During the summer, the fridge is stocked with plenty of fruit to eat fresh and to make smoothies. We also have a lot of veggies in there to make delicious salads, add to a stir-fry, or put on the grill. We have a drawer in the fridge that is kid height and it’s full of fruits and veggies that the kids can easily help themselves to instead of constantly asking us for a snack. I also make sure to keep a few little containers of homemade ranch dressing so they can dunk their veggies in it.
Dinners need to be quick and easy in the summer. Personally, when it gets hot out, I really don’t feel like eating much unless it’s cold or liquid. Our friend Tracy, who works at the Hayashi booth in Templeton at the Saturday morning market, shared this cabbage salad recipe with me. The lemon garlic dressing is amazing, but this salad is also delicious with ranch. I love the chopped salad recipe because I can make it over the weekend and put a little in a lunch container for work during the week. Our grill is used almost daily in July and I top my salad with water meat is left over from the night before.
If you need a fun dinner, kabobs are so delicious and easy! The kids also love helping stab the meat and veggies onto the kabobs. They cook up fast and are great with some corn on the cob or baked potatoes. Cutting up a cold dry-farmed watermelon is also so refreshing on those warm summer evenings. You can even head over to the fair and participate in the watermelon-eating contest any afternoon!
Check out the local farmer’s markets for the best ingredients, treats, and more to make the best meals. In Paso, we have the Tuesday morning market downtown from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the Saturday Farmers and Makers Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Templeton Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. is also packed with everything you need from local farmers and ranchers. When you support local, you help your neighbors and get the freshest and most nutrient dense foods!
What’s in Season:
Fruits:
Apricots
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Nectarines
Peaches
Plums
Pluots
Raspberries
Strawberries
Watermelon
Vegetables
Bell Peppers
Chili Peppers
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Garlic
Green Beans
Onions
Summer Squash
Sweet Corn
Tomatoes
Chopped Cabbage Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing
Salad:
1 head of savoy cabbage (or small regular green cabbage) diced
½ red onion diced
1 cup of cooked and cooled peas
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil (lemon from Grove’s on 41)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic minced
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Finely chop cabbage, red onion, and cilantro and mix in a large bowl.
Once peas are cooled from boiling, mix them into the salad.
Top with the lemon garlic dressing or your favorite dressing. Adding some cooked chicken makes this a great meal.
If you won’t be eating this all right away, store the mixed chopped salad in a sealed contained in the fridge and add dressing to smaller portions as you eat it, so it doesn’t become soggy.
Pesto Steak Kabobs
Kabobs
1½ - 2 pounds top sirloin steak
3 bell peppers
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
salt & pepper
Marinade
¼ cup coconut aminos (sub soy sauce)
¼ cup olive oil
Pistachio Lemon Pesto
3 cups packed fresh basil
¼ cup pistachios
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
Cut your steak into large pieces (around 1¼ - 1½ inches). Try to keep them uniform in size so they'll cook in the same amount of time.
Add your steak and marinade ingredients to a ziploc bag. Squeeze out excess air and zip closed. Use your fingers to massage the marinade evenly around the steak. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
Cut the top off your bell pepper. Scoop out the inside and discard along with the top. Slice pepper into evenly sized chunks.
Thread your marinaded steak, bell pepper, and tomatoes onto skewers.
Place on a baking sheet and drizzle excess marinade from the bag over the kabobs so that your veggies also have a nice coat. (The olive oil in the marinade will help the veggies get a beautiful char.) Salt & pepper.
Place on grill so they're not touching. You'll want the grill on medium-high heat. Grill for 3-5 minutes. Flip. Grill for another 3-5 minutes. Remove when you've achieved your desired doneness.
Let the kabobs rest for a few minutes.
In a blender combine pesto ingredients and blend. Brush over steak and serve!
