Summer Salads

It gets so humid and hot during the Kansas summer that I am always looking for ways to avoid turning the oven on in the evening. Last weekend, I made a couple of salads for Saturday lunch and they both turned out great. With a few substitutions, neither required any actual cooking on my part! Served with a little baguette or some French bread and they are great for lunch or dinner. My father-in-law even admitted during lunch that he was pretty skeptical when I said I was serving a shrimp salad (apparently he's not a big fan--I didn't know that beforehand), but he liked this.

For the chicken salad, I used a whole already-roasted chicken from the grocery store. I love using those chickens in dishes like this. The chicken is typically tender and has a decent flavor and all I have to do is take it off the bone. In addition, I cut the dressing for the salad in half. I think it makes the salad a little soggy if you use the entire recipe.

For the shrimp salad, I bought cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp. It saved me some time and effort. I imagine this takes a little something away from the dish, but it was still pretty good this way!

Greek Orzo and Grilled Shrimp Salad with Mustard-Dill Viniagrette

3/4 pound orzo, cooked al dente
1 large cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil, plus additional for brushing shrimp
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
16 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Combine orzo, cucumber, green onions, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Place dill, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the orzo mixture and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the feta cheese.

Heat grill to high. Brush shrimp with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for approximately 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through. Divide orzo salad among 4 take-out containers or plates and top with 4 shrimp. Garnish with additional dill.

From Bobby Flay, Boy Meets Grill, Food Network


Chinese Chicken Salad

8 split chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds diagonally
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegbar
1/3 cup good soy sauce
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and apper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until chicken is just cooled. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from the bones, discard the skin and shred the chicken in large, bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers into strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the chicken, asparagus, and pappers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

From Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Ina Garten, (Clarkson Potter, 2001)