Broccoli Green Bean Salad with Basil Oil

Ok, so I know summer is basically over, but this one can be served pretty much year round since you can usually find fresh basil at the grocery store even after your herb garden is long gone.

I blanched about a half pound of green beans for about 3 minutes and roasted a head of broccoli with olive oil and salt for about 10-12 minutes (just past bright green, not yet soggy). I threw the green beans in with the broccoli for the last 3 minutes, mostly to warm them up since I'd blanched them earlier. I tossed the veggies in a bowl with some grape tomatoes for a fresh and colorful addition.

Then I picked a handful of basil (about 1/2 cup, packed) and put it in the food processor with some olive oil (about 1/4 cup) and salt and pepper, and viola- basil oil. It was pretty and delicious!

Spinach Salad

I love the convenience of bagged baby spinach, but I get a little tired of sauteing it, which is usually how I prepare it.  However, I'm not a huge fan of raw spinach. Quite the conundrum when faced with a bag of spinach from the co-op. I found a glimmer of hope last week when I made a delicious spinach salad.

I mixed bagged baby spinach with some romaine I had leftover, so it was basically half and half lettuce and spinach. I'm sure that helped mitigate my fear of raw spinach. I also had a few ripe strawberries so I sliced them and threw them on top. I buy the big bags of sliced almonds at Costco because Lily loves nuts and those are the only ones I'm not afraid she'll choke on. The almonds added a great crunch, and next time I'll toast them first.

The dressing is one I've been making a lot lately, but I think it was especially perfect for the ingredients in this salad. I used walnut oil but olive oil would have worked fine, along with balsamic vinegar, sliced red onion, a clove of garlic, salt and pepper. Simple as could be. I let it sit for about 30 minutes while I prepared the rest of dinner, and it helped the garlic and onion infuse their flavor into the dressing. You could either toss out the garlic and onion or leave it in when you dress the salad.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Almonds

Dressing:

2 T balsamic vinaigrette

1/3 c. walnut oil or olive oil

2 T. finely chopped red onion

1 finely chopped garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes - 1 hour

Salad:

1/2 bag of baby spinach

1/2 heart of romaine

4 strawberries, sliced

1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

Grilled Romaine Hearts

Yes, I said grilled romaine! I saw it on a cooking show and tried it last week. Yum! I have to admit, although I love salad, I don't always love all of the chopping, washing, etc. so this is a great way to have a delicious salad without a lot of prep work.

Slice 2 hearts of romaine vertically and wash thoroughly while leaving them intact (don't cut off the bottom). Place on a baking sheet and drizzle both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on heated grill and grill for 2 minutes on each side. Serve with a vinaigrette of your choice. We each ate a whole half, so 2 hearts served 4 adults. But we're total pigs.

I ate half of mine without dressing and loved it (I forgot I had made a vinaigrette) but it is also delicious with a Balsamic vinaigrette. I made mine with about 1/3 c. olive oil, 1 T balsamic, finely diced red onion, salt and pepper and let it sit for about 30 minutes, but you don't have to be precise with vinaigrettes for them to be yummy. It would be great with shaved parmesan, crumbled bleu cheese or fresh lemon juice too. Let me know what variation you try.