Summer Salads

Enjoy healthy, farm-fresh ingredients this season

Green Salad with Grilled Salmon

Makes 4 servings

Get your heart-healthy omega 3s with this delicious meal.

• 1-1/2 pounds boned, skinned salmon fillet, cut into 4 equal pieces
• 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• About 1 tsp salt
• About 1 tsp black pepper
• 8 ounces salad mix, rinsed and crisped
• Tomato vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• 4 oz fresh chèvre (goat) cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup minced green onions (white and pale green parts only)

Instructions:

1. Rinse salmon and pat dry. In a bowl, mix brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place salmon in bowl and rub pieces all over with spice mixture. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
2. Lay salmon on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning once, until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part reads 140°, 6 to 8 minutes total.
3. Meanwhile, divide salad mix equally among four plates. Place a piece of salmon on each mound of greens. Drizzle salads equally with tomato vinaigrette and sprinkle evenly with goat cheese and green onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato Vinaigrette

• 1 cup diced firm-ripe tomatoes (about 8 oz)
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp minced shallot
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, vinegar, oil, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad

Makes 4 servings

For a taste treat, combine barbecued chicken, nectarines, goat cheese, and toasted pecans for a salad that makes a meal.

• 2/3 cup pecan halves
• 2 quarts salad greens (8 oz), rinsed
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 4 boned chicken breast halves with skin, rinsed, patted dry, and fat trimmed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 firm, ripe nectarines, rinsed, pitted, and thinly sliced
• 5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread pecans in a baking pan and bake until golden under skins, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
2. Mound salad greens on four dinner plates. In a small bowl, stir vegetable oil, walnut oil, and vinegar to blend. Set aside.
3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Lay on a lightly oiled barbecue grill over a solid bed of medium-hot coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until meat is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 15 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Remove skin if desired.
4. Slice chicken across the grain 1/2 inch thick; arrange over greens. Tuck nectarine around chicken. Sprinkle goat cheese and pecans over the top. Stir dressing; pour over salads. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta Salad with Shrimp

Makes 5 servings

Enjoy seafood with fresh veggies in this delectable pasta dish for under 300 calories.

• 2-1/2 cups cooked angel hair (about 5 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 3/4 cup chopped plum tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp chopped pitted kalamata olives
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-1/2 tsp chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 lb cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

Combine the first 13 ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley.