Stay cool with these salads

Kyle’s Kitchen

Here’s a cool dish to make for the hot days we’ve been having. I bought some of the everything bagel seasoning and it’s good on so many things. So many, in fact, that I need to replace it because my jar is now empty. This recipe calls for Persian cucumbers, but a regular peeled one would also work.

Everything Bagel Cucumber Salad

3/4 cup full-fat sour cream 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp everything bagel seasoning, divided, plus more for garnish Kosher salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 large or 6 small Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 5 cups) 4 scallions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill 1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the cucumbers, scallions, onion, capers, dill, and remaining 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning—this seasoning stays crunchier than the seasoning in the dressing.

Add the dressing and mix to combine. Serve immediately.

The salad is best eaten right away, but it will stay fresh for about two days refrigerated. —kwc— Here’s another salad recipe, this time using potatoes. This is a French potato salad so there is no mayonnaise. The key is dressing the potatoes with the dressing while they are still warm, so they soak it up.

French Potato Salad 1 pound small white boiling potatoes 1 pound small red boiling potatoes 2 tbsp good dry white wine 2 tbsp chicken stock 3 tbsp Champagne vinegar 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp kosher salt 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 10 tbsp good olive oil 1/4 cup minced scallions (white and green parts) 2 tbsp minced fresh dill 2 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp julienned fresh basil leaves Drop the white and red potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut in 1/2 (quarters if the potatoes are larger) and place in a medium bowl. Toss gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes before proceeding.

Combine the vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

—kwc—

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

4 cups shredded Brussels sprouts 1/4 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup dried cranberries 4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion For the dressing:

1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard

2 tbsp maple syrup 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 clove garlic, finely minced 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper Add all of the salad ingredients to a mixing bowl.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and well combined.

Pour some of the dressing over the salad ingredients. Stir until the salad is well mixed, adding as much extra dressing as you would like.

Let the salad sit in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.