many others, smoothies fit this description.  Smoothies are a great way to add an amazing amount of nutrients into a convenient, and often refreshing, snack.  One of my favorite things to do with smoothies is add in healthy herbs.  Herbs are full of great health benefits and they can also be a greatly flavorful edition to any food, including smoothies. 

    One of the things I do to incorporate herbs into my smoothies is herbal ice.  There are two main ways to make herbal ice, the first is very simple.  You just put the herbs in ice cube trays and add water before freezing.  You can chop the herbs, or just put them in whole.  Chopping the herbs will provide a greater amount of flavor than just using the whole herb so keep that in mind when you're experimenting.  The second is my preferred method and is also pretty simple, especially if you want to use a blend of herbs.  Make an herbal tea and freeze it.  How strong you make your tea will determine how intense the flavor of the ice will be.  A good ratio to begin with is 1 tablespoon of dried herb for each cup of water.  Just boil the water and pour it over the herbs, let sit for 30 or more minutes.  For ice I usually let my tea sit over night to extract all the wonderful goodness that those herbs can bring to my nutritional table.  It also will bring a greater intensity of flavor to my smoothies. 

    You can also just throw some herbs into your smoothie to blend, but I prefer to add the herbal ice because many nutrients will be more easily absorbed by our bodies that way, however I am not above adding a handful of herbs just for fun.

Basil

    This herb is infamous in the kitchen, but it also makes a great medicinal herb.  Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is packed full of nutrients, including vitamin K and manganese.  Basil is also a great herb for helping ease stomach problems including stomach cramps, gas, and improving the appetite.  It also helps to reduce inflammation, ease headaches, and ease the symptoms of the common cold.  There is an Indian basil called Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) which is used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine for heart disease, stress, insect repellant, and malaria.  Tulsi tea is actually one of my favorite herbal teas for relaxing at the end of the day. 

    Basil's flavor goes well with all kinds of berries, citrus fruit, and other herbs in the lamiaceae family (mint, rosemary, thyme, etc).  I also like it with stone fruit, such as peaches, and with watermelon. 

Basil Blackberry Watermelon Smoothie

3 cups cubed watermelon (seeded and frozen)

2 cups blackberries

¼ cup pomegranate juice

2 ½ cups basil flavored ice

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness if desired (some good sweeteners to consider are honey, stevia, and turbanado sugar).

Chamomile

    The popularity of herbal teas has grown over the past few decades, and with it has grown the awareness of certain herbs.  Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) has become one of the go-to herbs for most people’s tea drinking habits.  And why not?  It’s naturally sweet smelling, pleasant tasting, and calming to the senses.  It’s so calming in fact that some people can’t drink it or they will fall asleep.  This herb has been popular since the days of Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  Even in the Middle Ages, people looked to chamomile to help cure many of the health conditions of the day.  Today it is still used as a sleep aid, a treatment for fevers, colds, stomach upset, and as an anti-inflammatory.  It’s used to help with teething babies, as a wash to lighten hair, to help with morning sickness during pregnancy, and to help hasten the healing of wounds.  The uses for chamomile are many and varied, which make it a great addition to a daily routine.  It does come with two major cautions though.  First, be aware that chamomile affects certain people more strongly than others and don’t plan on operating any heavy machinery after consuming it.  Second, it is related to ragweed and a few people with ragweed allergies might have a histamine response to chamomile as well.

    Chamomile is fairly sweet so it goes well with just about every fruit, though it is particularly tasty with the tangy citrus fruits.  It also pairs well with other herbs such as lavender, mint, and lemongrass. 

Strawberry Chamomile Smoothie

5 cups strawberries

¼ cup orange juice

2 ½ cups chamomile flavored ice

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness if desired (some good sweeteners to consider are honey, stevia, and turbanado sugar).

