One of my go-to dinners is a cold orzo salad with tomatoes and fetah cheese.
It’s easy peasy, and you can adjust the recipe a million ways.
The basic involves:
Boil the orzo following package directions. Drain. Toss with some olive oil so it doesn’t clump. Add fixings (see below). Toss and serve.
Assemble fixings to go into the orzo, any of these in any combination…
- Chopped tomatoes (gotta have tomatoes)
- Crumbled fetah cheese
- Fresh dill, parsley, or basil (or all of them)
- Chopped green veggies (blanched sugar snap peas or green beans or cucumbers or green pepper or artichoke hearts or all of the above)
- Chopped olives if you have some good ones in the fridge
When it's too hot to cook, what’s your summer salad?
This sounds delicious, Hallie . . . thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI usually cook, even on the hottest days. Sometimes I make a fruit salad with whatever berries we have, adding sliced strawberries, diced melon, and grapes [or whatever other fruits I have in the refrigerator] . . . .
I do a lot of fruit salad, too - and this year's CHERRIES have been amazing, and a dear friend bought me a cherry pitter!
DeleteDuring the recent record-breaking heat dome event, I harvested arugula and leaf lettuce from my balcony garden. Added some local asparagus and strawberries and slivered almonds and made a simple red wine vinegar-EVOO vinaigrette. YUM.
ReplyDeletethat sounds delish Grace!
DeleteI did not want to turn on the stove, but I have added cooked quinoa or couscous to bulk up these salads in the past.
DeleteThat sunds SO good! (On adding onions, if I don't feel like cooking them then I pickle chopped onion by soaking them in some vinegar for 15-30 miutes.)
DeleteOnions?
DeleteWell, I suppose I could have added some scallions from my balcony garden or some French shallots. I am not a huge fan of raw onions in salads! Sometimes, I soak sliced red onions the in cold water to get rid of the raw taste.
I use sweet onions in salads, some are true Videllia, but other big sweet onions are available here. They seem not to have that bite and juice that disagree with me. You could even have an onion sandwich with these, on bread slathered with mayo!
DeleteWow that sounds delicious. I'm copying the recipe. Sometimes I defrost a soup I froze earlier and fix salad to go with it -- a much simpler salad: lettuce, tomato, onion, shredded carrots. But I can see your recipe being the meal itself. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteFrozen soups here, too, but when it's hot I often don't feel like a hot soup.
DeleteOne of our favorite hot weather dinner salads is also a salad with pasta.
ReplyDeleteSPINACH AND ROTINI
1/4 - 1/3 box of rotini pasta
1 small box of baby spinach (5 oz.)
Chick peas
Black Olives
Grilled chicken
Direction: In the morning, cook the pasta in water according to directions on box. Drain and immediately marinate in your favorite Itatian dressing. Refrigerate.
---------------------------------
Wash the spinach and spin dry.
Drain chicken peas and olives.
Cut or tear chicken into bite sized pieces.
Assemble salad in proportions of ingredients that makes you happy. Pour on dressing and toss.
Substitutions welcome.
Sounds great! And healthy too.
DeleteChick peas
ReplyDeleteAuto correct does it again. Darn.
Too funny, Judy. I kind of like "chicken peas"!
DeleteDelish! When my gold cherry tomatoes are ripe, I halve them, add local cucumber cubes, feta cubes, Kalamata olives, slivered fresh basil or oregano, and a generous swizzle of good olive oil. Along with a crusty baguette and it's dinner.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWe got over 150 mm/6 in of rain in June, so my tomato & eggplants are behind schedule. Need more heat & sunny weather in July!
DeleteEdith that sounds perfect. Grace, yup tomatoes need sun at the right time and rain at the right time. Fussy fussy.
DeleteI love that everyone's eating the same thing:)
ReplyDeleteWe just had our first BLTs from lettuce and tomatoes in the garden. The earliest I've ever had ripe tomatoes, but I did cheat this year. I grew plants from seed for the first time (they miraculously survived our two weeks away), and in early May I bought big plants from a local greenhouse that already had wee tomatoes on them. I always grow more tomatoes than I think we will use; some years production is poor, and other years, like this one is shaping up to be, we have lots of extra tomatoes to give to friends.
ReplyDeleteWhen the green beans start coming, I like to make salads with mixed greens, lightly steamed beans, tomato, black olives, tuna, and olive oil, with sliced hard-cooked eggs. A sort of Nicoise salad. Light, but filling, and with some crusty bread and a chilled white, a perfect summer meal.
That's a nice salad. I've made that and Cobb salads are pretty simple, too, with a sliced or chopped hard boiled egg. The thing that makes a salad delicious is often the dressing that you choose. Most of the time, I make Good Seasons Italian dressing but keep other choices on hand. I have to carefully read ingredients in dressings because of food allergies.
DeleteGood Seasons Italian dressing is so surprisingly good… I always forget about that.
