We haven’t been doing much grocery shopping lately. It’s too hot and we’re not lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood with one of those fancy air-con supermarkets. While there is appeal to standing in front of a popsicle fridge with the doors wide open and my tongue stuck to the rack, it’s just not going to happen. Neither is shopping during a heatwave in an overcrowded and tiny market in Chinatown fighting for elbow room. Nope, not my idea of happy fun times. Luckily, we’ve been CSA blessed. We split a share with friends and every Tuesday we get a huge load of veggies to be eaten up throughout the week. This was last week’s share and here’s what yesterday’s half share looked like.
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you are well aware that there is a heat wave happening. We’re wimps and we just can’t handle the heat. There’s no way that I’ll be turning on the oven, the stove or even make a pot of coffee. I tried my hand at cold-brewing coffee again (this time a different & more successful recipe) and it turned out great. So for dinner, I turned to my csa share for inspiration and decided that a gigantic bowl of salad would do nicely. It was perfectly crunchy and full of flavour. And it’s flexible….just add in what you’ve got. The dressing which I had planned as some kind of asian ranch actually turned out good, especially considering that I didn’t have any mayo to thicken the dressing at all. Consider this a runny buttermilk asian vinaigrette of sorts. It’s runny but it tastes great. But add mayo if that’s your thing.
Oh, and I’ll be heading out on holiday next month and would love if a Vancouver-ite could take over our half of the csa share while we’re gone. So if you are around throughout August and love the idea of organic and locally grown produce, please send me an email for more information. GONE!
csa farm fresh salad
1 small head cabbage, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 head of broccoli, finely diced
2 radishes, diced
2 T chopped onion, diced
2 large handfuls of walnuts, chopped
2 handfuls of raisinsdressing
1/3 c buttermilk
1 small lemon, juiced
1/2 t fresh ginger, minced
1 T olive oil
1 T soy sauce
1/4 t agave syrup
a few shakes of srirachaAdd all the vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the raisins and walnuts. In a measuring cup, blend together the dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Toss well. This dressing is runny. If you like a thicker dressing, cut out some of the buttermilk and sub in some mayo.
Print This Recipe
Oh, how I wish I lived in Vancouver! I'm loving slaw salads like this right now, can't wait to try out this dressing (and you inclded sriacha! which i'll never be able to spell correctly, but nice touch).
Here in Madison WI CSAs are really thriving. We even have an umbrella organization that coordinates with local health care providers who offer healthy-eating rebates to help defray the cost of CSA membership. They also raise funds to assist low-income families who want to eat fresh, local food. Learn about how this works in Madison, with an eye to getting something like this going yourself at http://digginginthedriftless.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/csas-madison-style-or-insuring-good-nutrition/
Healthy eating for all!
Denise Thornton
http://digginginthedriftless.wordpress.com
That salad looks great, but it's your dressing that has caught my eye. (I'm on a little bit of a buttermilk fling these days.) Looking forward to trying it. And glad to hear that you're keeping your tongue away from supermarket freezers.
Yay for CSAs and the farm-fresh salads they inspire! Also love that you're sharing yours—brilliant idea!
You are much more resourceful than I am. I couldn't face cooking last night so rather than make a lovely salad as you did, we went out to an air-conditioned restaurant. I'll blame it on the fact that we don't belong to a CSA… 🙂
mmmmm I'm always looking for no cook recipes for heat waves! thanks! have a great vacation!
I will fully admit to being a wimp in this heat. I drink my body weight in homemade iced tea daily and trail an oscillating fan from room to room. My new favourite saying is, "If I wanted this heat, I'd live in Toronto."
Thank you for this salad recipe, the dressing sounds amazing (and mercifully oven-free 🙂
Even if houses have a/c here, (but the humidity permeates everything) we'd rather not use it as much as possible and thus we start early, eat light and enjoy the breeze at night. This is perfect for our weather!
That looks not unlike what I'm about to make for lunch. Haven't turned on the stove in nearly a week. Don't miss it at all.
Yay for vacation! And hoping it cools down soon.
Yay for big bowlfuls of crunchy salad and yay for holidays!
It's been salads for us, too. And cold watermelon. Have a wonderful vacation!
That dressing is to die for!! Go CSA!!!!
Looks like a super yummy salad and I love the idea of adding walnuts!
Beth, even though you don't live here you can at least eat like you live here!
Denise, wow, sounds like a great program! Thanks for the info.
Enjoy your buttermilk fling, Jess!
Thanks Shannalee!
Dana, I'd definitely go for an air conditioned restaurant! And I'm no saint, the other night we couldn't bare to cook so we went and got burgers and ate on a log on a beach.
Thanks Stephchows!
I'm so with you Amanda!! I think my arm is gaining strength from carrying the fan to where ever I happen to be.
Tartelette, I'm def not a fan of the humidity! But I'm all for enjoying the breeze.
Me neither, Tea! Stove, what's that for? Extra space for drying dishes on, that's what!
Right on, Daily Spud.
The leftoverist, I wish I liked watermelon, but I don't. Luckily, I have cherry sherbet!
Thanks Alicia!
Justine, the walnuts helped to make it over the top awesome.
I was wondering if you would help me. I've just set up a blog. And by just I mean, just this morning. It requires people to contribute to make it work, the premise is simple.
My childhood mealtimes were often seasoned with tears and tantrums (and not always from us kids). But the biggest tragedy is that I have no family recipes to hand down. So can I'm looking for geninue family recipes from other peoples'.
I’ll give them a go and post the results. Hopefully immortalising a world of family mealtimes for everyone to share.
If this appeals can you send me a genuine recipe from your family and can you please publicise the site on your blog.
If people don't feed it the site will just die. You can check it out here
http://recipeorphan.blogspot.com/
Many thanks
The recipe orphan