Welcome to the Heat Wave of 2011. Are you melting too?
Today it’s supposed to reach 38C (100F)…and 47C with humidity! Humidity is such a party pooper. Anyone who lives in a humid climate knows what I’m talking about.
And the hair.
Oh my hair.
Just picture a tumbleweed in the Sahara that got struck by lightening and then jumped in a puddle.
[source]
That’s my hair right now.
Sketchie did this when he saw me this morning. ahhh!
Thankfully, summer salads always look composed and pulled together no matter how hot it is. I love to grab some seasonal fresh fruit (or vegetables), greens, protein & grains, and mix it up with a homemade dressing. Presto magico.
Serving it with a huge margarita is highly encouraged.
Oh She Glows
Heat Wave Summer Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Salad:
- 1 cup uncooked Speltberries (or wheatberries or other grain- makes 2 cups cooked)
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas (or 1.5-2 cups cooked chickpeas or other bean)
- 2 cups chopped peaches
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 cup blueberries
- 4-5 cups raw kale (or other green)
- 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
- Salt, pepper, and cinnamon, to taste
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1.5-2 tbsp pure maple syrup, to taste
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon, to taste
- 1/4-1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
1. Cook one cup of dry speltberries (or wheatberries) in a pot with 3 cups water until tender (about 25-30 mins). Drain and place in large bowl with drained and rinsed chickpeas.
2. Meanwhile, sauté the kale leaves until tender. Chop the almonds, berries, and peaches. Place in bowl with chickpeas and speltberries.
3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and adjust to taste. You may need more maple syrup or oil to suit your own taste buds. I like my dressing tangy! Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves 4.
After mixing together the chickpeas, speltberries, peaches, and berries…I felt something was missing…
Sautéed garden kale and chopped almonds did the trick. :) Of course, you can get creative with whatever you have on hand. There are no rules with salad making.
After mixing the Cinnamon Maple dressing, it all came together. Delicious and quite refreshing thanks to the summer fruit.
Ange = 1, Humidity = 647575
Hopefully kiddie pools don’t melt.
{ 115 comments… read them below or add one }
Heatwave? I wish. We’re having rain and unseasonably cold weather here in the UK – I’ve had to scroll back into history and download your winter recipes for comfort food. Yesterday the heavens opened and it poured with rain just as everyone was commuting home for work – the drowned rat look isn’t good for hair, either. Will definitely be making this salad if the sun ever decided to head this way again.
I was going to say the same thing, except I’m in Oregon! Unseasonably cold and rainy here.
I’m loving the heat!!! I feel guilty for saying that, but heat > snow. ;)
SKETCHIE ALERT!!
Straightening my hair, or even pretending to look decent instead of a melted face of makeup is useless today. I’m just going to take a running start at it & not care how frizzy I am. Everyone will definitely look the same!
That salad looks amazing! Light, fruity and perfect for summer!
Seriously, I think I may die in this heat….I will be living off fruit and green monsters until conditions improve! Thanks goodness I’m escaping to cottage country for the weekend! I bet the lake will actually be warm for once! Stay cool :-)
ive been trying to get more apple cider vinegar in my diet so this dressing is perfect!!
Wow, that looks so perfect for this weather. I actually had salad for breakfast this morning. It was way too hot to contemplate anything else. Are you writing a cookbook? You really should. Your recipes are amazing.
The heat is getting ridiculous. It’s supposed to feel like 110 degrees today and tomorrow it’s supposed to actually be 100 (forget what it’s going to feel like!)! I am not a fan of this weather and can’t wait for things to just cool down. We’ve actually had to use our AC because our apt was getting too hot!
But this salad looks yummy – and if it’s refreshing, sign me up!
Oh my!! That looks wonderful for hot weather! My car showed that it was 107 yesterday down here in Texas!! Ick!! Soo ready for fall!!
The flavors and the textures in this salad sound so wonderful!
What a delicious looking salad! I love all the fruit in it :)
hahah! my hair is crazy too. i’ll take the heat over snow ANY day! i think summer is going by too fast actually, and wish it felt as long as winter does
Ahahaha – that is my hair right now too!! And that picture of Sketchie is amazing. How adorable.
Just looking at this salad made me feel cooler and more refreshed – love it!
The radio said that Southwestern Ontario is hotter today that Mumbai, Havana, Kandahar and Athens ~ Insane!! I’m having the same issues with my hair – I don’t know why I waste time drying and straightening it because it become a giant poof the minute I walk out the door.
