Summer Vacation Salad

Just as we're about to leave town for anything longer than a weekend the panic sets in. What to do with all that produce that won't make it until we're back? This time our Angelic Organics CSA box arrived Wednesday and we were leaving for Traverse City, Michigan, (more on that in a later post) on Saturday, so it was quite a bounty!

First, I whipped up some pico de gallo but in the flurry of packing, cooking, searching for bathing suits, and back to school preparations, I never got around to taking photos. Rest assured it was suitably fresh and piquant with lots of jalepenos, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, and even a few chopped tomatillos thrown in for good measure. We brought it along in the cooler and ate it all vacation long with chicken, over pulled pork, on eggs, and mixed with pasta.

For my next endeavor, Vacation Salad. What's Vacation Salad you ask? Why, it's anything you need it to be. That is the beauty of Vacation Salad.

To make Vacation Salad simply dump the perishable contents of your refrigerator as well as the wire basket or whatever contraption you use to store non-refrigerated vegetables onto the counter. For us that meant I was staring down exactly 4 ears or sweet corn, 8 tomatoes (that was after the pico de gallo), 2 green peppers, one red bell pepper, one banana pepper, one zucchini, one yellow squash, a white onion and two lemons. Get chopping.

Then make a splash of dressing and drizzle over the top. Mix it all up and pack it in the cooler.

The longer it sits, the better it gets. For maximum flavor, enjoy on a balcony overlooking a beautiful mist-hooded lake.

Now obviously, the allure of this salad is that you can make it out of whatever you happen to have on hand. Here's how ours went down.

Our Summer Vacation Salad

Corn kernels cut from 4 ears of sweet corn
8 tomatoes (any variety)
2 green peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 small yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 banana pepper
1 medium onion

For the dressing

1 clove garlic
1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
zest of one lemon
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper

1. Place corn kernels in a large bowl. Chop all the other vegetables into 1/4-inch dice and add to the corn.
2. To make the dressing, puree the garlic and basil in a blender. Add the lemon zest and juice and pulse to combine. Slowly drizzle in olive oil through the top opening in the blender lid while continuing to pulse. Season with salt and pepper and pour over vegetables. Mix the whole concoction together and serve, or pack it up in tupperware for your own vacation, or at the very least, a leisurely picnic lunch. 

Tex Mex Chicken Soup

I've already talked a lot about Roo's oral delay and textural sensitivities. Thankfully his tolerance to anything bready, beany, mushy, gushy, or slippery is improving but we are still no where near stew territory. He's more of a single ingredient kind of guy. That is why I love recipes that can be easily deconstructed to suit his needs, but still end up looking and tasting like real, actual grown-up meals when they're put together. Like this...

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup
adapted from Cooking Light (June 2012)

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 mini sweet peppers, red, yellow, or orange, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. crushed red pepper (reduce to 1 tsp. if sharing with spice-averse guests)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
4 cups chicken broth
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
1 lime, cut into wedges
tortilla chips

1. Heat a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion, garlic, peppers, and jalapeño. Saute for a 3 minutes. Add paprika, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add the chicken, corn, broth, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with cilantro, queso fresco, lime wedges, and tortilla chips. 

Then, make deconstructed plates for the kiddos using the ingredients on hand. Everybody wins.