DeleteHome grown tomatoes! There's nothing quite as good. Wondering if you can taste the difference if they're grown in a pot or outside in the ground.
DeleteI can definitely taste the difference between the ones that were on the plant when I bought them, vs. the ones that developed after they were planted in my beds. They were started in a different kind of soil and raised in the greenhouse. My soil is full of compost, and the plants are getting full sunshine.
DeleteHallie, we have a smallish yard so have always grown our tomatoes in a pot. They taste delicious and SO much better than “store bought”. Don’t know if they taste different from the ones grown in the ground, but I doubt it. — Pat S
DeleteWe eat the Silver Palate cookbook Mediterranean chicken salad recipe all summer: chicken poached with spices and vegetables, cooled and drained, flavored with oregano, lemon, olive oil and mixed with green beans, cherry tomatoes, capers, and kalamata olives. So good.
ReplyDeleteNoticing a theme... that sounds yummy
DeleteYou are welcome to bring that salad over to my house any day, Hallie. I promise I won't put up a fight.
ReplyDeleteIf only!
DeleteFrom Celia: such delicious cooling recipes and so many ideas. One of Victors favs is a rice salad that I dreamed up too long ago to remember its origins.
ReplyDeleteUse long grain or basmati rice about 1/4 cup each serving.
Pour rice into boiling water and cook 7-9 minutes until done. Please keep water at the boil and don’t put the lid on. I learned to cook rice this way living in Ceylon. But it won’t work with Chinese rice or sushi rice which clumps together when cooked through. Enough on rice!
Drain well and immediately mix in S&P and olive oil, adding oil until the mix tastes good. I have no quantity guide here.
Add in frozen or fresh peas, scallions and other veggies of choice.
Mix well and serve. Please don’t refrigerate it changes the texture though I have reheated leftovers in a little oil to accompany another meal.
That sounds interesting, Celia. I might try it. I love rice mixed with veggies.
DeleteBecause of the amount of arsenic in rice (especially rice grown in the south), I have begun to cook rice in lots of water and drain the water off when it is cooked through. It does reduce the amount of impurities in the rice and we frequently eat rice, so it is worth it.
No dressing? Feels like it wants some kind of acid.
DeleteI have central AC, so it never really feels too hot to cook. But on grocery shopping day when I’m totally worn out after shopping and then putting away groceries, I often make a large salad and put into it everything that appeals to me at the moment. If I have leftover chicken, I might add that on. Sometimes I open a can of tuna and drain it, and then add the tuna. I like your combination of foods, Hallie! I’ll remember that!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Tuna is good to add into almost any salad... and I remember Julia Child saying on one of her shows that you should always use tuna packed in oil. It's a little stinky, in a good way. And I so agree.
DeleteThat sounds wonderful, Hallie! And so many delicious recipes here… You all are so clever! Last night we had salad from a beautiful green goddess lettuce from the farmers market, with cherry tomatoes, and black olives, and bacon bits and blue cheese, and croutons with a great balsamic vinaigrette. Yum.
ReplyDeletebacon, blue cheese, and balsamic! Goes with just about anything.
Deleteyes, SO agree!
DeleteYummy! I love summer salads. My go to is tabbouleh. Have some in the fridge right now!
ReplyDeleteI love tabouleh... with a ton of parsley.
DeleteI made a broccoli salad with chopped apple, red onion, red grapes and added rice. The dressing was a bit of mayo and apple cider vinegar. With the addition of chickpeas, would easily make a meal by itself.
ReplyDeleteI love that combination of sweet and savory... unusual.
DeleteHallie, I added crumbled bacon (because why not?) and roasted sunflower seeds for added crunch.
DeleteI love broccoli salad, Flora, and that sounds delish.
DeleteMy two go-to summer salads are Greek and Caprese--so easy. Edith has already given the recipe for a Greek salad with chunks of feta, although in my case I subtract fresh herbs and add pieces of yellow or red Bell peppers and lots of chopped chives. Caprese is a big plate of attractively arranged (or not!) slices of tomato and mozzarella with fresh basil leaves all over it, plus salt, pepper, and olive oil. Some people drizzle it with balsamic vinegar, too, but I prefer only oil. Kait, thanks for reminding me about tabbouleh--I haven't made that in ages.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about how good the tomatoes are.
DeleteI purchase an organic rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. In separate glass bowls with covers, I prepare cucumbers, red onion, colored bell peppers, broccoli, cooked/chilled white corn, blueberries, grapes, celery and carrots. I purchase two organic prewashed boxes: greens and baby spinach. I have cherry tomatoes washed and on the breakfast bar ready to go. I pull the chicken and an assortment of cheeses from the fridge. Our dressing of choice right now is Annie’s Shiitake Sesame. My husband is inconsistent with what he likes in his salad. So, assemble your own works well for us. Thanks for sharing! Alicia Kullas
ReplyDelete"Assemble your own" - Brilliant!
