Summer generally signals a time when most people are not dying to spend hours in the kitchen. Food should be delicious but not tedious to make.
For those choosing to eat more plant-centered meals, summer salads present a wonderful opportunity to create full meals without spending too much time near a hot stove or oven. The availability of local produce and herbs make summer salads even more appealing. There is nothing like a tomato, fresh off the vine, and a bunch of fragrant basil!
Some people think of a salad as a pile of lettuce, but there is a world of possibility if you broaden the idea of a salad to include grains, other vegetables and perhaps a favorite bean, as well. Adding a grain gives a salad substance. The recipe below calls for bulgur, Kamut or farro. If you’re not familiar with these grains, give them a try, because they can a lot of variety to your palate.
Farro has something of a nutty flavor with a chewy texture. Bulgur is a low-carb Mediterranean grain that is rich in fiber, and Kamut is a type of ancient grain that also has a rich, nutty flavor. They are all easy to cook and are readily available in the grocery store, often found in the baking aisle. Other grains to use in salads include rice and quinoa, or the commonly used pasta – but don’t fall prey to always relying on pasta, because there are so many other options that can provide greater nutrition and variety.
This salad incorporates garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas). High in protein, rich in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals as well, garbanzo beans are frequently used in Mediterranean dishes. Garbanzo beans have a mild flavor, which makes them highly versatile and adaptable to many recipes. Sometimes I use cannellini beans (white kidney beans) interchangeably with garbanzo beans in salads, because they also have a mild flavor and are highly nutritious.
Try experimenting with different combinations of the ingredients you most enjoy to create innovative salads. By swapping out a few grains, beans and vegetables and herbs, you’ll have a summer of healthy, no- or low-cook lunch or dinner meals at your fingertips.
And don’t forget about fruit! Blueberries, strawberries, chopped apples or even watermelon make lovely additions to many salads.
The following recipe is courtesy of a local Keene resident Kelly Dodge, who also contributed to the online resource Recipe for a Healthy Planet on the Harris Center for Conservation Education’s website, harriscenter.org. Dodge grows an enviable vegetable garden each summer and lent his expertise to the “Grow Your Own Food” section of the online resource.
Mediterranean Old World grain salad
From the kitchen of Kelly Dodge: “I rarely utilize recipes and mostly cook from my little gray cells. This one is not very imaginative, but it’s easy!”
Ingredients
— 1 cup grain, such as bulgur, Kamut or farro.
— 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed.
— 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled.
— 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced.
— 1 shallot, diced.
— 1 clove garlic, minced.
— 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved.
— 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped.
— 1/4 cup olive oil.
— Salt and pepper, to taste.
Directions
1. Cook grains according to the directions, drain and let cool.
2. Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl.
3. Drizzle on the olive oil, and mix until it everything is fully coated; add more olive oil to your taste.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
Serves eight to 10.
Lisa Murray has a passion for exploring the impact our food choices have on human and planetary health.