August 30, 2021
Summer is officially coming to an end. The end of summer also means the end of a large variety of summer produce. Kevin and I squeezed in one last week of vacation before summer officially ends. We planned a five-day trip to Las Vegas and included day excursions to Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park. Our five-day trip alternated between spending one day in Vegas and one day at one of the national parks. On our first day in Vegas, we checked into our hotel, bought a large case of water for the week, and explored the strip. For dinner, we made reservations at Din Tai Fong just so Kevin could get his fix of soup dumplings. Soup dumplings are Kevin’s favorite food, so of course we had to squeeze in at least one meal of it on every trip we go to. We spent the rest of the week alternating between tours to national parks and exploring the wonderful activities Vegas has to offer.
Summer time is also the perfect time to make a variety of refreshing salads. One of my more recent favorite salads was very loosely inspired by a salad I had last month at Ladybird in New York City. I had returned back to New York to visit family and ended up heading to the city to have lunch with my little brother at Ladybird, a vegan restaurant I have been eyeing from afar for quite some time now. We enjoyed a variety of vegan tapas from baos to mac & cheese. Out of all the items I had on the menu, the summer salad was my absolute favorite dish. All of the seasonal ingredients came together into a remarkably simple, yet super refreshing and tasty salad. I couldn’t quite forget the flavors I tasted within the salad and made a mental note to try to recreate it when I got back to Ohio. When I made the refreshing summer salad at home, I did deviate from the version I had at Ladybird quite a bit. My version featured a refreshing blend of diced cucumber, peach, nectarine, orange, and strawberries tossed with a squeeze of lemon juice. Crushed pistachios, caraway seeds, and thinly sliced mint leaves are added at the very end to give the refreshing summer salad some crunch and fragrance. My variation of the refreshing summer salad made for the perfect accompaniment to heavier main dishes. I served it alongside roasted meats, grilled bread, and chicken salad. I love the versatility of the salad and would swap in other seasonal fruits I had on hand when making it. The summer salad does take some time to prep, but I promise the end result is so worth the extra effort of prepping the ingredients. I’ve become so addicted to this summer salad, I found myself coming back to it time and time again over the last month. Even after returning from our summer travels, I am still thinking of the summer salad. Kevin loves to enjoy this summer salad alongside heavier summer dishes. This way, he can feel better about eating a more balanced meal. I’m okay with just enjoying this summer salad with some grilled bread as a light lunch or snack.
For the summer salad:
· 1 cucumber, deseeded and diced
· 1 peach, pit removed and diced
· 1 nectarine, pit removed and diced
· 1 navel orange, peeled and diced
· 6 strawberries, hulled and diced
· juice from ½ lemon
· 1-2 ounces pistachios, shells removed and crushed
· ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
· 2-3 sprigs mint leaves, stems removed and thinly sliced
Directions:
1) Prep all of the ingredients for the salad. In a bowl, toss together the diced cucumber, peach, nectarine, orange, and strawberries. Add in the lemon juice and toss to combine. Sprinkle in the crushed pistachios, caraway seeds, and thinly sliced mint leaves. Toss together all ingredients once more. Serve immediately.
Takeaways: The summer salad tastes best when consumed immediately. If there are any left, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. I’ve also customized the summer salad using a variety of seasonal stone fruits, berries, and citrus. The pistachios, caraway seeds, and mint leaves definitely packed a flavorful punch to the salad. The addition of the pistachios gave the salad a delightful crunch. The caraway seeds and mint leaves added a wonderful brightness and freshness to the summer salad.