Seasonal Sundays: Salad Suppers for Summer

Summer's almost (almost!) here! And this week's "Seasonal Seven" recipe collection will keep us all in main dish salads all summer long. I hope you'll find one or two destined as "keepers" in your own recipe repertoire, most of these go way way back in my own recipe box.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

THANK YOU for stopping in today ... and last week and next week too. "I appreciate you." I do ... and always love hearing from many of you throughout the week. Don't be a stranger! PS And if you like this week's recipes, perhaps you'll share this newsletter with a friend or social circle? If you forward this message, others may subscribe for free right here. Thank you!

We are over-the-moon h a p p y to be done with spring garden work, just a few pots (still too many but considerably fewer than prior years) and a few annuals.

A couple of years ago, we started to "downsize" the outside summer yard work. Our yard is big so there's no downsizing it without upending our lives. Instead, we intentionally put in more old-fashioned and native perennials and decided to grow fewer vegetables, focusing on tomatoes, tomatillos and okra plus just one of each: a cucumber, a zucchini, a green pepper.

And it's paying off! I can tell because this year, we spent way less money on plants and most of all, finished about three weeks earlier than usual.

Who else loves spending time outside in the garden? I once had a friend who wanted a "garden" (the noun) but not "to garden" (the verb). I couldn't imagine ... but still, less is more and by "more" I mean sipping tea on the summer porch.

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: If you look closely, in the left center of the image, you'll see someone bent down in a flower bed, leaning on a hoe.

Just a reminder, click any food photo to navigate straight to the recipe's page, it's especially handy for all of us who do most of our browsing on our phones.

In Praise Of ...

• ... grandma (I presume) with a cane, leading like goslings her daughter and four granddaughters (I presume) maybe six to sixteen, all decked out in fancy black dresses and fine black shoes, on their way into a nearby church for a wedding (I presume) ... very fine, very fine


• ... the bullfrog who's taken up residence in the small pond behind our place, making himself known with foghorn calls as dark falls


• ... May's explosion of iris and peonies

Democracy Matters

The country needs calm, thoughtful and assertive voices amid the chaos inflicted by a minority hellbent on taking/retaining generational power by strangling democratic principles and equal rights. None of us have to personally change the world. We just have to do our part. Pick one thing for the top of your To Do List this week.

I'm proud of my fellow democracy protectors, this week. Instead of standing on street corners making ourselves heard on Saturday, we showed up to ... help.

You may have heard, my hometown of St. Louis was hit by an EF3 tornado mid-afternoon on Friday. Five lost their lives. Five thousand structures were damaged.

Aside from lots of stick and leaf litter atop the pool and a little inconvenience, we were untouched and in fact, because the weather cleared immediately afterward, leaving a lovely spring evening, we wouldn't have even known, if it were not for news coverage.

Democracy needs not just good trouble but good neighbors. I'm proud of you, St. Louis.

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THE SEASONAL SEVEN: Supper Salads for Summer

For this week's recipes, I aimed for recipes with summery flavors and combinations that ...

• ... range from meat-free to meat-centered
• ... with lots of colorful fresh vegetables
• ... invite return trips to the table, month after month, year after year

• THE RECIPE Easy-Easy Hummus Salad Another Quick Supper, just a light, loose hummus topped with chickpeas, fresh summer vegetables and feta. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemony Broccoli Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Think lemon on lemon, simple and surprisingly substantial.

• THE RECIPE Red Quinoa Salad Your Way A Quick Supper with healthy grains, crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs & creamy cheese.
• ANOTHER TAKE Simple Lentil Salad with Seasonal Vegetables A concept recipe for a supper salad. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Chicken Greek Salad with Simple Hummus A Quick Supper, just assemble and serve, another good reason to eat at home!
• ANOTHER TAKE Chickpea & Chicken Salad Hearty and delicious with Indian-style spices.

• THE RECIPE Asian Chicken Salad Rotisserie chicken with greens and veggies in a soy-ginger-lime vinaigrette.
• ANOTHER TAKE Mexican Chicken Salad Rotisserie chicken tossed with lime-yogurt vinaigrette, black beans, jicama, corn and tomato. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Shrimp Salad Recipes A concept recipe, good for supper, better still the next day.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cold Shrimp in Creamy Dill Sauce with Capers Shrimp in a "creamy" dill sauce that tastes much richer than it is.

• THE RECIPE Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers A Quick Supper, easy and refreshing.
• ANOTHER TAKE Arugula Salad with Smoked Trout & Peach Preserve Dressing A simple but special summer meal.

• THE RECIPE Tropical Pork Tenderloin A Quick Supper, a bit of sweet, a bit of heat especially designed to
• PAIR WITH Tropical Salad Supper Itself a stand-alone Quick Supper, bright with citrus & tropical fruit.
• ANOTHER TAKE Southwestern Chicken Taco Salad Plates A summery Quick Supper, no cooking required, just assembly. (PIN This)

What's Brand-Spankin' New?!

