The May Gray and June Gloom have mostly burned away; the Fourth of July is almost upon us and summer is in full swing. I don’t know how it happened so fast, but there you go.
Summer brings with it a slew of weekend cookouts loaded up with burgers, dogs, ice cream, potato salad–I could go on–suffice to say, with so many irresistible delicacies of the season, during the week, I like to cook pretty light and healthy to balance things out.
Sometimes we think of salads as a summer meal, but around the holidays–when rich, celebratory comfort foods are so often on offer–I think of a seasonally appropriate salad like this as a great way to detox in-between indulgences. It’s also a great way to use up any leftover roasted root vegetables you have around if you, like me, find yourself making sheet pans full on heavy rotation. To make this salad a real meal, I absolutely love adding sorghum.
Brussels sprouts have suffered from an undeserved bad reputation for what seems like an entire generation, but, refreshingly, in the last few years they’ve enjoyed a real resurgence as self-avowed sprouts haters have grown to appreciate the subtly spicy, woodsy flavor of these adorable cabbage-like vegetables. Excellent roasted but just as good raw, shaving sprouts into a fresh chopped slaw like this one was new to me, but I’ve become pretty obsessed with the mix of flavors and textures in this light and incredibly healthy yet completely satisfying salad.
One of my favorite side dishes is potato salad, especially in the summer. Too often potato salad is bland and gloppy with too much mayonnaise and mushy, without enough crunch. This simple, lightened up potato salad is made with tangy Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. A zesty reimagining of a classic summer side, this potato salad is full of fresh herbs for flavor that’s perfect for adding some unexpected zing to your next cookout.
Rice or potatoes, rice or potatoes. That’s the question that often dogs me during the late afternoon when I’m trying to figure out what to make for dinner, and which starch would better complement it. I happen to be a big fan of wild rice – the chewy texture, the nutty flavor – but sometimes it’s nice to mix it up a little. So, one night when I was whipping up a Mediterranean style dinner, I threw together this cool and flavorful wild rice salad. Simple to assemble and easy to prepare ahead of time, it’s filling and delicious on its own, but makes an excellent side dish, too. It’s a perfect accompaniment to lighter summertime cooking.