In the Kitchen with Henny: Summer salads

My first attempt at salad making is quite an embarrassing but endearing story.

I was about seven or eight years old, and a friend had come over for a Shabbat afternoon playdate. As we got closer to se’udat shlishit (third meal on Shabbat) we decided to get creative and make a salad with all the fresh summer fruits we had in the house.

It started out great and I still remember feeling so excited to be in the kitchen chopping fruits on the cutting board like a big kid. I looked through the fridge again to see what we could add, and came across some fresh sour dill pickles. Ooooh, I thought, I love pickles, let’s add that in. My friend and I began chopping up sour pickles and added them into our sweet fruit salad. (I can see your face now as you read this, and I am burying my head into my pillow.)

We very proudly walked into the dining room where my grandfather of blessed memory was sitting and served him the fruit salad that we made all on our own.

He put some on his plate and ate it with a big smile. It was only after we went back into the kitchen to clean up that he turned to my mother and let her know that we put pickles in the salad, but he ate it anyway as he knew how proud I was of my efforts.

Maybe it was his confidence in me that kept me inspired to keep experimenting with food, although I never did put pickles in my fruit salad again – and look how far I’ve come in the past 45 years!

Cabbage Salad

This has been my Shabbat go-to salad. It’s so simple, fresh, and of course delicious. My dear friend Mindy served this salad in her home shortly after she got married and was delighted to host us. I was never a lover of cabbage until then, but this opened up my palate to a new experience.

Yields 6 servings.

• 1 bag or 800 grams of shredded cabbage
• 1 cup toasted almond slivers/ sunflower seeds/ pumpkin seeds
• 2 scallions (green onions) chopped
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp. rice or apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. sugar/honey/maple syrup
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180C/150F. Place the almond slivers, sesame seeds or any other seeds or nuts you may want to add in the salad on a flat baking sheet. Place it in the oven for 10 minutes, be sure to mix and shake the pan a bit in between, remove and let cool.

In a small container mix the dressing ingredients together, cover and shake well. Keep in the fridge till right before serving.

Place your shredded cabbage into a large bowl and add in your scallions, nuts and seeds. Give the dressing a good shake and add it to the salad. Toss, and serve!

Summer Fruit Salad

The Israeli summers are infused with refreshing sweetness as we enjoy our mangos, plums, nectarines, apricots and more! Add in some cherries or blueberries with a touch of mint and you’ve got something amazing! This is a delicious and easy salad to start or end any meal with this summer.

Yields 6 servings.

• 2 kg. (4 lb.) of assorted fresh fruits
• ¼ cup of chopped mint leaves

Dressing:

• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey/maple syrup

Wash and chop up your fruit and mint, and place in a serving bowl. Mix your dressing ingredients in a small container and shake well. Pour over the dressing and keep refrigerated till serving. Stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad

I love how diverse quinoa is. A common issue that comes up when coaching my clients is they want to have more variety without the fuss. Cooking up 2 cups of quinoa at the beginning of each week gives you something to complement or bulk up a variety of salads or side dishes. Here I pair it up with some sweet potato, red onion, and black lentils for a healthy dish that excites the pallet as well as your eyes.

Yields 4 servings.

• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 red onion diced
• ½ cup black lentils cooked
• 1 cubed and roasted sweet potato
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro (kusbara in Hebrew)

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp. raw tehina
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Place all your salad ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle on the chopped cilantro. Mix your dressing ingredients in a small container and shake until smooth. Pour on the dressing before serving.

Greek Salad

We all love a salad that is filling and easy to prepare. The Greek salad is a combination of many standard ingredients you already have in your home, and now you can bring it together for that perfect harmony to have as a lunch at work, or any meal.

Yields 4 servings.

• 1 head romaine lettuce  – rinsed, dried and chopped
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can pitted black olives
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:

• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• Ground black pepper to taste

Combine romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, bell peppers, and red onion in a large bowl; sprinkle with feta cheese.

In a small bowl or cup add the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and black pepper and mix well. Pour dressing over salad, toss well to combine, and serve.

The writer is a kitchen coach, inspiring confidence and creativity in the kitchen. Learn more about workshops, private events and coaching: www.inthekitchenwithhenny.com