This salad looks just perfect for this kind of day! You’ve made my fall in love with kale ~ I think I need to be planting some next year!!
Stay cool!
I would believe that!
I wish we had some heat. Here in England it’s positively grey and quite cold :-(
It is supposed to reach 49 C in my city today with the humidity….boo! my hair is a squirrels nest because of it….haha great looking salad though! I have never tried spelt berries before :)
Everything you make is so beautiful! Can’t wait to try this in my own kitchen as it is absolutely heat wave central here in NYC! This would be fine were it not for the 10 mile run I have planned for this weekend and half-marathon next weekend…rats!
It’s gross here in NYC too! Yuck. And my hair… I totally understand :) thank so much for this recipe though! It sounds good enough to make the stickiness more bearable.
Your post today is hillarious! Thanks for the smile :) And I’m drooling over your salad. That looks much better than the spinach, peach, and walnut salad I packed today. My husband and I still have your berry/quinoa salad on our list of salads to try – hopefully this weekend! Stay cool…
I feel you on the heat wave, it’s been ridiculous here in PA. Two weekends ago we went and bought a not-so-kiddie pool for the backyard *God send*. I say rock the crazy lady hair, I’ve been :-)
Im graving for some sun and heat. Down here all it does is raining cats and dogs, blegh! I love this recipe. I should print it before the summer finally hits. Good luck with the humidity today!
Oh I love, love, love Sketchie!!! He’s such a crazy cat – just like mine :)
I can’t wait to make this salad dressing! I wish I could send you some fresh Mountain air. Keep well hydrated and stay cool!
I hear you on the humidity – Florida is that way most of the year :/
and you’d be surprised at what the sun will melt – citronella candles do NOT survive (and that was in March!)
THIS LOOKS AMAZING! I love every ingredient in this! All of my fave foods rolled into one dish!
Your kitty Sketchie is the CUTEST! Every time I see that little kitty I get a huge grin on my face :D What type of cat is he?
The salad looks scrumptious by the way…
hes a Bengal :)
Whoh! 100 degrees F?! I thought it was hot here! But your salad looks divine!
I know the heat can be miserable but I will take it any day over the cold! Please take a pic of yourself in the kiddie pool if you actually do it. That’s blog worthy ;)
Oh my gosh it is so hot out. I was suppose to have a group ride and they cancelled it based on the anticipated 50C with humidity! My youngest is at an outdoor camp today too but luckily he is at Kelso and hopefully they will be in the lake lots.
That salad looks amazing. I need to pick up some kale and then making asap.
I don’t think there’s anything worse than humidity…especially here in Florida! It’s so wretched because it’s not that bad when you wake up, but if you walk outside in the afternoon – watch out!
That looks so yummy! The heat is supposed to hit us in western Canada over the weekend. Ah!
Don’t melt!!
Sketchie is too cute! Thanks for another delicious looking recipe – hope you can stay cool!
Serving EVERYTHING with a huge margarita is encouraged in this weather! ;) Salad looks lovely! Hope the humidity drops off for you! That or you have air conditioning at least?! :)
Love the sounds of this one – I want to go home and make it during my lunch hour today!! Sadly I’ve gobbled up all my berries but maybe I’ll tuck it away for the weekend. I’m trying not to complain about the heat because I complained about winter for so long, but this is…. um… rather warm! And I feel ya on the hair… today is definitely a hair-up day for me!
I never thought to put chickpeas in a fruity salad – that sounds so yummy!
Looks perfect! Perfect timing too indeed. I am addicted to Kale lately. And chocolate – but that’s another story :)
It’s so true what you say about hair and humidity! With a projected heat index of 110 in DC today, my hair looks like a misshapen shrubbery. It’s truly hideous.
I’m definitely on the same page regarding summer salads, too – this looks delish! (I made a fruity, chickpea-laden salad myself last night, and it hit the spot.) Here’s to salads and A/C, both of which make these ludicrous heat waves survivable… :)
Gee, I wonder why you used kale? ;) Looks great!
I am so over the heat and we don’t even have to deal with the humidity! Hang in there girl :)
Sketchie is adorable! What a great photo!
I love the recipe…soaking quinoa right now so maybe I will create a similar version:) Thanks for a great recipe!
You can…beat the heat! :)
XO