A Good Dish

making food simpler

Cooking Cool During the Summer – Just Bean the Heat!

Summer Bean Salad
Porcelain Terrine by Andrew Martin

It is officially summer now and that means different things to different people. Summer can be a slower, more casual time of year when you take time off to lounge by a pool, walk in the park or seek out a beach. Food wise, it can be a time for barbecues and picnics. For me, summer means finding ways to beat the heat and that includes the food and drink I consume as well as the way I prepare it for my family.

Because we live in New York, charcoal grilling is out but I might pull out the electric grill (the old George Forman still works) or a cast iron grill pan and toss on some marinated chicken or shrimp to get the flavor of summer bbq. No long roasting for me in the summer, either. In fact, I rarely turn on my oven, opting instead for a quick stir fry, pasta or a completely cold meal. I don’t even use my toaster oven much since if I turn it on while the air conditioner is on, I will blow a fuse – literally! Meat tends to make me feel even warmer so I concentrate on lots of salads, including light grain, bean and cut vegetable salads, and, naturally, just salad greens. The farmers markets are bursting with gorgeous early summer produce that is easily turned into simple, cooling meals (like sugar snap peas, asparagus, garlic scrapes and basil, for pesto). I try to concentrate on foods, mostly vegetables but also beans and fish and seafood, with lower calorie density – they are less warming so they help keep us cooler. And the things that heat you up might not be what you would suspect. For example, you might think that iced coffee is refreshing but the caffeine in it is thermogenic and will make you warmer. If you want to keep cool, make your second one a decaf or stick with water!

Geranium (1926) by George Sheeler at the Whitney

Many summer foods require no cooking, like guacamole, hummus, all kinds of berries and melons, carrot or beet salads and an assembled mezze or cheese board. Cold soups are refreshing and can be made in a blender (think gazpacho and blueberry soup). One of my summer favorites is a bean salad, usually with a vinaigrette and as many vegetables and herbs as I can manage to incorporate. I tend to stay away from cumin and ginger based dressings as they, too, are warming. Most of the time I cook my own beans for a recipe but in summer a few cans of beans suffice; When dressed, you won’t really notice any difference. Feel free to use whatever type of bean you like, add the vegetables you enjoy, toss in leftover chicken, shrimp, rice or cooked veggies and use your favorite dressing. My recipe is just a guideline. After all, the goal is to keep cool. If its all too much effort, make a cold drink and put up your feet. Happy summer!

NO COOK BEAN SALAD

  • 3-4 cups cooked beans (kidney, cannellini, pinto or whatever you prefer)
  • 1/2-1 cup finely chopped red onion or scallions, white and green parts
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill or 1T dried dill (or cilantro, mint or basil)
  • 1/2-1 cup finely chopped celery (red or green or jalapeño pepper would also be good)
  • Big handful of chopped parsley
  • Bite-sizes pieces of leftover cooked chicken, shrimp, rice or vegetables, optional

Vinaigrette:

  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 T fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
  • 2 T vinegar (could be rice, sherry, wine or balsamic)
  • 2 T umeboshi plum vinegar – optional but really adds flavor (found with Japanese products)
  • 4 T flavorful olive oil
  • Big pinch of salt
  • Big pinch of pepper

Whisk together, pour over salad ingredients and toss. The salad will benefit from a few hours in the marinade.

Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Once in a while we get a rainbow after a summer storm

Tossing Around Some Thoughts on Radishes

Sliced radish and sugar snap pea salad with sesame vinaigrette
Plate by Mark Pharis

Radishes are not the first thing I think of when I make a salad but they add variety to the usual greens. They are crunchy, colorful, nutritious and add a little sharpness to a salad that might otherwise be bland or neutral. One of the first vegetables available in spring, radishes make a delicious addition to a salad or can be eaten out of hand as a snack. Sautéed radishes are a fantastic side dish and radishes are also tasty roasted, good to remember once roasting season rolls around. We had some sliced radish recently in a tasty salad with a smoked aioli for dressing. It was the only bright spot in an otherwise disappointing dinner but it did inspire me to buy some.

Grocery store radishes are available year round

Spring radishes come in many varieties and shades of pink from pale to magenta. If you slice them thinly (a mandolin helps) and soak them briefly in a bowl of cold water, they lose a bit of their bite. Growing up, there was always a bowl of radish “flowers” in our refrigerator, waiting to be added to a salad. I don’t remember them tasting like much because after a long soak, the radishes become all crunch and no flavor.

