zucchini and green apple salad

Without a doubt my favorite new recipe so far this summer! This is beyond “a keeper” into the territory of “one of my favorite salads of all-time”! Happy to share this recipe from Didem Şenol‘s Aegean Flavours, which I read on a wonderful Turkish food blog called Pantry Fun. I’ll include both the original, and the version I made with what I had.

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MY VERSION:

1 large zucchini
1 large sour green apple like Granny Smith
a few spikes of garlic chives and a handful of mint leaves from my garden
half of a small container of goat cheese, crumbled
just a tiny bit of vinegar and olive oil
half a lemon, juiced
a sprinkle of nigella seeds, salt, and pepper

I sliced the zucchini and apple on a mandoline, tore the herbs by hand, and then added the other ingredients and mixed everything together.

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THE ORIGINAL:

2 green courgettes/kabak

1 green apple/yeşil elma

½ bunch of dill/dereotu

1 spring onion/taze soğan

a handful fresh mint leaves/nane

150g lor peyniri OR goat’s cheese/keçi peyniri

20g nigella seeds/çörekotu

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

juice of half a lemon

100ml vinegar/sirke

extra virgin olive oil/sızma zeytinyağı

Slice the courgettes and apple as finely as possible. I used a mandolin slicer. Place the apple slices in water with lemon to prevent them from discolouring. Finely chop the dill, spring onion, and mint and mix with the courgette, apple and cheese. Add the nigella seeds. Add the vinegar and salt, and then finally the olive oil and mix together. The recipe states that if you add the olive oil first, the salad won’t absorb the vinegar. I would say, go carefully with the vinegar and taste the salad as you add it. You don’t want it to be overpoweringly vinegary.

write-up by Claudia at Pantry Fun – original recipe by Didem Şenol

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Absolutely wonderful, fresh, delicious, and healthy. August is the perfect time of year for a no-cook recipe! The goat cheese and lemon are tangy, and the garlic chives and nigella seeds add just enough interesting flavor while still allowing the apple and zucchini taste to shine through. I didn’t have any dill in the house, but I can only imagine that the addition of fresh dill would make this salad almost too delicious to eat. I plan to eat this again and again!

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Looking for more healthy plant-based summer recipes? If you like fresh raw salads, fresh fennel and cucumber salad in yogurt sauce is a favorite of mine. Cucumber salads are so budget-friendly and infinitely adaptable, and of course cooling, refreshing, and hydrating in increasingly hotter summers. I love a charred onion and cucumber salad (vegan!) and a Sichuan style cucumber salad and, if you love the mint and lemon in the zucchini and green apple salad, you’ll love this five-minute healthy cucumber, lime, and mint salad.

cacik (cooling turkish cucumber and yogurt)

A hot weather, no-cook, quick, light, and cooling vegetarian side.

Think of it like raita without cilantro and cumin.

PERFECT for cooling down something that is a little too spicy. Just serve a small bowl as a side dish!

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2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup water
4 Persian cucumbers or mini cucumbers
a half-clove to 3 cloves garlic, minced FINELY
1/4 t to 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1 1/2 tsp dried mint, or to taste
a drizzle of olive oil

Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl to make sure it’s smooth. Add water to the yogurt and whisk until it’s completely incorporated.
Grate the cucumbers in another bowl and if they’re too watery, squeeze out the excess water. If they’re not too watery, add the directly to the yogurt and water.
Mix well and add garlic, salt and dried mint. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Don’t heat or cook this. Just chill cacik in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
To serve, divide it between 4 bowls and top each with a little bit of olive oil.

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Recipe by Unicorns in the Kitchen and adapted just a bit by friedsig

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A great cooling raw sauce for anything super spicy, or even mild Turkish meals, anything from veg kofte to roasted chicken.

If you don’t like raw garlic, 3 cloves will be way too many. Even a half of a giant clove was quite a bit.

The neutral flavor is a bonus in the sense that it can go with foods that you would never pair with a middle Eastern appetizer, especially if you reduce the mint. I ate some with Sichuan style deep fried fish that got almost too spicy to eat overnight as it steeped in hot chili oil. The yogurt and cucumber and mint added such a cooling, fresh flavor to the way-too-spicy fish. I highly recommend the unusual combo of super spicy Asian food with this cacik!

Not something you would find yourself eating for a whole meal, like any other yogurt sauce. Just a perfect simple and cooling sauce to help use up your midsummer cucumber harvest.

Note: I recommend delicate Persian cucumbers for this. My coworker gave me two enormous heirloom cucumbers that had grown a bit woody and chewy. It did impact the texture of the cacik, even when grated.

persian chopped salad

Shirazi salad, also known as Persian chopped salad, is an amazing bright, fresh, and summery vegan treat. It doesn’t get much healthier than this raw crunchy salad.

The only necessary ingredients here are a veggie or two, lemon or lime juice, and something herby. It’s too early in the season here for fresh garden herbs, but dry mint was great in this!

Chop any combination of the following:
raw fresh cucumbers
raw fresh tomatoes
raw onion
raw garlic
fresh hot chili pepper
fresh herbs like mint, parsley, or cilantro

Add chickpeas if you like. (I do!)

Dress with lemon or lime juice, and any combination of salt and pepper, dry or fresh mint, dry or fresh dill, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.

(If you’re leaving out the fresh herbs, make sure to add extra citrus, and some dried herbs like dill-and-garlic seasoning or capitol hill blend!

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recipe adapted from a variety of sources, including Persian mama and Cleveland clinic.

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Similar to a fattoush or “Israeli salad” – this infinitely adaptable salad goes with everything. I highly recommend the chickpeas. Chickpeas add an interesting texture, and lots of protein and fiber!

