Chick Peas, Peppers, Red Onion, & Celery Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

It is potluck night in Harbor Springs and I went on a search for something new to bring to the table. Nothing struck my eye in my recipe files so I came up with this simple salad based on what I had in the pantry and refrigerator. Simple, tasty, and a great winter salad----but I think I'll be serving this is warm weather months, too.

Presoak 1 pound of chick peas/garbanzo beans. I covered the beans with 2" of water, brought to a boil and and then simmered for 2 minutes, and the let stand, covered, off the heat for 1 hour. Then bring the beans back to a simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until cooked but still firm with a bit of crunch. Drain the chick peas and let them cool to room temperature.

In a serving bowl, add:
2 chopped peppers--I used a blend of red, yellow, and a bit of orange
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
The drained, cooled chick peas

I am a huge fan of flavored olive oils and vinegars and use Fustini's. For this recipe, I used 1/3 c of blood orange olive oil and 3 T pomegranate balsamic vinegar and 1 t Greek seasoning.

Pour the dressing over the salad and chill 1 hour before serving. This salad holds very well and can last for several days in the refrigerator--if it indeed lasts that long. Full of fiber, protein, and flavor!

Barley and Kale Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

We had unexpected dinner guests and I needed to come up with a salad idea using what I had in the kitchen. This 3 ingredient salad has become a favorite in our house--so good and so easy.

In 2 cups water, cook 1 cup pearl barley, simmer 40-45 minutes until barley is tender but still firm.  Cool to room temperature.

In a serving bowl, add 4 cups chopped kale, the cooled barley and 3/4 cup Pond Hill Farms Spicy Peanut Sauce--or any store or home made peanut sauce. Pond Hill Peanut Sauce is fabulous.  In a hurry, I have served this warm and it is very tasty.  But it can also be served chilled. The salad will hold for several days...assuming it lasts that long.

Roasted Beet Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

Fresh beets are so good. This time of year, the farmers markets have fresh beets and they are so sweet.  Last week, I roasted some beets to use in Beet Risotto and I had some leftover beets.  They became an amazing beet salad!

Roasting beets is an easy task: wrap cleaned beets in foil, add a couple of whole garlic cloves, some sprigs of thyme, and olive oil and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour, less if the beets are very fresh.

When they are cooled, peel the beets under running water--this keeps the red color off  hands.  For this salad, I used:

4 medium beets, roasted, peeled and sliced
1 small red onion, diced
1 T parsley--I used Italian from the garden

To the beets and onion, I added:
2 T olive oil mixed with
1T fresh lemon juice

The salad was chilled for 60 minutes before serving and then topped with crumbled blue cheese. It didn't last long!

Tomato, Cucumber, Onion & Basil Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

Lunch. This is what I made for lunch today. Since I know I can't do this 2 months from now, I come home daily and make something from the garden. Today, I harvested 2 gorgeous tomatoes, a Japanese Black Trifle and Italian Rainbow, a cucumber, a red onion, and a handful of basil.

My salad was simple: the tomatoes still warm from the sun, with the other garden treasures, all cut into small bites and dressed simply with 1 1/2 T olive oil and 1 t balsamic vinegar.

We once had a similar salad in Ontario called Canadian slaw. I don't know why it was called a slaw. But it was also in the late summer and wonderful even if it surprised us when it arrived at the table.

The juice of the tomatoes blends with the oil and vinegar to make a superb dressing. I filled a large bowl with this salad and took it back to the office where each bite was like a bite of summer. Amazing. And none of it more than just a few minutes from the garden.

Sweet Corn--'putting it up'--Black Bean & Corn Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

The sweet corn that we are getting now is superb. Sweet, pop in the mouth, kernels. Corn is the one food that says summer to me. I hold the family record for eating 36 ears in one sitting--and I could do it again today! A summer 'supper' when we grew up was a table filled with sweet corn and BLTs and, of course, we used the bacon grease on the corn. Yum.

I always cook at least twice as much corn as I think we'll eat (I usually have 6-8 ears!). The remaining corn is cooled, cut off the cob--I use a serrated knife and cut into a wide bowl that is sitting on a large piece of aluminum foil, really helps with the mess.

