Summer Salad Recipes from Era Living’s Culinary Team

Recipe by: Dan Palmer
Culinary Services Director, University House Wallingford
Approximately 2–4 servings

Download Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup strawberries halved
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/2 recipe Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing

Add protein! Recommended: chicken, fish, or tofu.

Preparation

Step 1

Slice the strawberries, onion, and pecans. Add all ingredients except the dressing to a large bowl and toss together.

Step 2

Serve the salad with the raspberry vinaigrette dressing, added or tossed as desired.

Raspberry Vinaigrette for Berry Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups raspberries (fresh preferred, or if frozen, fully thawed)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil or a light, neutral oil (like pure olive oil or grapeseed oil)
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey, with 1 additional Tbsp. to taste, depending on sweetness of berries
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. salt, with additional 1/8–1/4 tsp. to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Add all ingredients to mini food processor (or full-sized food processor or blender). For the ingredients with more to taste, use the minimal amount to start. Process for 1 minute or until all ingredients are smooth and fully pureed.

Step 2

Taste and adjust honey and/or salt, if necessary. For salt, taste and add an additional 1/8 teaspoon at a time until the flavors pop.

Step 3

If preferred, strain vinaigrette through a fine mesh sieve (optional). Serve immediately or store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Note

White wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or even raspberry vinegar may be substituted for the red wine vinegar.

Download Recipe

Recipe by: Justin Rutledge
Director of Culinary and Dining Operations, The Lakeshore
Approximately 2–4 servings

Download Recipe

Ingredients

For Step 1

• 15 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

• 2 ½ cups water
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup uncooked Israeli couscous
• ½ cup red quinoa, rinsed
• 2 large tomatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups arugula
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
• ½ cup fresh peas, shelled
• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup sunflower kernels, toasted
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

For the dressing

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. lemon zest, grated
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425°. Toss together garlic, sweet peppers, oil, and salt and pepper. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast until garlic is dark golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Step 2

While the garlic and peppers are roasting, combine water, oil, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous and quinoa. Reduce heat and cover; let simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Step 3

Transfer the couscous and quinoa to the roasted pepper and garlic mixture. Stir in the remaining salad ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients until blended. Pour over salad; gently toss to coat.

Download Recipe

Recipe by: Justin Rutledge
Director of Culinary and Dining Operations, The Lakeshore
Approximately 2–4 servings

Download Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 large limes
• ½ small red onion
• 1 ¼ tsp. granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, packed, plus a handful
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, plus 1 Tbsp.
• 1 medium butter lettuce head (about 1 lb.)
• 1 medium English cucumber
• At least ¾ cup multi-colored cherry tomatoes, more if desired
• 2 large ripe peaches
• 4 oz. feta cheese
• ¼ cup roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Step 1

Finely grate the zest of 1 large lime. Add 1 teaspoon zest to a small bowl; reserve the remaining for topping the salad. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice into the bowl.

Step 2

Thinly slice half of a small red onion; add to the lime juice and zest. Add in ¼ tsp. of the granulated sugar and ¼ tsp. of the kosher salt. Toss to coat the onions; set aside to pickle at least 15 minutes, tossing the onions once or twice to coat in the lime juice.

Step 3: Dressing

Juice the remaining limes until you have ¼ cup of juice; pour into a separate small bowl. Finely chop the garlic and ¼ cup cilantro and add to bowl. Add the olive oil, the remaining teaspoon of granulated sugar, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine.

Step 4

In a large salad bowl, tear butter lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice cucumber lengthwise, then again crosswise. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Remove the peach pits, then cut peaches into ½ inch thick slices. Add cucumber, tomatoes, and peaches to bowl. Crumble in feta cheese. 

Step 5

Top the salad with pumpkin seeds, the pickled onion (discarding any liquid, though can be added if desired), reserved lime zest, and an additional handful of torn cilantro leaves. Season to taste with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle half the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat. Top with the remaining dressing.

Download Recipe

Recipe by: Jonathan Tiller
Culinary Services Director, Aljoya Mercer Island
Approximately 4­–6 servings

Download Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups quinoa
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 3/4 cups diced cucumber
• 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 cups diced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 3/4 cups olive oil
• 1/4 cups lemon juice
• ½ Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper

Preparation

To prepare quinoa:

Soak quinoa for 1 hour; rinse well and drain several times. In a medium-sized pot, cook quinoa in vegetable stock over medium heat, 20–25 minutes, until the stock is absorbed and the grains are tender and fluffy. Set aside and cover for 10 minutes, then set in refrigerator to cool. 

Step 1

While the quinoa is cooking, dice the cucumber, fresh tomatoes (seeds removed), and onions.

Step 2

Chop mint and parsley.

Step 3

Zest lemons.

Step 4

Add all ingredients, including olive oil and lemon juice, to the cooled quinoa.

Download Recipe

Recipe by: Kentra Parsons
Culinary Services Director, The Gardens at Town Square
Approximately 4-6 servings

Download Recipe

Ingredients

• 14 oz. canned hearts of palm, drained and sliced in half
• ½ cup chopped fresh tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp. chopped green onions
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1½ Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 medium Hass sliced avocado

Preparation

Step 1

In a large serving bowl, combine water, lime juice, oil, and sugar; stir in green onions and cilantro.

Step 2

Add hearts of palm, tomatoes, and avocado to bowl; gently toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve chilled.

Download Recipe

Recipe by: Favio Gomez
Executive Chef, University House Issaquah
Approximately 1 serving

Download Recipe

Ingredients

For the salad

• ¼ cup pulled chicken
• ½ cup watermelon, diced
• ¼ cup arugula
• 1 oz. strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries (your choice of one or mixed)
• .5 oz. (or handful) slivered almonds (about 1 Tbsp.)
• .5 oz. (or handful) dried cranberries
• 3 cucumbers, sliced

For the dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 oz. watermelon, diced
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 pinch each of chopped fresh basil, thyme, and oregano*
• Salt and pepper to taste

*Dried herbs are also an option

Preparation

Step 1

Dice the watermelon and slice the cucumbers. Pull apart the chicken meat if needed. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the salad ingredients.

Step 2

To prepare the dressing, slowly blend the red wine vinegar into the olive oil. Once added, blend in the remaining ingredients.

Download Recipe