Kyle’s Kitchen
Once tomato and cucumber season comes, Mom usually makes a big bunch of that cucumber, tomato and sweet onion salad with vinegar and peppercorns. We all love it and have it with most meals. Here is an Asian version of cucumber salad that is also very good.
Asian Cucumber Salad
1 lb cucumbers, preferably English cucumbers 3/4 tsp salt 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sugar 1-1/2 tdp sesame oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp grated ginger 1/2 tsp chili paste (sambal oelek) 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional) Slice the cucumbers and place them in a bowl in several layers, sprinkling each layer with salt. Set aside for about 15 minutes to allow the salt to draw out moisture from the cucumbers.
In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, and chili paste until well combined.
After the cucumbers have sat for 15 minutes, drain any excess moisture and pat them dry with paper towels. Add the dressing to the cucumbers and toss well to ensure all the slices are evenly coated.
Top the salad with green onions and toasted sesame seeds before serving. -kwc Next time you light up the grill, here's a hearty chicken salad with lots of good TexMex flavors.
Mexican Corn and Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad For the dressing:
1/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed) 1 tsp lime zest (grated) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp chili powder Salt and pepper, to taste For the salad:
4 ears of sweet corn, husks and silk removed 2 medium boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound) 2 tbsp vegetable oil Salt and pepper, to taste 1 jalapeno 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, firmly packed 3 cups romaine lettuce, torn into pieces 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Start by combining sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and chili powder in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Whisk everything together until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the dressing while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Brush the corn and chicken thighs with vegetable oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Fire up the grill to medium- high heat and cook the corn and chicken, turning occasionally. Grill until the corn is slightly charred and sweet, and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Allow them to cool slightly after grilling.
While the grilled ingredients cool, finely mince the jalapeno and cilantro. In a large salad bowl, combine these with the torn romaine lettuce. Once the corn and chicken are cool enough to handle, cut the corn kernels off the cobs and chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add these to the salad bowl along with the cilantro and jalapeno.
Pour the chilled dressing over the salad and sprinkle with crumbled cotija cheese. Toss everything together until the salad is evenly coated with the dressing. -kwc And since we kind of have a salad theme going, why not a good old pasta salad Italian style.
Italian Style Pasta Salad with Artichokes and Tomatoes For the salad:
2 tsp sea salt 8 oz shor t- cut pasta of choice 6 oz Italian salami - chopped 1 14-ounce jar marinated artichoke halves, drained and chopped 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls, drained 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated 1/2 cup pitted. Kalamata olives sliced diagonally 1/2 cup green olives pitted and sliced diagonally 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 medium red onion - finely diced 1/3 cup parsley - finely chopped For the Italian dressing:
3 tbsp (45ml) white wine vinegar 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tsp Italian seasoning mix 1 tbsp raw honey 1 garlic clove, finely grated or pressed Sea salt and ground pepper to taste Fill a large pot with water and add 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Bring to a boil over high.
Once bubbling, carefully add in the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in a small jar, add all the dressing ingredients and shake vigorously to emulsify.
Chop all the ingredients for the salad.
Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and set aside in a large bowl. Allow it to cool for a few minutes.
Add the remaining prepped ingredients to the bowl with the pasta.
Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine.
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