recipe: "it's too hot to cook" summer salad
feeding my melting body through a power outage, anxiety-induced eczema, and a Summer/Winter House marathon
Hi all,
This past couple weeks have been a little funky…and I think funky for everyone as far as I can tell. I’m not as plugged into Chani as usual, so I have no surface-level astrological insights to regurgitate from her weekly readings, but we’re also in the midst of a wild heat wave which is enough for me. My main sources of comfort/distraction have been:
Summer House + Winter House: Season 6 specifically, coming straight off of Winter House Season 1. An order recommended to me by a friend who I am eternally grateful for. It’s great television, and I will be continuing onward from here to finish the franchise. I have more thoughts to share on this show, and perhaps I’ll whip up some formalized ones. Mostly about Paige and Ciara. They are important.
Special K: My craving for this cereal is curious given that it’s objectively gross (sour, oddly?) and becomes soggy immediately upon contact with milk. It’s a food that belongs to the 90s and likely should have stayed there, and yet here I am, having just eaten one box in a day.
A simple, easy, refreshing, and somewhat innovative salad: In this heat, engaging with a stove or oven simply is not an option—or moving for that matter. I found a very low lift salad that’s refreshing and also a fun base to dress up. Offering some community service as I pass along the recipe (which is assembly instructions and more or less just inspiration) below.
But first:
This rec came to me from a dear friend who’s recovering from a broken wrist and has been having trouble with meal prep, chopping specifically. This is the same friend, by the way, who suggested the Bravo order of ops above. She’s a well of knowledge and wisdom.
Being mid-heatwave the last thing I want to do is move, so this vegetable chopper couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. It comes with multiple grates, I’d like to call them, that will dice pretty much anything into whatever rectangular size your heart and mouth desires.
With the help of the Mueller Pro-Series 10-in-1, 8 Blade Vegetable Chopper, I have landed on a salad that I’ve been eating every day for one week. I have yet to tire of it and it’s endlessly customizable.
*Pita chips can be substituted for anything crunchy that’s speaking to you.
Some ideas:
Tortilla chips
Triscuits
Wheat Thins: likely not as absorbant but I have to imagine delicious
Croutons: I think I’m sleeping on croutons. I don’t ever buy bags of them, and I always forget how good they are. The pumpernickel ones REALLY hit a spot.
Goldfish: kind of a two for one with the cheese component. And on this note, extra toasty Cheeze-Its would be great too.
The small additional details bring the meal together!
*Protein is important. Some options to top the salad with:
Deli turkey (my current favorite)
Roasted sausage
Salami
Tuna (tip: mix with kewpie mayo and a splash of pickle juice)
Hard boiled eggs
Somehow I’m also not drinking enough water and have been fatigued and dizzy this week🤡, so a reminder do drink up while I have you.
Wishing you a refreshing weekend!
💗 ariella + fran
Can I put in a plug for rye chips as the crunchy component?!
YES to the veggie chopper! I have one and it's a life/time saver in summer when making salsa and I don't want to get jalapeño all over my fingers (and later into my eyes). Also, I have a tip! Instead of pressing down on it like a normal person, just beat down on the center of the lid with one pretty forceful pound of your fist. It sounds insane but it's a lot faster—breaks through the skin of the veggies, which is the hardest part—and less anxiety-inducing than worrying the whole thing is about to break!