9 Delicious Summer Salads

With summer here, I don't usually want to make something in the oven, so we end up eating a lot of hearty salads.  A lot of salads are very 'meh' in my book.  If I am going to eat a huge serving of greens and veggies it had better be a good one.

These are the salads I come back to again and again.  A few are my own, the rest are recipes that I wish I had come up with.  I hope you like them, too!

*** On an unrelated note, for some reason, my hover over Pinterest button is not working.  I am not super great with html, so it is taking me a while to fix it.  For the time being, if there is something you want to pin (Like the Raspberry Ice Cream Bars from Tuesday), check out my Pinterest boards. I pin everything I put on the blog on boards there.  If you are looking for something specific, drop me a line at measureandwhisk[at]gmail[dot]com.  Thanks!

Thai Noodle Salad (Vegetarian) - This is a nice main dish salad, because it has noodles in it.  The dressing is to die for, and it has a ton of vegetables in it.  I bet you could add a nice grilled meat to it, if you don't want a vegetarian option.

Quinoa, Bacon and Feta Salad - Every time I make this, I wonder why I don't make this weekly.  It is a fresh, incredibly delicious salad.

Carrot and Chickpea Salad (Vegetarian) - I think I ate eight bowls of this for dinner one night when I was pregnant.  It is delicious.  Also, I always use roasted peanuts instead of walnuts, and almost always leave out the cilantro.

BBQ Chicken Salad - YUM!  Great for making when guests are coming!

Arugula and Toasted Almond Salad (Vegetarian) - Light and fresh.  A great side dish.

Bacon and Pear Salad with Pink Dressing - Adam and I rave about this one.  The dressing is to die for!  Just half the recipe, or you will be eating it for weeks.

Apple, Cheese and Crouton Salad (Vegetarian) - I made this one many times in France last year.  It is worth remembering!

Carrot, White Bean and Dill Salad (Vegetarian, Vegan) - This one is a weird combo, but trust me, it is fabulous!

Beet, Kale and Carrot Salad with Cashew Dressing (Vegetarian, Vegan) - Another salad where I can eat the dressing plain.  YUM!

Now it's your turn?  Do you have any salad recipes that have changed your world? 

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Honey Bran Muffins

I worked in the costume shop for three years at the University I attended.  It really was the best job.  I may not have made the most money a college student could make, but I really enjoyed the work, I worked with incredible people, and I was always doing something creative with my hands.  

It was also the first place that I was introduced to the honey-soaked bran muffin.  Every time a show opened, we had a celebratory lunch, and everyone brought something to contribute.  

Often they were based around the show (maybe a garden party theme, or kid's food, for example), and because the three women who run the costume shop are incredible cooks, the food was always amazing.  Anyway, one time, we were celebrating some show opening, and another seamstress brought in this box of gorgeous bran muffins from a local bakery.  They glistened with a honey glaze, and tasted DIVINE!  It was a life-changing moment in my muffin-eating life.  

Then I discovered that they sold them in a convenience store around the corner from my apartment.  It was a dangerous discovery, but I was too poor to buy them very often, so they were the occasional, delicious treat on my way home.  

A year or so later, I moved to Texas and completely forgot about them. Then, a few weeks ago, I was thinking about some of my best muffins I have eaten and they floated back into my mind.  I decided to try to recreate them, so I scoured the internet for a similar recipe.  I did find a few, but after looking through the recipes, I decided to mix a few techniques and ingredients and create my own.  

It was a glorious day.  They are delicious.  Just look at those honey soaked tops.  I don't think it gets much better than that.  I would say they are a health food, but let's be real;  they are definitely a dessert.  Happy Baking!

*Also, in other news, for those of you who were asking, I have added an email subscription option on the left column above my navigation menu.  

Honey Bran Muffins: 

Heavily adapted from The Lazy Wife's Guide and a friend's grandmother's recipe

serves 18-24 (depending on how much you fill each cup) 

2 cups All-Bran sticks

2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

1 cup buttermilk (or fake buttermilk, see post here about how to make it)

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup melted coconut oil

Combine All-Bran and boiling water in a medium sized bowl. Let it cool.  In a large bowl, combine salt, baking soda, and flour.  Add buttermilk, egg, honey and coconut oil and stir to combine.  Add a cooled All-Bran mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine.  Make honey glaze (see below).  

Honey Glaze: 

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 Tbs boiling water 

Combine melted butter, sugars and honey in a medium-sized bowl.  Add the boiling water and stir to combine.  One mixture feels pretty well incorporated, pour a little less than a tablespoon in each muffin well.  Pour the batter into the muffin wells, over the honey glaze, but only fill each well about 1/2 way, because you don't want the muffins to rise over the rim very much.  

Cook in an oven preheated to 375°F for 30 minutes.  Remove when the tops are beginning to crack and look golden.  Immediately flip the pan over onto a sheet of wax paper for easy removal.  Let the muffins sit for a minute to cool, then eat immediately.   

