Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

It's again that time of year when it's too hot to eat and you end up with salad for dinner.  I make all sorts of variations on salad with whatever I happen to have hanging around. I decided to make a nice strawberry vinaigrette this time around. Since I finally got around to buying a new stick blender , I thought it was time to give it a test drive. Here's what I put in the salad this time around: Mixed Greens Carrots Red Onion, minced Chicken (leftover, grilled) 1 c bulgar wheat, cooked * Strawberry Vinaigrette 5-6 strawberries, sliced 2T white balsamic vinegar a bunch of chives salt/pepper olive oil Place strawberries in a 2 cup glass measuring cup (or other tall container). Add vinegar and buzz with a stick blender. Add chives, salt, and pepper. Buzz again. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while stick blender is whizzing. Add about 1/4 - 1/3 c olive oil. Taste adjust seasoning and serve over salad. I think you could also use fresh raspberries. Although I...

I never thought I would like this and I made it one day and really decided it was a really great salad. The mint is delicious and not overpowering. It just brings to mind patchouli oil and lava lamps but it is so not that. Tabbouleh (adapted from ??) 1 c bulgar (cracked wheat) 1 1/2 c boiling water 1/2 English cucumber, diced 1/2 c red onion, minced 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered 3 T red onion, minced 1/4 c fresh mint, chopped 1/4 c parsley, chopped zest of 1 lemon 1/4 c lemon juice 1 t cumin salt/pepper 3 T olive oil Place bulgar in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, onion, mint, lemon zest, and parsley; set aside. In a small bowl mix lemon juice, cumin, and salt/pepper. Whisk in olive oil. Combine ingredients and chill for at least an hour. On those hot summer days when you don't feel like cooking anything because it's too hot to eat and coo...

Well it's definitely hot. It's so hot you don't feel like eating (shocking I know) but that's what salads are for. This one just requires boiling 1 cup of water - not so bad. Plus it's healthy it has Cracked Baby Cracked* Wheat in it.  Cracked Wheat and Nectarine Salad ( adapted from Cooking Light ) 1 c uncooked bulgar (cracked wheat) 1 c boiling water 1 1/2 c thinly sliced nectarines (about 3) 1/2 c sliced green onions (or minced shallot) 1/4 c fresh parsley 3 T olive oil 3 T white balsamic vinegar 1/4 c pistachios (rough chop) salt/pepper Combine bulgar and 1 cup of boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap or tight sealing lid and let stand 30-40 minutes.  Stir in nectarines and remaining ingredients.  Toss well. Sprinkle nuts on top. If I'm using this as a main summer meal, I add some crumbled goat cheese. I didn't have the green onions so I used shallots instead. Chives would be a nice substitute too (but we didn't plant chives ...