Fresh Corn Salad with Black Beans and Tomatoes

Here's another recipe made during our stay at the Cook's Country house in Vermont. If you're looking for a great side dish to bring to a BBQ or picnic, look no further: this salad is healthy, full of ingredients that you can buy right now at your local farm stand, and it's easy to make. I made it extra-summery by grilling the corn rather than boiling it as the original recipe called for. I also added avocado, because it just seemed to make sense with the other ingredients. Fresh corn and tomatoes are the stars here, so please don't use the canned kind. The leftovers make a great filling for quesadillas and omlettes!


Fresh Corn Salad with Black Beans and Tomatoes
adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients:
Dressing:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced (leave a few seeds in if you want it a little spicy)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salad:
8 ears fresh corn , husks and silks removed
1 pint grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
6 scallions, sliced thin
1 avocado, diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Table salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. For the dressing: Shake all of the dressing ingredients together in a jar with a tight­fitting lid.

2. Grill corn over direct heat until a few black marks appear (about 4-5 minutes), rotating occasionally. (or: cook the corn in 6 quarts boiling water until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.) Cut the kernels from each cob into a large mixing bowl using a paring knife. Add the tomatoes, beans, scallions, cilantro, avocado, dressing and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

To Make Ahead:

This salad can be prepared, covered, and refrigerated a day in advance (do not add the avocado until ready to serve). Before serving, bring to room temperature and freshen with a squeeze of lime juice. Add avocado, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 8
 
Download a printable recipe.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon and Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

This might sound weird if you've never had a warm salad before, but I promise the spinach really holds up well to the warm dressing (dressing made with bacon fat, by the way). I'm just going to let the bacon convince you. Bacon bacon bacon. Just try it. It's really a very simple recipe without a lot of ingredients (no hard boiled eggs here... why does it seem like every spinach salad has to have those??). The recipe says it serves four as a first course, but John and I took down the whole salad as a side dish to our steak dinner.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon and Balsamic Vinaigrette
from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Place spinach in large bowl. Fry bacon in small skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer with slotted spoon to paper-towel lined plate, leaving fat in skillet. Return skillet to medium heat and add oil, onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vinegar; swirl to incorporate. Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt. Sprinkle bacon over spinach; serve immediately.

Download a printable recipe.

Chef's Salad with Spinach, Chicken, and Gouda

 

Having a salad for dinner is one of those things that always seems like a good idea... in theory. It's easy, it's healthy, and it generally doesn't require heating up your kitchen in the middle of August (that last part is particularly crucial if you blow a fuse every time you try to run the air conditioner and the TV at the same time--the apartment above an Italian restaurant is becoming less quaint by the day, people). But when it comes down to it, salad for dinner is kind of boring, right? This salad... definitely not boring. We've made this quite a few times this summer and it is going to stay in the regular dinner rotation.

In addition to the Gouda cheese mentioned in the title, we've also got some bacon and avocado going on in this salad. We've used turkey bacon a few times to make it healthier, but I suggest using the real stuff here. And while store bought croutons will save you some time, I highly recommend making your own (unless you have the aforementioned air conditioning problem and don't want to turn on your oven). Not only is it a nice way to use up some leftover bread, but they have a much more appealing texture than the croutons from a box (I made mine with some rosemary focaccia). This recipe makes more croutons than you'll need, so save the extras in an air tight container.

Chef's Salad with Spinach, Chicken, and Gouda

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Garlic Croutons:

1 large clove garlic , minced to paste or pressed through garlic press (about 1 ¼ teaspoons)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 slices white sandwich bread (6 ounces), cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)

Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2  teaspoon minced garlic (1 small garlic clove)
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
pinch  table salt
pinch ground black pepper

Salad:

1 bag spinach salad blend

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves , torn into bite-sized pieces
1/4 medium red onion , sliced very thin

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced into thin strips

4 ounces Gouda cheese (regular or smoked), sliced ¼ inch thick and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks

4 slices thick-cut bacon (or turkey bacon), cut into 1/4-inch strips, fried in medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, and drained on paper towels

Instructions:

1. For the croutons: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine garlic, salt, and oil in small bowl; let stand 20 minutes, then pour through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl. Add bread cubes and toss to coat. Spread bread cubes in even layer on rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet to room temperature.