If you like spicy, Sichuan cucumber salad is your best bet. But what if you want something clean and fresh, not doused in spicy oil? The dry mint in this recipe makes it super refreshing.

This is basically a textbook example of a “detox meal” – something that makes you feel alive again after a winter of eating junk food like super-greasy crispy fried tofu. Easy to make low-sodium, great for a potluck, and a great way to use local veggies from your backyard garden or your farmers’ market.

It doesn’t get much healthier than this!

raw fennel carrot orange salad

 

Thinly sliced fennel
Grated carrots
Orange juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
Fresh tarragon
A little salt and lots of pepper

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salad by the local co-op

five-minute healthy cucumber, lime, and mint salad

this is my new favorite cucumber salad. it comes together in five minutes and makes a perfect quick lunch or side.

cut up one giant cucumber or several smaller cucumbers

– put the pieces in a bowl and coat them with olive oil, about a tablespoon.
– use an equivalent amount of rice wine vinegar. mix well.
– add the juice of half a lime, salt and pepper, tons of fresh mint minced up, and minced onions in your favorite style. (grill, roast, sear, or soak in saltwater if you hate raw onions.)
– if you like it hot, add a little minced fresh serrano, jalapeno, or whatever you have in the house.

mix it up:

– (opt.) add a few roasted peanuts, crunched-up, for texture and flavor!
– (opt.) you can also add a pinch of sugar, honey, or your favorite sweetener if you like it sweeter.
– (opt.) if you have homemade la jiao jiang, that’s always great in any cold salad.
– (opt.) add 2 drops of fish sauce if it feels like it’s missing something.
– (opt.) add whatever fresh herbs you have in the house, a few minced or chopped salad greens, a few chunks of tomato, or a few sliced radishes.

make it at least 15 minutes before you plan to eat it.

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recipe by friedsig

strawberry dressing

maybe you are in a part of the world that isn’t frozen – or maybe you’re reading this in the heat of the summer.

this will be an attempt to:
1. break the monotony of my favorite dressings that i can’t stop making
2. bring a little summer to this wildly cold day

also a great way to use up the strawberries in your garden or fridge that are right on the edge of too soft to eat.

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a cup of strawberries, or however many you have
1/3 c olive oil, or other nice dressing oil, like walnut
1 tsp balsamic, or to taste
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
a pinch of salt

blend til smooth

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from just one cookbook

abdoogh khiar (5-minute cold cucumber yogurt soup)

Looking for a very healthy and very fast snack to add to a healthy meal? Maybe you have the heat cranked up and you’re pretending it’s summer. Maybe you just have something summery to celebrate. Maybe you worked up a sweat shoveling snow, and you want to cool off. Or maybe you need something cold and refreshing to enjoy with a spicy, hearty stew.

This Persian cold soup, from aashpazi, looks like a delicious variation of an Indian raita!

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Just dice 2 cucumbers into 1/2 cup shredded walnuts, a ton of fresh herbs (they recommend tarragon, mint, basil, and chives, but whatever you have in the house will be good,) and 1/4 c raisins. Stir in 2 cups of yogurt and 6-8 ice cubes, with water if you prefer. Season with salt and pepper. Top with dried mint and rose leaves. (or not.)

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adapted from aashpazi… check out the photos of the rose petals on top!

cortido (latin american sauerkraut)

i know the basics on kefir, yogurt, and fermenting veggies, so i don’t tend to read beginner’s guides. i should, though – they are full of fun recipes i’ve never tried….
like this one!

it’s become one of my favorite ferments!

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cortido

1 large cabbage, cored and shredded
1 cup grated carrots
2 medium onions, quartered lengthwise and very finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon whey (optional, to kick-start fermentation)

pound (optional) and combine ingredients.

from cultures for health

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ferment in a fido jar, a mason jar with weights, a crock, a pickler, or anything non-reactive. you can even use a casserole dish with a plate on top!

for more information about how to ferment, check out:

– sandor katz’s Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods

– sandor katz’s The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from around the World,

– cultures for health’s lacto-fermentation e-book

– or my quick run-down

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! amazing! delicious! sweet, savory, full of flavor – BETTER THAN SAUERKRAUT! try this today!

raw broccoli slaw

two dressings are mayo-based, for those of you who like the midwestern-style creamy salads. one is light, dairy-free, mayo-free, and super-healthy, but a little pricier to make because of the sesame oil.

grate broccoli
(edit: no, don’t do this, unless you have a machine that does it, or a friend who loves to grate. it will take way less time to chop.)

add any or all of the following, in whatever proportions you like:
sliced orange segments
sliced almonds
halved grapes
minced red onion
grated jicama
minced shallots
minced green onions
cilantro

orange sesame dressing from epicurious
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (optional)
1 shallot, chopped
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

buttermilk dressing from smitten kitchen
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion to simplify it)

cranberry orange dressing from simply recipes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp dried sweetened cranberries, plumped up in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drained
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey (or less, to taste)
1 small clove garlic
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, more to taste
6 Tbsp vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, or rice bran oil)
1/4 cup mayonnaise

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tried the cranberry orange dressing. the cranberries i used were so sweetened that 1 T honey made it too sweet. great for people who like the ultra-sweet raisins-and-broccoli midwestern-style broccoli salad. overall, good.

minted cabbage salad

1/2 lb savoy cabbage, core removed, finely shredded
1/3 c watercress leaves
1/2 c mint leaves
juice of 1 lemon
1 large clove garlic crushed w 1 t salt
3 T evoo
1 t dried mint
salt and pepper

combine and serve