Recipe for Another Summer Super Salad Inspiration

We enjoyed the last summer super salad so much that I've pretty much added it to the weekly rotation.  This version has refreshing and juicy watermelon mingling with blueberries, feta and mint, a simple vinaigrette and a summer staple-grilled chicken.  Once again, Mr. ELEB did his magic on the grill and contributed perfectly cooked chicken breasts.  A quick vinaigrette whipped together in the blender, a toss together of the watermelon, blueberries, feta and mint, and dinner was on the table in just about 30 minutes.


Time: 30 minutes or less
Servings: 3

Watermelon-Blueberry Drizzle
Ingredients:

• ½ cup seedless watermelon cubes
• ¼ cup blueberries
• 5 mint leaves
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt

Method:

• Blend together (in blender) until no large chunks remain-it will be watery but will thicken up with 15 minutes in the fridge.

Watermelon, Blueberry, Feta Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 cups seedless watermelon cubes
• 1 cup blueberries
• ½ cup (or more) low fat feta cheese crumbled
• 10 mint leaves (or more), finely sliced; more for garnish
• Salt (if needed, to your taste)

Method:

• Gently mix all ingredients together.  Add sprinkle of salt if needed when serving.

To prepare:

• 3 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
• 3 cups romaine (or other lettuces), shredded into bite sized pieces
• Sprinkle lettuce with watermelon blueberry drizzle and mound in center of serving platter.  
• Place chicken breasts over lettuce. 
• Sprinkle chicken with watermelon blueberry drizzle.  
• Surround lettuce and chicken with watermelon, blueberry and feta salad.  
• Garnish with mint.

A hit on all fronts!  What summer salads are you putting together?

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Recipe for Pear and Prosciutto Appetizer

When I move to San Francisco, one of my neighbors ended up being a co-worker and good friend.  She is part Italian and introduced me to prosciutto wrapped melon which we used to lap up as an afternoon snack with a glass of wine on our roof top deck (on those days when you could enjoy the sun outside in San Francisco without a coat on).  The light and salty flavor of the prosciutto complemented the sweetness of the melon perfectly.  Those Italians know how to do food right!


Now in Maui, we can enjoy the outdoors pretty much any day we like (don't hate me!).  I still love prosciutto wrapped melon and thought it would be perfect as a nibble for when our friends were coming over to do some trip planning.  (Oh, and also some wine drinking).  However, I couldn't find a decent melon to save my life, so I improvised with the pears.   Turns out, the Mr. of the couple doesn't like ANY melon...things work out for a reason sometimes-I've learned not to fight it!  And the pears were beautiful with the prosciutto!


Yield: 4 appetizer servings
Time: 10 minutes


Ingredients:

• 2 firm pears


• 1 (4 oz) package Prosciutto di Parma (or fresh sliced from the deli)

Method:

• Trim both ends off pears and peel.


• Slice into wedges and remove seeds and core.


• Wrap slices of prosciutto around pear wedges.


• Serve chilled.

This is about as easy as it gets for a simple yet elegant appetizer.  It goes great with a crisp white wine or champagne.


What recipes of your friends have you made into your own?
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Recipe for Figs with Spiced Mascarpone Cheese

It's a rare thing, in my experience, to see figs on Maui so when I saw some recently I grabbed a basket.  Now what to do with them?  I wanted something simple and something that would complement the not-too-sweet taste of the figs.  I also wanted a little bit of decadence.  I thought about something with goat cheese and figs, which I've had in restaurants and know is a good combination.  Not really what I was aiming for, though.  I thought of Chef Dennis's mascarpone cheesecake recipe and thought "Brilliant!"

I'm enamored with cardamom lately, using it most recently in a marinade for tuna. The aroma and flavor are very pleasing to my taste buds and nose.  Always looking for a way to use it, I mixed a sample of mascarpone and cardamom.  Loved it.  Given the figs aren't that sweet, the honey adds just the right touch to balance the richness of the cheese and the orange adds one more layer.  Mmmm.

Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 12 ripe figs
• 3 ounces mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 TBSP honey
• Zest of 1 orange

Method:

• Wash and dry figs.
• Trim stem end off and slice in half.
• Mix cheese, cardamom, and orange juice together.
• Spread cheese mixture over fig halves.
• Drizzle honey over fig halves.
• Garnish with orange zest.
• Serve chilled.

These figs could be an appetizer (I might consider skipping the honey) or dessert, which is how we ate them.  I'm going to be on the look out for more figs (but I'm not holding my breath-I think the season is over?)

What seasonal things have you stumbled over in the store lately?


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