Simple. Summer. Salads.

Excuse me for a moment while I wipe the sweat off my brow.  Yes, folks…it is 95 degrees in my house.  Pretty gross.  What does this mean?  It means that I could be doing hot power vinyasa in my house–it would be the right temp for it!  It means my poor little puppy is laying on an ice pack, that I am wearing the most minimal of clothing, and that I have my hair wound in pigtail buns so no hair touches my neck.  It means sleeping on top of the covers splayed across the bed with a box fan doing its very best to pull in any teeny bit of cool air it can.  It means I have a massive jar of peach iced tea next to me all day (I should just go ahead and call it peach lukewarm tea because the ice melts so quickly!)  It means I am strongly considering dropping five grand to install central air.  But it also means that I have an appetite mostly just for cool foods.  Chilled swiss-style oatmeal in the morning.  Chilled soups.  Iced coffee.  Cold fruit salads.  Cold veggie salads, lightly dressed…like me.  Watermelon and cantaloupe.  Strawberries with yogurt.  With these summery needs in mind I headed to the farmer’s market this morning in search of fresh fruits and veggies that need to be cooked minimally or not at all.  I picked up fava beans, zucchini, strawberries, snow peas, lemon basil, shelled peas, purple asparagus and fresh garlic.

This salad started with arugula and built up from there with my farmer’s market finds.  Prepare a large bowl of water with plenty of ice cubes.  Boil a saucepan of salted water and add sugar snap peas.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add zucchini slices, asparagus, and shelled peas.  Cook for 1 minute.  Immerse all veggies in ice water bath to halt cooking and to cool.  Let sit until veggies are cool and drain thoroughly.  Place steamed veggies on arugula.  Add some radish slices or sticks.  Dress with a basic mustard vinaigrette.  Crumble feta cheese (can also use goat cheese, queso fresco, or any other crumbly cheese you prefer).  Add a poached egg if you wish.  And I hope you do!

Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Fine sea salt