A Cold Salad on a Hot Day

Honestly, I made this a week ago when it was cold and rainy. Try menu planning in Minnesota. I've been grilling in the rain and making soup when it's 75. Ugh.

I normally don't post recipes that still need a little work, but this one does. It's a great base recipe, but I need to work on it. Taste and season well, I've included my suggestions in italics.


Sweetpea Slaw

Place in a large bowl:
2 packages of stringless sugar snap peas
2 cups matchstick cut carrots (or thinly slice in your food processor)
1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage
One bunch of green onions, cleaned and thinly sliced

Mix and toss with salad:
4 TB seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
Juice of 1/4 lemon
2 TB olive oil
1/2 tsp salt--taste and increase if you wish
1 tsp sesame oil
red pepper flakes to taste


I think you could add any crisp veggie. Radishes would be nice. I'm up for your suggestions. It's really pretty, perfect for the heat wave we're having here.

The Last of the Salad Days

Snow comes when it gets cold. Things don't grow anymore when it's cold enough to snow.

Meteorology 101, right?

Sadly, my CSA veggie boxes are coming to an end.

Our next box will most likely be squash and onions. And maybe a few things that were salvageable before the freezing temps and snow hit.

This last head of red leaf lettuce has been absolutely delicious. I'm not a fan of bagged salad, but even the thought of buying heads of lettuce in the grocery store has got me cringing. There's something about the fresh from the field flavor that's missing from the grocery store stuff. I haven't purchased greens from the store since last Spring. Winter is going to be long.

My mom always made homemade salad dressing. Not only is it a cost saver, but it's delicious. Ever read a bottle of salad dressing? Ever had sticker shock buying all natural or organic dressing? You've got to try making your own. It's a great way to keep your kids busy in the kitchen while you're making dinner. A little goes a long way, especially on fresh greens.

Low Fat Citrus Dressing

1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil, walnut oil, or canola oil--optional
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Mix all together and drizzle on fresh greens. You can toss the greens with strawberries, orange segments and almond slices or candied walnuts. Store in refrigerator. Keeps about 1 week.