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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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…