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I saw the idea for this dish somewhere (no, I can’t remember where)… It caught my eye because we get a lot of summer squash and zucchini around here during summer and I do not particularly like either (except in zucchini bread). It seems a shame to not buy summer squashes since they always look so bright and fresh at the market. When I saw the idea for a squash carpaccio I knew it was something I had to try - if only in an attempt to eat more of the yummy looking squashes at the market. I am happy to report that the thin slices avoided both the mushy texture and “raw” squash taste that I do not like.

Ingredients

• 1 small zucchini
• 1 small summer squash
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 lemon
• freshly ground pepper
• salt
• shaved Parmesan

Directions

Slice the zucchini and summer squash into circles as thinly as possible. Arrange slices overlapping on a small plate. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shave several bits of parmesan over the whole plate. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

I always buy barley thinking I’ll use it… then I find it in my pantry several months later just waiting for me. Problem is I don’t like barley in its traditional guise of a starch in soup! So, I end up throwing it out and vowing never to buy barley again. I was thrilled to run into this recipe in Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” where barley is used in a cold salad. Since I live in sweltering heat for 4+ months of the year I am always looking for new cold salads. And of course I just happened to have some barley in the pantry.

Ingredients

• 1 cup barley
• 2 small kirby cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1 handful grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place barley in a saucepan and cover with 2″ of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool on a plate or under cool water.

Combine barley, cucumbers, scallions and tomatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Mix together yogurt, olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add yogurt mixture to barley mixture and mix thoroughly. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper, as needed.

This is a new spin on the traditional Lebanese dish. I use a lot less parsley and substitute couscous for bulgur wheat to whip this up in no time flat. It’s a great dish for the summer. You can eat it alone or serve it with grilled chicken or fish.

Ingredients

• 3 C cooked couscous
• 2 bunches fresh parsley
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1/4 C chopped green olives
• 2 cucumbers
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 4 lemons
• 1/2 C evoo
• 1 T salt
• 1 T cinnamon

Directions

The couscous is pretty easy to cook. You just add hot water to the grains and let it sit covered for a few minutes. It immediately starts to absorb all the water. Put it in the fridge to cool it for the all the fresh veggies (you don’t want wilty mint).

The parsley is pretty much the hardest part of tabouleh because you have to chop SOOO much of it. The trick is to try to get as much of the leaves off without getting the branches. I find that if you skim off the outside leaves, you can get most of them without the twiggy parts. Then chop very fine. For the mint, pull the leaves off the stalks, pile them up and chop.

Chop the scallions, up to 2-3 inches up the green. Cut the cucumbers in half and scoop out the seeds. If you want, you can also peel them, but I kind of like the extra green. Then chop them up. Chop up the tomatoes. If you’re not going to eat all the tabouleh in the next day or so, you might want to consider cutting up tomato each time you want a serving. I feel that the tomato gets a little mushy after a few days and makes the salad a little watery. Cutting up fresh tomato makes it seem fresh each time you eat it.

After all this chopping, you’re going to end up with a beautiful, big pile of veggies.

To make the dressing, squeeze the juice from the four lemons. Mix in the salt and cinnamon. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Then mix in the evoo. Mix in the veggies, the dressing, and the couscouse and serve.

This is a light, delicious salad. Perfect for summer or to balance out heartier foods, like the veggie chili pictured here. If you like things with a bit more bite, add some cayenne pepper. If you have time prepare everything but the avocados the day before letting the cilantro, tomatillas, and lime juice all meld together. Just make sure to keep the corn separate until right before serving (it has a tendency to absorb and neutralize the lime juice making it a bit bland).

Ingredients

• 4 ears fresh bi-color corn
• 1/4 C chopped red onion
• 4 tomatillas, chopped
• 1/2 C fresh, chopped cilantro
• juice from 3 limes
• 2 t salt (to taste)
• 4 ripe avocados

Directions

Microwave the corn for about 5 minutes with the husk still on. Allow to cool. Take off the husks and cut the corn from the cob. Add the other chopped vegetables. Mix in the lime juice and salt. Put in the refrigerator.

Right before serving, chop up the avocados. I like to score a half with a knife and then scope out the pre-cut pieces with a spoon. Mix everything together and serve.

Yields: 10 side servings

A coworker gave me a grapefruit from the Farmer’s Market the other day that she made me promise I would try. Living in Florida you start to get very picky about your citrus. Luckily, this coworker can be counted on to suggest the good stuff. Anyhow, the grapefruit was a Duncan grapefruit and she described it as pleasantly sour though stuffed with seeds. What she didn’t tell me was that this grapefruit has an extremely thick rind, is wonderfully juicy (I ended up saving the juice that developed to drink later), and has a nice floral flavor that you don’t find in most grapefruits (similar to a really good tomato). It turns out the Duncan grapefruit is the oldest cultivated grapefruit variety first planted in 1830 in Safety Harbor, Floirda.

I love grapefruits, really all citrus, but hate to eat them. Cutting them in half and then into tiny sections is just way too much work and I always end up hungrier at the end than when I started. This grapefruit was a gift so I had to use it and I had to use it in a timely manner. Thus, I decided to make something with it where I could cut off the rind and easily slice it into sections. This salad met those criteria and had the added bonus of being Thai-inspired. It turned out better than I expected with just the right amount of spice the twang that I associate with green papaya salad.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 7 ounces rice vermicelli
• 1 large grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews or peanuts
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Mix the hot red pepper flakes, garlic, brown sugar, lime juice, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Let sit (and feel free to make a few days ahead as the flavor will improve). Set a large pot of water to boil. Mix the grapefruit, cashews, mint and cilantro together in a large bowl. When the water boils add the rice noodles and cook 1-5 minutes (depends on their thickness). Drain and rinse under cold water until cool or plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain noodles again then toss with the grapefruit mixture and the dressing.

Yields: 2-4 servings