68 | JULY 11 • 2024
J
N
Summer Salads
H
i, Debra and Pam here
and, as of today, we
are going to be your
new food friends for the Detroit
Jewish News.
A little bit about us, we are
foodies, bakers
and recipe devel-
opers. Debra
once had a gra-
nola company,
Max’s Granola,
named after her
son Max; and
Pam was the
owner of Just
Baked!
We love all
things food and
are looking for-
ward to bringing you all kinds
of recipes and ideas to help you
enjoy going into your kitchen.
Because summer is here,
salads seem to be on the menu
at our houses. Who doesn’t love
a good salad. Salads can be a
main dish, side dish or even a
dessert (I am talking to you,
Ambrosia Salad!), so let’s get out
our largest salad bowl, cutting
board and knife, and get chop-
ping!
ISRAELI CHOPPED SALAD
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
3 Persian cucumbers or 1 long
English cucumber, washed and
partially peeled to make a striped
pattern, and cut into large chunks
3 large ripe in-season tomatoes,
washed and cut into large wedges
1 small red pepper, washed, dried
and cut into large chunks
1 small green pepper, washed and
cut into large chunks
1 small red onion, skin peeled and
cut thinly into half moons
½ bunch parsley, rinsed and dried
and chopped coarsely
½ bunch mint, rinsed and dried
and chopped into thin strips
Dressing:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to
taste
Directions
Mix the dressing ingredients
together in a glass jar with a
tight-fitting lid. Set aside.
Chop the cucumber, toma-
toes and peppers into large
pieces and add to the salad
bowl. Add the red onion. Mix
together well.
Chop the parsley and
mint coarsely and add to the
bowl.
Mix with the dressing. Let
marinate at room tempera-
ture for at least 30 minutes.
The longer the salad mari-
nates, the tastier it will be.
Enjoy!
FRESH FRUIT
PANZANELLA SALAD
Serves 6
Ingredients
½ loaf sourdough or a crusty
bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper to
taste
1 English cucumber, washed, dried
and cut into large uneven chunks
1 pint sweet cherry tomatoes,
washed, dried and halved
1 cup sweet black cherries,
washed, dried and pitted
2 plums, washed, dried and sliced
into medium-sized wedges
2 nectarines, washed, dried and
sliced into medium-sized wedges
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves
washed, dried and coarsely
chopped
8 ounces small mozzarella balls
Dressing:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Directions
Mix all the dressing ingredi-
ents together in a jar with a
tight-fitting lid. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with
parchment paper. In a large
bowl, add the bread cubes,
extra virgin olive oil, garlic
powder and salt and pepper
to taste.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes
or until the bread is golden
and toasty. Remove from the
oven. Set aside to cool.
Add the cucumbers, toma-
toes, cherries, plums, nectar-
ines and sourdough croutons
to a large bowl. Add the
dressing and mix well. Top
with the chopped basil and
the mozzarella balls. Add salt
and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Both salads can be
enjoyed as a main dish by
adding grilled salmon, grilled
chicken breast or grilled tofu.
We like our salads without
lettuce, but you can always
add napa cabbage, spinach
or romaine.
Debra Walter
and
Pam Turkin
ARTS&LIFE
WEEKLY RECIPE