chilled summer salad

Sometimes, moms really know their stuff. More than we'd like to give them credit for.

Don't forget sunscreen.
Stand up straight and hold your shoulders back.
Address all adults with ma'am and sir.
Always offer your seat to the elderly.
Never give up.
Be sure to say please and thank you.
Always do what's right, even if it puts you at a disadvantage.

And the list could go on and on.

So when my mom said, "Haley, you have to try this new salad I made, it's so good that I wrote down the recipe," I casually consented. But based on her track record of being right, I should have known that good was an understatement.

Is it a simple recipe? Yes. But there's something about the flavor combination and the chill factor that makes this a perfect summer salad. Oh yeah, and it's healthy, too.


OK Mom, you win again. In case I haven't said it lately, you still know your stuff.

Chilled Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape or pearl tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 English cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers, sliced and halved
• 4 oz. mozzarella, diced
• 1/2 cup deli ham, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated 
• fresh basil, chopped
• balsamic vinegar dressing
• salt and pepper, to taste

After prepping first seven ingredients, add to mixing bowl. 

Douse mixture with a balsamic vinegar dressing until well coated. If you need a recipe, check out mine or my mom's below.

Then, simply salt and pepper to your preference.

Chill in fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• Juice from 1/2 fresh lemon/lime
• 3 tbsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 tsp Italian herbs
• salt and pepper, to taste

And to further keep it in the family, my sister stumbled across a true gem on Pinterest recently. If you love to make homemade salad dressing but don't have a great container, simply reuse a coffee creamer container by removing the label. Voila!

sweet and tangy salad dressing

I've mentioned a few times how I've been on a salad kick since James Michael was born. That first week postpartum, when my mom came over to help me every day, I indulged in some wonderful salads, topped with a homemade balsamic-based dressing she whipped up. Since then, I can't bring myself to dress my salads with store-bought concoctions, even though there are some good (healthy) ones out there. So every couple weeks I simply make another batch of homemade dressing. Each batch is a little different, depending on what I have in my pantry, but all are good. This last time, I decided to measure out all the ingredients so I could share it.

This dressing is tangy and sweet, and tastes wonderful on my favorite salad: spinach, spring mix, avocado, feta, smoked chicken, toasted pecans and strawberries--and lately I've added kale, english cucumber and grape tomatoes.

Sweet and Tangy Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup tangy dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey (molasses is good too)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
• 2 tbsp orange muscat champagne vinegar
• 1 tsp herbs de province
• 3/4 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Simply mix all ingredients together. I have a plastic bottle I pour all the ingredients in and then shake until mixed. This recipe makes about 18 oz. I used to store this dressing in the fridge, but the oil separates so now I keep it in the pantry. One batch never lasts longer than two weeks around my house.

About the infused vinegars, you can really use any kind you like--or none at all. I love the Alessi brand vinegars, and the orange muscat champagne vinegar was a recent purchase from Trader Joe's that is great.

All the pictures I have of my favorite salad were taken before the dressing was added, so I was waiting until we made our next salad to snap a picture to include in this post. I assumed I'd get one at lunch today, but the hubby decided on a salad at 7 a.m. for breakfast :) He used kale, spinach, grape tomatoes, strawberries, turkey peppperoni, cheddar cheese, shredded carrots and toasted pecans. And yes, he regularly uses our mixing bowls as a salad bowl since our normal bowls aren't big enough for him.