Hello from vacation! I just pulled open the sliding door of my bedroom to take a deep breath of pine-scented morning air, and a little rabbit hopped by. It’s good to be in nature, surrounded by trees and mountains and water.
I’m keeping this week’s newsletter short, with one simple trick that will elevate your green salads and make them taste just a little bit better.
Summer is a season when serving only salad for dinner is a perfect choice. It’s an especially good choice this summer, when so many of us are experiencing uncomfortably hot weather. Cooking is no fun when it’s hot.
If you’re able to grill chicken, salmon or steak then do it in big batches so you have enough leftover protein to top a few days worth of salads. Store-bought, shredded chicken breast is an easier option for protein. Or, you can add canned beans.
I don’t really need to tell you how to make a salad, though. You’ve probably got that mastered. But! Here’s a tip that will make even the simplest green salad taste better:
Toss fresh herbs into the greens.
That’s it! Simple, right?
It takes just a few extra minutes and it will give your salad another layer of flavor, making it taste more like salad from a restaurant and less like a boring bowl of plain greens.
Don’t chop up the herbs - use your fingers to pluck the herbs right off the stem and into your salad, like whole parsley leaves, mint leaves or fronds of dill. When you hit that bite of fresh parsley or dill it’s a burst of unexpected flavor.
Dinner Last Week
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week.
Monday: Udon noodles with mushrooms sauteed in butter and garlic and grilled cod that was marinated in lemon juice and olive oil.
Tuesday: Grilled tofu (recipe coming to paid subscribers next month!), grated carrot, cabbage and sliced cucumber salad, rice
Wednesday: Tacos with grilled boneless, skinless chicken thighs and Mexican-style rice on the side.
Thursday: I started prepping dinner early in the afternoon by grilling salmon that I planned to serve cold with a few side dishes. The day ended up getting really busy and I never ended up making any side dishes. The kids had a little bit of salmon, ate lots of cherries we had just bought and then watched a movie with a big bowl of popcorn. I tossed the salmon into a salad. I have no idea what my husband ate when he got home from work around 8:30pm.
Friday: We had out-of-town guests and friends over for a dinner party. We ordered in half of the food from Kismet Rotisserie and then made several salads to serve on the side. Serving a half take-out/half homemade meal is an easy way to host a dinner party when you don’t have time to cook an entire meal from scratch. Everyone was well fed and happy!
grilled tofu
That’s it for this week, short and sweet. I’m heading outdoors to hang out with my kids and parents for a day of swimming, boating, and if I’m really lucky, reading in a hammock.
I’m taking next week off completely and won’t be sending my usual Thursday newsletter. I hope you all have a good week and look forward to catching up again in August.
Jenny