When the heat gets too much, serve salads for dinner

Lynda Balslev TasteFood When it s too hot to cook try serving a summery salad for your main meal Not just a simple garden salad mind you but a satisfying bowl layered with crisp veggies grains or legumes and leafy herbs The combination is fresh filling and light guaranteed to hit the spot on a warm day This bowl includes classic summer veggies like sweet corn sun-ripened tomatoes and creamy avocado They are tumbled together with protein-rich quinoa and then mounded over a bed of massaged kale Yes even kale enjoys a nice massage Purely rubbing the leaves with a drizzle of oil and citrus juice along with a pinch of salt will soften the hearty leaves and tame their earthy flavor There s no need to cook the corn Summer corn is juicy crisp and sweet adding refreshing texture to the nutty quinoa As reliably the ingredients can be tweaked your taste For instance feel free to substitute another healthy grain for the quinoa such as wild rice or bulgur Or add more tender greens to the mix such as arugula or spinach just omit the massaging step Tomato Corn and Quinoa Bowl With Avocado Prep time minutes Total time minutes Yield Serves Dressing tablespoons fresh lime juice tablespoon balsamic vinegar small garlic clove teaspoon Dijon mustard teaspoon honey teaspoon ground cumin teaspoon kosher salt or to taste teaspoon freshly ground black pepper cup extra-virgin olive oil Salad small bunch Tuscan or curly green kale tough ribs removed torn into bite-size pieces teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil teaspoon fresh lime juice Kosher salt ears of yellow or bi-color corn uncooked husked kernels cut from the cobs to scallions white and green parts thinly sliced red bell pepper seeded and diced poblano pepper seeded and diced cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved cup tricolor or red quinoa cooked and cooled small handful Italian parsley leaves chopped about cup small handful cilantro leaves chopped about cup ripe but firm avocado cut into -inch pieces Make the dressing Whisk the lime juice vinegar garlic mustard honey cumin salt and black pepper in a small bowl Add the oil in a steady stream whisking constantly to emulsify Place the kale in a large bowl Sprinkle the oil lime juice and a pinch of salt over the leaves Rub the leaves to coat and slightly soften about seconds Combine the corn scallions peppers tomatoes quinoa parsley and cilantro in a separate bowl Pour about cup of the dressing over the salad and gently stir to combine Mound the salad over the kale or divide between individual serving bowls Top with the avocado and drizzle with additional dressing to taste Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer cookbook author and recipe developer based in northern California Visit TasteFood at TasteFoodblog com