2 Summer Salads

Hi friends! We’re approaching the end of the week and our fridge is starting to look bare again.  I try to make it through the week with just one trip to the grocery store, planning my menu and then shopping on Saturday or Sunday.  These two summer salads have been on repeat this summer, so I wanted to share them with you today.  Both of the recipes are from Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good Cookbook.  I bought the book on the recommendation of my foodie friend Nat, and it has redeeming qualities, like the two recipes below (and more), but it’s based on an elimination diet, which I definitely don’t follow.

Cauliflower & Chickpea Salad

Since discovering this salad about six months ago, I’ve probably made it a dozen times.  I especially love it on Friday nights if we’re not going out to dinner because it’s still a home cooked meal that doesn’t dirty any dishes on the stove after the house has been cleaned.  Can we please keep the house clean for one night?! It also makes great leftovers for lunches on Saturday and Sunday.  I heat it up in the microwave. Jordan loves this too!

cauliflower chickpea salad

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried
  • 1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed and discarded, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • Coarse sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon seeded mustard (i.e., grainy mustard)
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set the rack in the middle. Toss chickpeas and cauliflower together in a large roasting pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Roast, stirring now and then, until everything is dark brown and the cauliflower is quite soft, about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together mustards, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil with a big pinch of salt and a few healthy grinds of black pepper. While the chickpeas and cauliflower are still warm, toss them with the mustard dressing and the parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mexican Salad

Mexican salad

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 fresh ears of corn, shucked
  • 2 hearts of romaine, finely shredded
  • 1/2 cup of cooked black beans
  • 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/4 cup of cilantro
  • Green Goddess Dressing

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

You can make your own Green Goddess dressing, or take a shortcut like I do and use a pre-made dressing.

  • 1/4 cup of cilantro
  • 2 scallions
  • 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/2 green jalapeno
  • 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon on organic honey or xylitol
  • 2/3 cup of organic sheep or goats yoghurt or vegenaise ( I use none of these and love the dressing as is)

Combine all the ingredients in a powerful blender and blitz until completely smooth.

Here’s the bottled dressing that we substitute (you can add less real cilantro to the salad because this dressing already has cilantro in it).

cilantro lime dressing

DIRECTIONS

Steam or grill the corn until it’s cooked through. When it’s cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cobs and set them aside.

Place the lettuce in a large bowl and dress it with 1/4 cup of the dressing so it has just a light coating. Divide the lettuce among 4 plates or place on a large platter.

Over the lettuce, evenly scatter the beans, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, cilantro and reserved corn. Drizzle each portion with another tablespoon or 2 of the dressing and serve immediately.

What have you been enjoying eating this summer?

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

15 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing Megan. I am always looking for new salad recipes. Great as a side, but love the leftovers for lunch. I need to pick up that cookbook, as we do have dietary restrictions. Always good to have substitutes for traditional dressings that contain dairy as we can’t eat it.

  2. I discovered the cauliflower recipe back in March. It’s SO good. And now, I can’t stop eating the seeded mustard on everything!

  3. I really do love some chickpeas in my salads!
    Have you tried a recipe from the ohsheglows.com Blog?
    Angela’s salads and soups quickly became staples in our household and even die-hard-carnivore family members of ours keep asking for these dishes for potlucks or family gatherings.

    Love
    Nina

  4. I love this post! My daughter is vegan and we are always looking for new inspiration. We will try these for sure. Have a nice weekend!

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