2. For the vinaigrette: Whisk ingredients in medium bowl until combined.

3. For the salad: Combine salad mix, basil, and onions in large serving bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Arrange chicken and cheese over center of greens; sprinkle with bacon, avocado, and croutons and serve immediately.

Makes 2 dinner-sized salads (plus extra croutons)

Download a printable recipe.

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Guacamole Salad

Avocado is one of those foods I had almost no interest in until a few years ago. Now I feel like I'm making up for all those wasted, pre-avocado years... if an entree at a restaurant comes with a mere slice of avocado, I'll probably order it. I love to find ways to sneak it into my sandwiches and salads (Ever try a bacon, avocado, and tomato sandwich? Nom.). If you swoon over avocado too, you'll want to try this guacamole salad.

This is kind of a deconstructed guacamole (yes, I have been watching a lot of Top Chef): diced tomato, avocado, jalapeno, and onion are tossed in a lime dressing. And just to make it different, the recipe also calls for some black beans and yellow pepper. If you can get local tomatoes, try out the yellow ones... they are so sweet and tasty. This is one of those recipes where you can easily play with the quantities to suit your tastes (I used less jalapeno and onion than the original, and also added some fresh cilantro).

Guacamole Salad
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2 inch diced
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
1 Tbs minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (about 1 pepper)
1/2 tsp freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2 inch diced
chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Place tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne and pour over vegetables. Toss well.

Just before serving, fold in avocado. Check seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Serves 6


Download a printable recipe.
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30 Minute Tortellini Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, and Pine Nuts

I don't know about you,  but I have no desire to eat a bowl of hot pasta when it's almost 100 degrees outside. I do, however, have no issue with scarfing down a bowl of cold pasta. This tortellini salad is a great meal for those summer nights when you can't bear to eat anything hot.  This is quick and easy to throw together, and it's got two of my favorite summer foods: tomatoes and basil. You could easily play around with this recipe to suit your tastes. Don't like arugula? Use baby spinach. Can't bear to have a meal without meat? Add some grilled chicken. And may I suggest some feta in place of the Parmesan?

It's supposed to be scorching hot all week, so give this one a try.

30 Minute Tortellini Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, and Pine Nuts
from The Best 30 Minute Recipe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and ground black pepper
2 (9 oz) packages fresh cheese tortellini
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
1. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot.

2. Meanwhile, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, basil, shallot, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl large enough to hold the entire pasta salad. Halve the cherry tomatoes, set aside.

3. Add the tortellini and 1 tablespoon salt to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, until tender. Drain, shaking off excess water.

4. Add tortellini and tomatoes to bowl with the dressing and toss. Cover and refrigerate until cooled, at least 15 minutes (15 minutes will give you lukewarm pasta; go longer if you want it cold).

5. Before serving, stir in arugula, Parmesan, and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 to 6


Download a printable recipe.
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Pear, Walnut, and Feta Salad

Salad is not normally something I get too excited about... I like it, sure, but I usually throw one together as an afterthought when I realize I should have something green with my meal. This, however, is one crave-able salad. My friend Martha made this for a dinner party a few weeks ago. The original recipe called for blue cheese, but Martha made a brilliant swap-out for feta. The dressing is really bright, and all of the textures and flavors are well balanced. This has become my go-to salad for company. People actually ask for seconds of this! Even people who aren't really "salad people". Give it a try, and don't skimp on the feta...

Pear, Walnut, and Feta Salad
adapted from epicurious

Dressing:
3 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tbs. shallot, minced fine
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper


Salad:
1 bag mixed baby greens
1 large ripe pear, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:
Whisk first four salad dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss greens with just enough dressing to coat, then top with pear, feta, and walnuts. Divide into bowls and serve with remaining dressing.

Makes about 4 servings.

Download a printable recipe.
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