I feel as though this has been a particularly good season for strawberries, but we have been extra spoiled this year as well. My father's garden has yielded the most incredible strawberries I have ever tasted, truly, and my mother in-law brought a half flat with her (carry-on) from Southern California. We are currently plowing through more in California from a road side stand. While desserts are often the first category of recipe one wants to chose in order to highlight the fruit, savory salads are a perfect alternative. Instead of simply tossing some sliced strawberries in a salad I decided to blend up a dressing. Tossed with a fresh baby spinach salad topped with toasted pecans and crumbed goat cheese and, well, you know how good it will be.
8-10 strawberries1 t honey1 T dijon mustard 1/4 c olive oil1 T balsamic vinegarsalt, pepper
Wash, dry and prep strawberries. Place all ingredients in a high power blender and blend until emulsified. If you want a creamer dressing, add a spoon of mayo, buttermilk or sour cream before blending. You could also add a clove of fresh garlic before blending for some spice. Store in refrigerator.
It's almost that time of year again. That time when I feel that mounting pressure to MAKE ALL THE SEASONAL PRODUCE hashtag givemeallthefarmersmarkets. As much as I love this time of year, I also can resent it as I want so badly to squeeze in mounds of recipes while ingredients are at their peak but the reality is with two young kids it can be hard to accomplish this. I mean, I could, but we'd never leave the house. I actually put my CSA box on hold as I just couldn't keep up with all the produce that needed to be cooked within days. Yeah, #firstworldproblems. I love summer corn, as does my husband, my daughter and now my son. I love to simply sautee sweet corn with some butter, paprika, salt and pepper and call it our side. This salad is a bit more impressive and I love the complimentary vegetables. In August, the addition of sliced cherry tomatoes is even better. This is truly a no recipe, throw it together kind of a dish, but here is the general idea.
~ 4 ears corn, kernels sliced off1/2 onion, choppedfist full of green beans, prepped and chopped1 cup mushrooms, any kind you like, sliced
In a medium saute pan heat some olive oil and butter and cook the mushrooms until tender. Remove from pan with a spoon. Add onions and saute until golden. Add corn and and green beans and saute until tender. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and some italian seasoning if you feel like it. Stir in mushrooms.