 Honey Bran Muffins

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Caramelized Onion and Kale Quiche

Did you see my vlog post about menu planning?  I mentioned in the accompanying blog post that I was going to post 5 of the 6 recipes here.  Why am I not posting all 6 recipes?  I didn't end up making the pesto panini, because we ran out of flour this week, and then I ran out of time to make the wheat bread after I ground some whole wheat into flour.  So sadly, no panini.

By the way, not only did we run out of flour this week, but we also ran out of butter and I just about lost my mind.  I felt like I couldn't make anything.  No bread, no muffins, no cookies.  How can anyone live like that?!  It was sort of horrible.

Anyway, this quiche is the first of the five.  It was an experiment because I decided to try putting a little cornmeal in the crust, and it was surprisingly delicious!  I would definitely recommend it.

I tend to be the type who plays it safe in the kitchen, but blogging is forcing me to try new things and experiment. It has been fun, but kind of terrifying.  Every time I try something new, I expect the worst, but am pleasantly surprised when it turns out well.  This is such a fatalist attitude, but it keeps me from being really bummed when something doesn't turn out.

Do you play it safe in the kitchen?  Is there anything you have been wanting to try but have been afraid to go through with it?  Something that maybe I would enjoy trying?

Caramelized Onion and Kale Quiche:

makes one 8" quiche

Crust: 

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 cup white flour

1 Tbs sugar

1/4 tsp salt

8 Tbs (1 stick) butter, cold and diced

2 -3 Tbs cold water

In a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar and salt.  Add your diced butter, and turn on the stand mixer and let the mixer run for about a minute, or with two knives, cut the butter into small pieces.  You want the butter to end up resembling small peas.  Add 2 Tbs of water and mix again until the dough starts to come together.  Add the 3rd Tbs if the dough is still a little dry.  Once it has formed into a nice mass, wrap in plastic and place it in fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350°F and remove the crust from the fridge about 10 minutes before you need to roll it out.  Once it is warmed up slightly, flour a clean countertop and roll out the dough into a large, thin circle, big enough to fill your pie pan.  Gently lift it off the counter and put it in the pie pan.  Pinch the edges of the crust.  Place it in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes, or until the dough no longer looks shiny.  Do not let it brown.  Make the filling while your pie crust is in the oven.  Once your crust is out of the oven,  set it aside until you have finished the filling.  

Filling: 

1 Tbs butter

1/2 onion, diced

1 cup kale, destemmed and ribboned

1 cup milk

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 eggs

1 Tbs wheat flour

In a large frying pan, melt your butter and add your diced onion.  Cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.  Add the kale and cover the pan for about 3 minutes, until the kale is wilted.  

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, eggs and wheat flour.  Whisk until combined. 

Once your crust has finished cooking, place the onions and kale in an even layer across the bottom of the crust.  Pour the milk mixture over the top.  

Place in the oven and let it cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the middle of the quiche is set.  Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!  

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Cocoa-Dusted Almonds

Only 4 days until we leave, and I can't get France off the mind... So, that means we are talking about snacks for flying today!  Get excited!  (For a full list of what I am planning on taking on our flight, see this post. PS. I would be so very grateful if you clicked on the links in the last post :)

I highly doubt that I am the only person who finds airport food absurdly overpriced, but whenever I am in the airport, the things that I have brought along to eat on the plane always sound terrible and all the delicious, unhealthy choices in the airport sound way more fun and fabulous.  

I have realized that bringing raw carrot sticks to the airport just isn't an option for me.  I won't eat them and I end up resenting their presence in my bag.   

For this trip, I have a few tasty tricks up my sleeve for relatively healthy and easy snacks.  These almonds are a great choice, or I might make these granola bars, or possibly some crackers, and then maybe a piece of fruit, or some dried mango or something.  Whatever I end up taking, you had better believe it is going to be more delicious than a carrot stick.  

Cocoa-Dusted Almonds
serves 2 (depending on how many almonds you like to eat)

1/2 cup raw whole almonds
1/2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp finely ground sea salt

Toast the almonds at 350°F for 6-9 minutes or until golden and fragrant.  Put in a bowl with coconut oil and stir until almonds are coated.  In a jar or tupperware, put the sugar, cocoa powder and sea salt and stir until thoroughly combined.  Add almonds, and shake until the almonds are coated.  Enjoy!

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Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

 I have become disenchanted with store bought ranch dressing.  Mostly since making this ranch.  It takes about 2 minutes to make, and it always tastes so fresh and wonderful!  I like eating salads a lot, but I tend to be the type who ends up with left-over salad dressing left in the fridge for months, and it kind of freaks me out that some dressing is okay staying in the fridge for months... My solution?  Whip up a small batch that is perfect for your family, maybe a few guests and tomorrow's leftovers.  This batch feeds 4 comfortably, with a little left over for tomorrow.  Fresh and tasty every time!

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:
adapted from Mother Thyme

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 buttermilk (I always use a scant 1/4 milk with 1/2 tsp or so of vinegar)
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small jar and shake until combined.   Serve over a delicious green salad or use it to dip your pizza in!

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