A salad with tomatoes, beets and carrots? Not your typical summer salad definitely. When sweet crunchy carrots and beets and the first of the season Fourth of July and Sungold tomatoes are ready to harvest at the same time, they meet up in our summer salads. Summer is not the best season to grow lettuce. Lettuce prefers to grow in the cooler temperatures of spring but there are some varieties that are more heat tolerant. We plant lettuce every other week or so and harvest greens while they are young before the heat causes them to bolt. A combination of arugula, oak leaf lettuce, lolla rosa and mustard greens are some of the greens we are harvesting now. The beets and carrots, both raw are very finely julienned and add both color and crunch. I like to make a vinaigrette with a touch of sweetness to counterbalance the slight bitterness of the greens. Some crumbled goat cheese and Brazil nuts give this salad additional flavor and texture.
Summer Salad for two
Ingredients
- 1/4 c white wine or champagne vinegar
- 1T white balsamic vinegar
- 1t Dijon mustard
- 1t or so of honey or agave sweetener (depends on how bitter your greens are)
- 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Mixed salad greens-about 4-5 cups
- 1 small beet, peeled and finely julienned
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely julienned
- 1 cup or more of Sungold and Fourth of July tomatoes, halved
- 1/3c crumbled goat cheese
- 1/4c coarsely chopped Brazil nuts
- Combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl, whisk to combine, add salt and pepper to taste
- Separate lettuce into leaves, wash and spin in salad spinner
- Place lettuce on serving platter, top with beets, carrots, tomatoes, goat cheese and Brazil nuts
- Toss with enough dressing to lightly coat, there will be some left. Top with fresh ground pepper to taste
Your new additions are AWESOME!