DeleteFrom Diana: Perfect timing, Hallie, because it looks like we are headed for another heat wave in a few days.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite summer salad is whatever the local produce offers - bell peppers, green onions, spinach lettuce, a cask of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And beans too.
I haven't yet been to my local farmer's market but today's conversation is guaranteeing that I'll be there next week.
DeleteThese all sound wonderful and delicious. I make a couscous salad with couscous, a lot of chopped Italian parsley, and chopped spiced pecans that I make and keep in the freezer. Mix together with good EVOO to taste. Add more spice as needed. I use this as a side with poached salmon, but it would be good on its own with other chopped vegetables and added chick peas or white beans for a complete meal. Thanks for all of the good ideas. I fear we are in for a heat wave this year. I do have AC (I live in Atlanta GA) but the oven still makes the kitchen and me hot.
ReplyDeleteI find drinking cold borscht is equivalent to any other summer drink for cooling off. You can anything you want to it, but I just like it as is. The commercial jars are often available in low calorie, low or no sodium and low fat versions for those who have dietary restrictions.
ReplyDeleteI also like a combination of fruits with cut up peaches, strawberries and blueberries on top of cottage cheese or cut up with sour cream on top.
There again, you can add anything, but it is usually enough by itself and the best part there is almost nothing to prepare aside from cutting the fruit.
I make a salad very similar to yours, except I use quinoa instead of orzo. Chopped tomatoes for sure, I like to stick with veggies I don’t have to blanch, so at least two colors of peppers, cucumbers, carrots (I like to shred them so they blend in a little more), a bit of red onion. Whatever herbs are around, a crumbly cheese like feta or cotija, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper… a few hours in the fridge blends the flavors nicely!
ReplyDeleteHallie, your orzo salad sounds delicious but even boiling water on really hot days, after many hot days, used to be too much some days but with AC now, cooking is a bit easier. My favorite salad, for many people, is a dump salad. Salad greens, tomatoes, cucumber, red peppers, anything that looks good in the veggie department. And from the canned aisle - marinated artichoke hearts, chickpeas, kidney beans. Shredded cheese, raisins, A nice Italian or light oil and vinegar dressing. Slice or two of good sourdough with good butter...
ReplyDeleteObese Tomatoes Salad (aka Indigestion Salad) was a summer favorite. (Have lost the recipe and haven’t tried to make from memory.) Ingredients: one beefsteak tomato sliced , one purple onion sliced and rings separated, oil and white balsamic to cover. Refrigerate 6 hours or so. Serve on spinach or lettuce leaves, with a crusty bread. White wine or sparkling water. Pass the Tums for dessert 🤣 Happy Summer eating! Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteMy darling daughter gave me a box of Harry and David Rainier cherries for my birthday. Birthday was in early June but you get the cherries when they are ripe and they arrived yesterday, Oh my gosh, they are delicious! I may not eat anything else for a week!
ReplyDeleteHallie, Rick will not eat a single one of the delicious ingredients in your salad, but I'm going to make it for myself. I usually do all the veggies with olives and feta but don't think to put grains, but I have a jar of whole wheat orzo in the pantry. Yum.
ReplyDeleteThat looks delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteFeta cheese is the magic ingredient for me when it's too hot to think about food. Is it the salt? So a salad like Hallie's is perfect. ( Or made with other cold pasta or even rice.) My other go-to is a big bowl of home made gazpacho, when the good tomatoes come along. I keep it a little chunky and sprinkle - yes- feta on top or have a slice of good bread, toasted, with feta on the side. Finally, cold noodle salad with spicy peanut dressing., homemade or purchased (No feta here!) Any handy veggies, cold protein like chicken or beef, and any noodles (angelhair pasta is a favorite). I don't really like hot weather...but these help
ReplyDeleteFrom Diana: Your orzo salad sounds yummy, Hallie. I think goat cheese is the only dairy cheese that is okay for me to eat since it is Goat cheese, not cow cheese. I had lots of wonderful goat cheese while visiting France.
ReplyDeleteMy go to summer salad is bean salad with minced bell peppers, green onions, maybe purple onions, and salad vingarette. IF we know ahead of time there will be a heat wave. It usually tastes better after it marinates overnight in the refrigerator.
Another favorite is avocado salad or the basil, dairy free mozarella, and tomato salad, which is Caprese salad with olive oil dressing. Another favorite is Fruit salad with seasonal fruits like blueberries and strawberries.
Since University days, I remember on hot days, instead of cooking dinner, it was “cold cuts” day, meaning that we select our own cold cuts and make sandwiches. Like Jenn, it is sandwich day. Not a fan of Ham, except for the yummy Virginia ham at Colonial Williamsburg.
Loved Salami, Turkey, Cheese, and vegetables. Usually it was a “salad” sandwich with vegetables in a sandwich or a classic Turkey sandwich or a plain cheese and tomato sandwich.