Crispy, crunchy, and oh so simple to make, this cabbage, kale, and radicchio salad is the perfect side dish to take on a picnic, to the beach, or to your own dining table.
A homemade dressing lends plenty of zing to a refreshing combination of robust leafy vegetables. The vibrant radicchio adds a beautiful magenta color, along with a slight bitterness that cleanses the palate. Not only is this a pretty salad, but it is full of nutrition and it holds up well if you need to pack it in a cooler for a picnic lunch.
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Sometimes a cook needs a really easy, really quick, yet really delicious recipe to fall back on during busy times. I won’t list to you my family’s schedule these days (it would take too long, and would most likely be boring to anyone but me!) but let’s just say that on many evenings, there isn’t a lot of time to make a complicated meal. This couscous dish has been in a regular rotation with us lately, because it takes under ten minutes to prepare, yet it tastes like it took much longer, and it incorporates great flavor with good nutrients.
Though couscous is not gluten-free (it is made from semolina, so it is actually considered a form of pasta), it does have some health benefits, such as vitamins B and E, and a relatively high amount of the mineral selenium. I am kind of in the middle of the road when it comes to gluten, where I am trying not to eat too much of it, yet I find that eating some foods with it works fine for my body. The thing I really like about couscous is the quick-cooking factor, and also the versatility. It’s a way to get in some vegetables and herbs, like tomatoes and basil, and feel full and nourished at the same time.
Anyway, I love the tangy taste of the pesto with the fresh, ripe tomatoes, which are so good this time of year! If you want to add shredded, cooked chicken to this couscous recipe, feel free. I know we are having it as part of our dinner tonight, and my husband will probably take a container of it with his lunch tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy the last few days of summer! It is really starting to look and feel just a bit like fall, which is not a bad thing, but for me, it is a bit nostalgic. The daylight is fading earlier in the evenings and there is a bit of a chill in the breeze now, yet the sun is still warm and soft in the afternoons. Have a great weekend!
I am sharing this recipe over at Angie’s 
Some days, I really crave a good salad to energize my body with fresh, bright ingredients. As a result of my baking craze this past few days, I am in desperate need of a light lunch! (My latest baking adventure includes soft pretzels, which are so good, but still need more practice before they hit the blog). This peach-plum salad works really well, because it is super-easy to make, and it uses the best of late summer fruits. Peaches with honey and lemon juice taste like a heavenly combination to me, and the savory aspect of the walnuts and Feta add depth to the flavor.
Late summer is my favorite time of year to eat peaches, since their flavor and color seems to match the glorious mellow warmth of the September sun. We have had absolutely stunning weather the past couple of days, and I just want to hold onto this as long as possible, because to me, this is the most comfortable weather we get. Cool, misty mornings give way to warm, soft afternoons, which lead to dinners full of fresh fruits and vegetables out on the screened-in porch. Nights are cool, and the breeze coming in the open windows is laden with the sound of crickets and cicadas. The light outside is not so strong as it is in the height of summer, so it is a photographer’s dream.
This salad is so very easy to make, it hardly requires a recipe, and sometimes just a pretty photo and a few words will remind us of a great combination of delicious, healthy ingredients. I have included a recipe below, though it is flexible and can be adjusted easily. I consciously used honey in the dressing, not only because it tastes great with this salad, but also because I have heard that consuming locally-made honey can help with allergies. This is the time of year when I often get seasonal allergies, so I have been trying to incorporate local honey into my meals as often as possible.