I bag the corn by handfuls, usually 2 large handfuls to a quart freezer bag, mark the date on the bag with a marker and put in the freezer. Sometimes I'll mark notes on the corn bag. The first bag that went in the freezer this summer says "Aida and Madina" because they were here for Summer Camp Aunt Kathie. When I pull that bag out of the freezer in February, I'll an immediate memory of our glorious summer week.

One of my favorite summer salads is black bean and fresh corn. After cooking corn, I'll save 1-1 1/2 cups for the next day.

To the corn, add:
2 cans drained black beans (I now cook a batch of beans on the weekend and put them in the fridge so if I'm using those beans, I use 3 cups)
1 med onion, diced
1 med green pepper, diced
3 T minced fresh cilantro
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 T balsamic vinegar

This salad will keep for several days in the refrigerator--if you have any leftovers which I never do.

Cucumbers and Onions in Rice Vinegar

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

So we're into cucumbers right now since the garden in filled with them. We alternate every few days between this salad and the version with sour cream posted below.

This one is a bit of a twist on the cukes and onions Grandma Washburn served. She blended cider vinegar with an equal amount of water (along with a handful of ice cubes) and a bit of sugar. I do love her recipe but also like this kicked up one.

Sliced cukes, usually 2 medium sized
Sliced onions divided into onion rings, about 3/4 c
1 c seasoned rice vinegar (or whatever rice vinegar you have)

1 t fresh dill
and occasionally for a another twist on this version, I'll add 1 t of minced ginger

Place the veggies in a bowl and add seasonings and vinegar. Stir to coat. The liquid will only cover about 1/2 of the veggies. Refrigerate stirring every 15 minutes, for one hour.

Enjoy!

Cucumbers and Onions in Sour Cream Dressing

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

We grew up on cucumbers and onions in two versions--in vinegar and water or in sour cream. We love both especially this time of year when I can walk outside and harvest cucumbers and onions from the garden. The sour cream version that I make will be your new favorite for a potluck dinner. This dish is always devoured.

3/4 c sour cream
1 1/2 T lemon juice
2 med cucumbers sliced thin
3/4 c sliced onions
salt, pepper and minced fresh dill to taste

In the bottom of a serving bowl, sprinkle salt, pepper, and dill. Top with a layer of cucumbers and onions. Layer again with salt, pepper and dill and cukes and onions until you have 3 layers of veggies and seasonings ending with a layer of onions.

Evenly spread the sour cream on top of the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap placing the plastic wrap directly on the sour cream. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Before serving, stir in lemon juice. This salad will last several days--if there is any left to save!

Potato & Green Bean Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

This is one of my favorite summer dishes, a simple blend of summer's best vegetables. I made this yesterday but I started by going to the garden and digging potatoes, picking the tiny French green beans that I grow, pulling an onion and cutting some dill and chives. Ok, so I can't do this most of the year but right now, it's a delight.

Basically, this salad is a blend of potatoes, green beans, an onion, herbs such as dill, chives, and tossed in a simple, light dijon mustard, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar dressing. In the spring, I will use pea pods or asparagus instead of beans. This can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled. My favorite is room temperature. Take this to a potluck dinner and it will disappear!

Toss together:
2 c cut potatoes, simmered until almost tender
2 c green beans, steamed
1/2 onion, chopped
3 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 t dijon mustard
2 T chopped chives
1 T fresh chopped dill
salt & pepper to date

Mango Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

We went to a potluck dinner last night and on my kitchen counter were the last of a large quantity of mangoes sent to me by David for my birthday. So guess what I used in my potluck dish? Mangoes! My mango salad was a huge hit and not the normal northern Michigan salad--but then who has lots of mangoes in northern Michigan? I do!

I created this based on what I had in the kitchen so here's how it went together:

3 large mangoes, peeled, diced
3 medium sized green onions, chopped--pulled from my garden, one green, one yellow, one red
3 T fresh cilantro, chopped
1 hot pepper, your choice, I used jalapeno, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small red pepper, diced
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 T lime juice
salt and pepper