A light and refreshing summer salad filled with vegetables and herbs straight from the garden.
Happy July 21st! How is it that the summer is flying by so fast? This month’s recipe redux theme is “From the Garden”. Tis the season for farmers markets, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) and blooming gardens. Nothing tastes better than locally grown produce and when it’s grown in your backyard you have no excuse but to enjoy it!
Since moving out of the city I decided to grow an herb garden this year. Minus the basil that unfortunately got eaten by a rabbit, I have plenty of mint, parsley and thyme to use each week. Herbs are a great way to add a punch of flavor to a variety of dishes without needing a ton of salt. Herbs are also a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
For my recipe this month I decided to go with one of my favorite salads, Shirazi Salad, which is a Persian salad that uses both parsley and mint along with other summer produce. Since being introduced to this dish by my mother-in-law almost 10 years ago I have been obsessed. Not only is it healthy but the salad is simple to make and is full of flavor. The herbs are definitely the secret ingredient and bring the seemingly simple salad to a whole new level. DELISH!
For a fun spin I added in some purple cabbage for color and crunch and used my mandolin to julienne the cucumber. Although I like to enjoy this dish all year long, it tastes that much better this time of year using herbs from my garden and local tomatoes and cucumbers.