Ginger

    The past handful of years I have seen several friends go through pregnancy and deal with things like morning sickness.  Almost universally, they all seem to reach for one thing when they feel sick and that is ginger.  Whether it is ginger candy or ginger tea, it’s very well known for easing the stomach and being gentle enough for use during pregnancy.  Ginger (Zingiber officinale) isn’t just useful for your stomach though.  Throughout the years it has been used in many situations.  Its warmth is well known and useful for boosting circulation, lowering blood pressure, as an anti-viral, and as an anti-inflammatory.  This makes it one of the best things for colds and flus and has been researched extensively for use in dealing with arthritis, fever, headache, toothache, and preventing blood clots.  This brings to mind one warning that comes with ginger, if you are preparing to go in for a surgery please don’t consume any ginger beforehand as it may cause problems with blood flow during the surgery. 

    Ginger’s warmth goes great with creamy textures like yogurt and bananas, also with other warming spices such as cinnamon.  It also goes really well with citrus, apples, pumpkin, and many other fruits. 

 

Orange Ginger Smoothie

4 cups orange slices

1 cup avocado

2 teaspoons orange zest

¼ cup coconut water

2 ½ cups ginger flavored ice

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness if desired (some good sweeteners to consider are honey, stevia, and turbanado sugar).

Green Tea

    Green tea has always been a staple in my home and is one of my favorite comfort drinks.  It is also packed full of amazing nutrients like antioxidants.  Antioxidants have been getting a lot of publicity in recent years, they have been found to have major health benefits, the least of which include preventing cancers.  Green tea (Camellia sinesis) is also known to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, combat fatigue, regulate blood sugar levels, and increase metabolism.  This makes it great for losing weight and a wonderful tea for diabetics. 

    Green tea goes well with vanilla, mint, rosemary, lavender, tropical fruits, citrus, and quite a few other fruits as well.

Tropical Green Tea Smoothie

2 cups pineapple

1 ½ cups papaya

1 ½ cups mango

¼ cup coconut Milk

2 ½ cups green tea flavored ice

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness if desired (some good sweeteners to consider are honey, stevia, and turbanado sugar).

Lemon Balm

    As its common name suggests, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has a lemony flavor and is soothing to the nerves.  It comes from the same family as mint, rosemary, lavender, and basil.  This amazing herb is used for quite a few things including soothing the nerves, sleeping problems, and menstrual cramps.  It also helps to relax stomach, uterine, and bladder muscles which make it ideal to relieve gas, cramps, and nausea.  It has also been shown to help increase mental clarity by reducing stress and insomnia.  Lemon balm is a great herb for almost everyone.  The one caution I have about this herb is concerning hypoactive thyroid conditions.  Lemon balm reduces production of the thyroid hormones, aggravating these conditions. 

    With its lemony flavor, lemon balm goes great with just about every fruit out there.

Peachy Lemon Balm Smoothie

3 cups peaches

2 cups banana

¼ cup lemon juice

2 ½ cups lemon balm flavored ice

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust sweetness if desired (some good sweeteners to consider are honey, stevia, and turbanado sugar).

    In trying these recipes, I found a good basic ratio that works.  Feel free to play around with it and have fun.  Smoothies are really easy to adjust to your own tastes.  My ratio is 5 cups of fruit, ¼ cups liquid, and 2 ½ cups of ice.  You can add in all kinds of powders, seeds, nuts, and dried fruits to your smoothies and I encourage you to do so.  Nouveau Raw has posted a good flavor pairing list that may help with flavor combinations.  Have fun and feel free to post any favorite recipes you come up with in the comments below!

Resources:

Annies Remedies: http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail4.php

Herb Wisdom: http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-chamomile.html

                              http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-ginger-root.html

                              http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-green-tea.html

                              http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-lemon-balm.html

My Heart Beets: http://myheartbeets.com/10-herbs-for-smoothies/

Nouveau Raw: https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipe-templates-and-development/flavor-prfiles-that-pair-well-in-recipes/