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Linda: Oh no! June has just begun, and here I am, staring at my computer with a broken wrist, typing with one hand. Baking will be on hold for a while. I’ve selected the column below from June 2019. It offers delicious summer salad recipes that are worth a “rerun.”

The summer solstice doesn’t arrive until June 21, but record-high temperatures have come early this year. Running through a cool sprinkler while watering the thirsty lawn might seem like a welcome afternoon refresher. 

Linda: I think we should offer some summer main dish salad recipes. It will help keep the kitchen cool. Plus, appetites crave a lighter meal when the temperatures are rising.

Lucy: Salads are easy to prepare. On a hot afternoon, they are a welcome change from cooking a big meal. Standing over a hot stove or heating the oven up just isn’t something to look forward to in this steamy weather.

Linda: I know you have a tasty taco salad dish. You served it when I was visiting you in Tampa. Everyone loves tacos, and this salad makes a perfect main dish. 

Lucy: Yes, you have to brown some ground beef, and you’re done with cooking. It only takes a few minutes to assemble the rest of the ingredients and add the ground beef. It’s an old recipe and actually, taco seasoning and salsa weren’t readily available at the time. It called for using different spices like chili powder and cumin. I’ve updated it and now I use a packet of taco seasoning and salsa.

Linda: Grilling steak is always popular in the summer. Plan to grill some extra so you have extra steak to cut into strips, leftover for another night. Your friend, Joanne, in Massachusetts, provided a recipe called Plan Ahead Steak Salad. My new WW Salad cookbook also offered a tempting steak salad. I liked some things about each recipe, so I created my own, resulting in a delicious main dish salad for steak lovers. It is served with crusty French bread.

Lucy: I’ve been perusing my old Sunset salad cookbook from 1979 and have found an easy favorite called BLT Chicken salad. BLT’s are always a favorite. It combines the ingredients with chicken, turning a BLT into a scrumptious summer main dish salad meal.

Linda: And let’s not forget croutons. I have a simple recipe, and croutons are a crunchy addition to a salad.

Lucy:  My Sunset book has a guide for how much chicken, or meat you need to have for the number of cups called for in a recipe. I think our readers would like this reference for main dish salad recipes.

Linda: We have some appetizing suggestions for hot-weather cooking. We’ll submit our recipes along with our measuring guide.

 

Lucy’s Taco Salad

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 packet taco mix

1 medium size head iceberg lettuce shredded

2 medium avocados

2 medium size tomatoes, chopped

Italian Salad Dressing

1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Tortilla chips or Fritos, crunched

Sour Cream

Salsa

 

Directions

In large frying pan, crumble beef or turkey and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Stir in taco seasoning and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Peel and pit avocado and slice. Arrange lettuce on four large plates. Add a few shakes of Italian dressing.Top each plate with beef mixture, tomatoes, and avocado. Add cheese. Sprinkle crumbled chips over top. Garnish with dollop of sour cream and salsa.

 

Leftover Steak Salad

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

 

Dressing:

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbs water

4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, minced

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

 

Salad:

½ to one pound of leftover steak cut into thin strips (boneless sirloin is good). Steak can be warmed slightly or served cold.

Romaine lettuce leaves torn into pieces—about 4 cups  

1 cup baby arugula

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes or your favorite summer tomatoes

1 bell pepper, green, yellow, or red, seeded and diced 

1 sweet onion sliced and separated into rings

4 radishes thinly sliced

 

Directions

Stir together dressing ingredients. Add the tomatoes, radishes, and peppers to the dressing and mix to combine. Arrange lettuce and arugula on four plates. Using a slotted spoon, place the tomato, radish, pepper mixture on top of lettuce. Top with steak and onion slices; drizzle with remaining dressing.

 

BLT Chicken Salad

 

Parsley Herb Dressing:

In a jar, combine ½ cup salad oil, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, 

¾ tsp pepper, 1¼  tsp dry mustard, 1 clove garlic crushed, and 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley; blend well. Cover and chill for several hours.

 

Salad Ingredients

1 medium size head iceberg lettuce shredded

1 medium avocado

3 cups shredded or chopped cold cooked chicken

½ lb bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

 

Directions

Place shredded lettuce in a salad bowl. Peel, pit, and slice avocado and place on lettuce with the chicken, bacon, and tomatoes. Pour dressing over salad, toss well and serve. 4-6 servings 

 

Easy Homemade Croutons

Oven 350

 

Ingredients

6 slices day old bread, any kind, cut into to ½ inch cubes

2 Tbs olive oil (regular or garlic flavored)

2 large cloves garlic minced

1 tsp salt

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine oil, garlic, and salt. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add cubed bread, toss to coat well. Transfer bread cubes to large rimmed baking sheet (a large cast iron pan works especially well). Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. 

 

Measuring Guide

How Many Pounds of Meat for How Many Cups?

A three-pound rotisserie chicken will give you about 3 cups of meat. A half-pound cooked boneless ham, beef, or turkey yields about 2 cups of meat.