Fresh radishes at the Union Square Greenmarket

You can cut radishes into matchsticks as well as slices (or the ubiquitous rose) or use a vegetable peeler to shave them into ribbons. I’ve never tried it but I imagine a spiralizer would make beautiful strands to compose a salad. A radish salad profits from a well made dressing with fresh lime juice or toasted sesame oil that will stand up to their bite but any flavorful vinaigrette or aioli will work. Radishes can be mixed easily with other spring vegetables and fruit. Try baby greens, tiny white turnips, blanched asparagus (cut on a diagonal), pea shoots, parsley, scallions, avocado or mango.  You can even toss in some toasted nuts or seeds. My favorite simple combination is radish and sugar snap peas – also quite beautiful.

Radish lovers!
photo by D. Lewis

A Root for All Seasons – The Versatile Carrot

Sautéed Carrots with Toasted Sesame Seeds
Plate by Margaret Bohls

It is hard to find a lot of local vegetables to cook at the beginning of May. Sure, there are scallions, green garlic and a few small heads of greenhouse lettuce beginning to appear. If you are lucky, your market will have some asparagus any minute and, perhaps, some baby bok choy or fiddleheads. Except for a small hot blip in the temperature in April, it has been a delightfully cool spring in the Northeast. But what that means is that until June, when the market stalls will be full of greens, we will still have to count on storage vegetables to tide us over. The last of the carrots, beets, cabbage, sweet potatoes and onions are still in pretty good shape but it is time to use them up and get on to late spring’s bounty as soon as it arrives.

Even if you don’t have local produce lurking in your fridge, there are fresh carrots available year round in grocery stores. Not only do carrots make tasty salads and soups on their own but also are delicious roasted, steamed and sautéed. (Note – Whatever you do with carrots will probably work well with cabbage, either red or green, and beets). You can slice them into rounds (straight or on a diagonal), cut them into sticks (for steaming or roasting) or julienne them. Of course, you can always use you the carrot sticks or slices to scoop up some hummus or guacamole and call it a meal. Roasted carrots are good with a little thyme or rosemary but even better drizzled with a little hot honey or tahini sauce.

Fresh dill, chopped

For a satisfying cooked vegetable before the spring greens arrive, simply steam carrots and add a bit of butter, a pinch of salt and pepper and a generous sprinkle of whatever green herb, fresh or dried,  you have on hand – dill and thyme are particularly good. Or you can sauté them in a little olive or avocado oil or a combination of oil and butter and sprinkle on the same pinch of salt, pepper and herbs. A Germanic twist is to add a spoon of sugar, which helps amplify the natural sweetness and caramelize the carrots. Make them Japanese style by tossing with toasted sesame seeds (just toss seeds in a hot dry pan and watch that they don’t burn) instead of herbs. If, by any chance, you have the carrot top greens (the fronds), chop some and add at the end for a surprising earthy (in a good way) taste.

Steamed carrots with a little butter and fresh dill
Plate by Mary Barringer

Salad Every Day – Just Do It!

Early spring salad with bagged greens, oranges and toasted pumpkin seeds
Bowl by Adero Willard

I like to eat a salad at least once a day but this can be challenging in the winter. Fresh vegetables don’t always look that fresh come late winter and soup often seems more appealing. I make lots of soups (kind of like a hot salad in some ways) but I almost always accompany them with a salad of some sort. We just got home from 3 weeks of travel and the first thing we wanted was a big green salad.

Fresh salad greens are available year round

With better packaging techniques and shipping, a variety of greens are available in markets and grocery stores year round. Some greens, like watercress, arugula and baby versions of kale, beet and mustard grow well in greenhouses and can be bagged or boxed efficiently and keep pretty well for a couple day in your refrigerator. We can depend on them before local spring greens appear. Pears, apples, persimmons and pomegranates are available at different times during the winter and citrus is still plentiful. If you don’t have fresh fruit, chop some dried apricots or pears or add a handful of dried cranberries or raisins. Add fresh green herbs, storage vegetables (like carrots or radishes) and some toasted seeds or nuts and you have a gorgeous salad on the table in a flash.

