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Nectarine salad with cucumbers, basil and goat cheese. (Nancy Lindahl/Contributed)

Greek-style beef salad. (Nancy Lindahl/Contributed)

Quinoa salad with grilled vegetables and feta. (Nancy Lindahl/Contributed)

Grilled corn salad. (Nancy Lindahl/Contributed)

It’s that time of summer when nothing sounds good to eat, unless it’s a salad, which got me thinking about how in retrospect many of our family summers were defined by a particular salad we made over and over again and just couldn’t get enough of.

Salads seem to have fashion cycles like swimsuits and beach umbrella colors.

Remember the summer of watermelon salad with mint, red onion and feta, the summer of black bean and corn salad with honey-lime dressing, chicken taco salad — on Carl’s birthday I forgot the chicken — salad caprese with yummy Italian bufala di mozzarella, and too many summers where largely tasteless pasta salads dominated the dinner table?

What will be the “It Salad” of summer 2022? I’m not sure. I’m seeing a lot of mint in everything, cucumbers are getting some press for being a summer super-food, spices with middle eastern or Asian roots, and ingredients used in different ways – a Caesar salad made of zucchini matchsticks, and a chopped salad using kiwi fruit, furry skins and all. Grilled is the action as well as basil leaves torn, not chopped. Fruit is often considered a savory element and feta and goat cheese sneak into many recipes.

The main components of a fashionable summer salad are a good local olive oil, Malden sea salt flakes and a wardrobe of vinegars: balsamic, white balsamic, cider, red wine, rice wine, champagne and sherry as well as a crisper drawer full of fresh lemons and limes, baby dill, fresh oregano, basil and fresh mint. The rest depends on our exquisite and tasty fresh local produce – tomatoes from the farmers markets as well as summer squash, basil, cucumbers, and stone fruits from nearby orchards — we live in salad paradise!

A good approach to summer dining is to have several salads that keep well in the refrigerator – add some sliced tomatoes, cold grilled chicken and you have a light refreshing supper without cooking every night. Things are complicated enough in the world right now, without having to shop, and conjure up a cooked meal every night. This is healthy eating – you will feel good and your hair will by shiny – promise. I’ve looked at several hundred salad ideas and these are the recipes that spoke to me as possible contenders for the “It Salad” of summer 2022.

A simple delicious farmers market salad you can put together in minutes! Recipe by Sylvia Fountaine serves four.

Directions: Thinly slice red onion using a mandolin (if possible) and place in a small bowl of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and soak 10-15 minutes to remove bitterness.

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Slice nectarines into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Slice cucumbers into thin rings. Arrange in a shallow bowl or on a platter over optional greens. Rinse and drain the onions and scatter about. Top with torn basil leaves and goat cheese crumbles.

Spoon dressing over top. Sprinkle with optional Urfa Biber.

Serve this on its own or over tender greens.

This versatile Greek-inspired salad incorporates leftover grilled tri-tip. It can also be prepared with rotisserie chicken in place of the beef. Slice the chicken thinly before adding to the salad. Serve the salad with warm pita bread and fresh pistachio or walnut baklava for dessert. Recipe serves four.

Vinaigrette directions: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, 2 Tbs. of the mint and the garlic. Whisk in the 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

Salad directions: In a bowl, toss the watercress with about half of the vinaigrette. Arrange the beef, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and cheese on top of the watercress and gently toss. Divide among salad plates. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette, sprinkle with the remaining Tablespoon mint and serve immediately. Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Simple Suppers, by Melanie Barnard (Oxmoor House, 2007).

Showcasing a medley of summer vegetables, this fresh, vibrant salad is perfect for entertaining. And prep is simple — the vegetables can are cooked on a stovetop grill pan, or on your grill. To bring out the grains’ nutty flavor, the recipe calls for toasting the quinoa on the stovetop before simmering it in water. Recipe serves six to eight.

Directions: In a 3 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the water, season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the grains are tender and the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let the quinoa cool. Meanwhile, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, gently toss together the onion, zucchini, squashes and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the vegetables, turning once, until nicely grill-marked and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly, then cut into rough 1/4-inch dice (I skipped the dice because I like the look of the larger pieces). Add the diced vegetables and the tomatoes to the pot with the quinoa and stir gently to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette to the quinoa along with basil, mint and half of the cheese and stir to combine. Top with the remaining cheese and serve. Recipe from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Fresh corn is abundant and best now — between July and September. Combine with cumin, zippy Commanche Creek Sweet One Hundred cherry tomatoes, lime and feta for a summer barbecue that is great with ribs. Recipe serves eight.

Directions:  In a bowl whisk together the lime juice, ground cumin, and chili powder. Add the ¾ cup olive oil in a thin stream whisking constantly until the vinaigrette is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Brush a little olive oil on the shucked corn ears and light the grill — medium head direct method. Grill the corn turning the ears often until they are lightly charred, about 10 minutes.

Cut the kernels off the corn cobs and put in a large bowl with the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, feta and vinaigrette. Toss to coat evenly, transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the toasted cumin seeds. Recipe by Georgeanne Brennan for Salad of the Day cookbook.

Stay cool and enjoy the fruitful bounty of our little piece of Heaven!Related Articles The Dog Days of summer | Sweet Basil and the Bee

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