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