Summer Salads Series ~ 2

Here are two more easy summer salads for you to try.
Bon Appetit.

Beet and Carrot Salad

While at the Farmers Market this weekend, I happened upon beets, carrots and one of my favorite salad ingredients, onions. Beets are very popular in Lebanon and I want to keep them as part of my family's food repertoire. Growing up, I remember having them all the time. The go-to serving method is to cut them up, add garlic lemon juice (or red vinegar) and olive oil, and serve. With carrots on hand, I decided to modify the traditional recipe. Here is my version. 

• 4-5 medium sized beets, cut into eights
• 2-3 medium sized carrots, shredded
• 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
• juice from 1 small lemon
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Mix all the above in a serving bowl. Enjoy at room temperature. 

 

Baby Arugula Salad

Another Lebanese favorite is arugula. It took me a long time to find the American cousin of the Lebanese "rocca". I say cousin because although the two are very similar in taste, they are not identical in shape. The Lebanse version has flat leaves while the one found in American stores is crinkled on the edges. But, it is close enough, and will suffice for my purposes.

Like beets, in Lebanon rocca is served simply dressed with onions, lemon juice and olive oil. Some people may add black olives. I chose to add dried cranberries, mushrooms, almonds and feta cheese. Here is what you will need.

• 5 ounce bag of baby arugula
• 3-4 white button mushrooms, sliced
• handful of driend cranberries, I like the orange flavored ones
• handful of sliced dry roasted almonds, I like the unsalted ones
• feta cheese
• white balsamic honey-mustard dressing (recipe below)

Toss all the ingredients together. Plate and serve.

cook's note: (1) you can also add sliced onions to the arugula salad

                    (2) to make the white balsamic honey-mustard dressing you will need store bought honey mustard, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Shake, to taste, the three ingredients in a bottle. Dressing can be made ahead of time and kept, in the refrigirator, for up to a month.