Saturday, June 21, 2008

a cool salad for a hot day

For the past 4 days the temperature in my home town of San Mateo has been hovering around 100. I love hot weather, and besides, as my friend Madhu said in her blog (post called Summer Solstice), this is nothing that a Kolkata girl cannot handle! http://lifeinallitsrandomness.blogspot.com/ .

It is too hot to use the oven, so what to eat? These are 2 of my favorite eats when the weather heats up.

Summer Stone Fruit Salad with quick & easy dressing

A couple of handfuls of mache, arugula or mixed baby greens
2 medium ripe (but firm) nectarines/peaches/pluots - cubed, and preferably slightly chilled
A dollop or two of goat cheese - optional
1/8 to 1/4 cup spicy nuts ( I like the spicy pecans from Trader Joe's)-optional

Salad Dressing
Get a small jar with a tight fitting lid.
Add Balsamic Vinegar, Splenda or Sugar, salt and cayenne to taste.
Shake all the above and taste and adjust as necessary
Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste (I swap the traditional percentages, and
like to use only 1/4 to 1/3 the amount of oil compared to the Acid.

Add the dressing at the last minute, just before serving.


Lassi (Indian Yogurt Drink)
About 20 ounces of non fat or low fat yogurt (I prefer to use TJ's or Fage Greek Yogurt for its high protein content)
juice from half a regular lemon or 1 small meyer lemon or lime
Splenda or sugar to taste (I like 5 packets of splenda)
A smidgeon of salt
A smaller smidgeon of cayenne

Mix all the above with a fork or stick blender - adjust seasonings
Add about 20-30 oz of cold water to taste and mix again.
Add a few ice cubes if you want yours colder.

Voila! you have a cool, refreshing drinkable entree, with lots of protein, zero to no fat, and lot of water to keep you hydrated on a hot day.

6 comments:

Thinkingdoc said...

will try your recipe today.It is steamy in San Diego right now and the air-conditioning does not work. A salad is exactly the way to go.
Thanks so much for your reference to my blog. Makes me feel like a bit like an author.
Cannot wait to visit the bay area and would love to see you.

Dola said...

Satarupa,

why not mention the Indian Shikanji as well in your blog, the inevitable combination of lime , rocksalt, soda and lots of ice and ....Wow , how refreshing it can be after a long, sultry afternoon.
I will try out your salad for sure but don't think I can get all ingredients here in Gurgaon.

Heat you talk of! The Kolkata girl here looks up at the sky and says'Allah megh dey , pani dey... ' the temp can be around 45 to 46 degrees. Thanks , this time the monsoons arrived 10 days earlier !

Dola said...

Hi Satarupa,

Want a cool Salad in your blog please with 'India Friendly' ingredients

Unknown said...

Yumm!!

Meera said...

Mmm.. I love mache. You need to find a recipe for desi panna to add to your beverage list.

My blog is girl-on-wheels, in case you want to link. I'll be adding yours to mine!

wildtomato said...

What delicious and easy recipes. My favorite lassi is the zafrani lassi at Mehfil's in SF. They boast that it has over 25 ingredients, though, so I won't be making it anytime soon.