Chopped celery and cucumber add crunch to salads

The following recipe is about as basic as salad gets and is is just a framework. It is the same structure for the raw beet and carrot salads I posted this winter only here I’ve used greens. It is more a reminder that a salad is so easy to make and the contents so flexible. Adjust the amounts according to your tastes. You can’t really go wrong. If you don’t feel like lettuce, use leftover or freshly cooked vegetables. Add in raw peas, scallions, raw cabbage, sugar snaps, red onion or whatever you like that you have available. I’ve included my usual vinaigrette recipe which dresses a big bowlful of vegetables plus some to store in the fridge for tomorrow’s salad.

VARIABLE GREEN SALAD with Basic Vinaigrette

  • Watercress, arugula and/or baby greens – the amounts depend on how much salad you want – washed, dried and torn in bite sized piece
  • Pear, apple, avocado or persimmon, diced or some citrus supremes or a handful of bite-sized dried fruit
  • Some combination of carrot, radish, celery, cucumber or jicama, sliced or diced in bite sized pieces
  • Cilantro or parsley, chopped (or any fresh herb you like and have on hand)
  • Toasted or raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts or almonds or pistachios (optional)
  • Sprinkle of chia and/or hemp seeds (optional)

Whisk together:

  • 1/4 cup orange, lemon, grapefruit or lime juice or a combination
  • Splash of rice vinegar (about 1 TBs)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (or part olive, part avocado or walnut oil)
  • Pinch of granulated garlic (I use this instead of garlic powder as it is more flavorful)
  • Pinch of salt and black pepper

If you like a creamier dressing, add 1 TBs Dijon Mustard and 1-2 TBs Yogurt or Buttermilk

Endive, apricot, celery, cilantro and toasted walnuts
Bowl by Adero Willard

My New Favorite Breakfast – Add Greens!

Scrambled eggs with arugula
Terra Cotta plate by Mary Briggs

You may not ordinarily think of making a vegetable for breakfast, but tossing a couple of handfuls of quick cooking greens in your pan a minute before adding your scrambled eggs takes a ordinary breakfast up a nutritional notch. If you are vegetarian or vegan, simply add the greens to your tofu scramble or beans. If you like savory oatmeal, corn grits, congee or another porridge rather than sweet to start your day, adding greens is a no-brainier. Keeping some fresh arugula or spinach in your refrigerator is an easy way to insure you always have greens to cook. You can get one or two servings of veggies out of the way before you leave home in the morning.

Keep fresh quick cooking greens on hand in the fridge
Frozen vegetables can have more vitamins than fresh!

You could make a sandwich out of your scramble or eat it straight up. (If you don’t eat bread, adding vegetables is a way to bulk up your breakfast). If you wanted to enrich your eggs even more, you could sauté an onion before adding your greens or simply toss in some leftover vegetables from your previous meal. Peas, asparagus, sautéed or steamed greens, mushrooms and even zucchini all work well. I never use broccoli or cauliflower because I can’t handle the aroma early in the day but if you are careful not to overcook and the smell doesn’t bother you, go for it. Full disclosure – someone (who shall remain unmentioned) went through a broccoli in the morning phase and since she often overcooked it, we’ve had trouble even thinking about using it ever since! Keeping some vegetables in your freezer means you’ll have a veggie on hand to add. Frozen peas, green beans, artichoke hearts and mixed vegetables all work well. Just heat them in a little butter or oil to take the cold edge off (they are already cooked) and add your eggs to scramble. Grating in some fresh (or a pinch of dried) turmeric makes it healthier (anti-inflammatory/antioxidant) and spicier. Or try a handful of chopped fresh herbs (dill is especially good but even parsley works) to your scramble – already an improvement!

Sautéed arugula only takes a minute to prepare
Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, baby kale and turmeric

Another possibility, if you prefer fried or poached eggs, is simply to cook or warm your vegetables (with arugula or spinach it only takes a minute) and top the greens with your eggs or put it all on a piece of whole grain toast. If you don’t eat bread but do eat grains, topping leftover quinoa, grits or kasha with greens and poached or fried eggs is delicious and quite filling. Whichever way, you’ve bettered your breakfast without much effort. Without the effort of an omelet or frittata, adding greens easily ups both the nutritional profile and satiety level of your breakfast. It is eye pleasing and, best of all, tasty!

Green Breakfast Sandwich