Oh, mercy it's hot! When the temperatures soar, the last thing I want is a heavy meal for dinner. So, I've been making dinner salads. These two required almost no time at the stove. And what I really love is that you can use both of them as an opportunity to clean out the vegetable drawer in your fridge.
The first salad is a cold tortellini salad. I used 1 1/2 cups of dry cheese-stuffed tortellini (the mini ones) and cooked according to package directions. Then I added:
- 1/2 cup sliced oil-packed sundried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1 sliced zucchini
- 2 slices of provolone cheese, diced
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
Of course, you could add or substitute other vegetables (cucumber, shredded carrot, diced tomato, red onion), change the cheese, add cooked chicken, beef, ham, or salami.
The second salad is cold salmon. I poached a 1-pound filet. Here's how to get perfect poached salmon every time.
- Fill a large saucepan (with lid) with enough water to cover your salmon filet completely. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice and some aromatics. I added one onion, a bay leaf, and two generous sprigs of fresh dill.
- Place the salmon filet in the water.
- Turn on the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.
- As soon as the water is boiling, turn off the heat and place the lid on the saucepan. Let sit for 30 minutes (no peeking).
- Your salmon will be perfectly cooked but not overcooked.
I flaked the salmon (and had leftovers). The base of the salad is a mix of salad greens, then grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, black olives, avocado, and feta cheese. I garnished with French-fried onions (you could substitute croutons).
The dressing was a tart-sweet blend of:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons green apple infused balsamic (any flavor of balsamic will do)
- 1 teaspoon honey
- salt and pepper
By the way, each of these made enough for 4 servings.
Enjoy!