Wondering about a recipe from the last while? Check Recent Recipes from Kitchen Parade and Recent Vegetable Recipes from A Veggie Venture.

• THE RECIPE Mini Shortbread Tarts (Nana's Tarts) A Canadian tradition, especially filled with lemon curd aka lemon cheese. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Butter Tart Bars Small bites of Canadian nostalgia.

• THE RECIPE Trader Joe's Lentil-Bruschetta One-Minute Salad Just two ingredients, so little effort, so much reward. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Best-Ever Lentil Salad An unusual cooking technique, great for meal prep.

• THE RECIPE Easy Pesto Pasta Salad Serve warm now with an easy protein, or chilled later for a side dish. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Pesto Pasta Primavera Another Quick Supper, so many veggies, not much pasta. (PIN This)

Join Me? Pie of the Month Club

Who baked a pie this week?

It's all for fun pie. And it's a club without rules except yeah, make a pie. Make my suggested pie or not. Make your own crust or not. Make it a sweet pie or not. Make it on Friday or not. You get the idea ...

Here is May's pie. Join me?!

• THE RECIPE Easy Margarita Pie Tastes just like a good margarita!
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemon Cream Pie An irresistible balance of tart and tangy, sweet and creamy. One slice may not be enough! (PIN This)

May: Reader Favorites

• THE RECIPE Afghan Chicken & Rice Casserole (Kabeli Palau) Unusual, amazing combination of ingredients. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Black Beans & Rice Skillet Casserole with Smoked Chicken Simple comfort food with smoky flavors.

• THE RECIPE Afghan Eggplant & Tomato Casserole (Borani Banjan) An explosion of tastes and textures and temperatures.
• ANOTHER TAKE Baked Orzo Casserole with Eggplant, Olives, Goat Cheese & More Make-ahead pasta loaded with Mediterranean vegetables.

Trending NOW ...

• THE RECIPE Two-Bite Brownies Moist, chocolate-y brownies, just two bites big. Served, if you like, in a festive watermelon boat.
• ANOTHER TAKE Perfect M&M Cookies With red, white and blue M&Ms for Americans or red and white Smarties for Canadians.

• THE RECIPE Greek Bread Salad with Toasted Pita Chips A simple chopped salad with a creamy Greek dressing. Great crunch! (PIN This)
• TOSSED IN Homemade Greek Salad Dressing Just a few pantry ingredients plus feta, so much better than store-bought!

May: Recipes Lookin' for a Little Love

• THE INFO Ten Tips for Better Burgers Ten easy tips for grilling juicy burgers. (PIN This)
• MY RECIPES Burger Recipes Beef, chicken, turkey and plant-based!

• THE RECIPE Arugula Salad with Smoked Trout & Peach Preserve Dressing A simple but special summer meal.
• ANOTHER TAKE Kalamata Tuna Salad Bok Choy Wraps Homemade tuna salad made with kalamata olives wrapped in pepper leaves of bok choy.

The Kitchen Parade Almanac: Looking Ahead ...

• May 19 (Monday) - Victoria Day in Canada & parts of Scotland
• May 26 (Monday) - Memorial Day in the U.S.
• June 1 - Alanna's Unofficial First Day of Summer :-)
• June 15 (Sunday) - Father's Day
• June 19th (Thursday) - Juneteenth
• June 24 (Tuesday) - Midsummer
• July 1 (Tuesday) - Canada Day
• July 4 (Friday) - July 4th

Looking Back ...

THIS WEEK, YEARS PAST
• 2020 Mid May (Week 21)
• 2022 Mid May (Week 21)
• 2023 Early-Summer Salads (Week 21) (PIN This)
• 2024 Summery Spreads & Dips (Week 21) (PIN This)

RECENT WEEKS
• Seasonal Sundays: Wear the Hat, Dammit (Week 20) (PIN This)
• Suppers That (Almost) Cook Themselves (Week 19) (PIN This)
• Sweet & Savory Strawberries (Week 15) (PIN This)
• Spring Asparagus! (Week 14) (PIN This)
• Save Room for Dessert, Spring Edition (Week 13) (PIN This)
• Green Food, Just for the Fun of It (Week 12) (PIN This)
• Pasta You'll Love (Week 11) (PIN This)
• Everyday Cajun (Week 9) (PIN This)
• Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner (Week 8) (PIN This)
• Sweet Little Somethings (Week 7) (PIN This)
• Spinach for Any Occasion (Week 5) (PIN This)
• Project Cooking (Week 4) (PIN This)
• Feeding Our Vegetable Cravings (Week 2) (PIN This)
• Best of 2024 (PIN This)

Soups & Salads When Summer Is Sooooo Close But ...

Here in the middle of the country, May is so pretty and so very, very green with an endless carpet of green grass and most trees near full leaf. Perennial flowers pop out of the earth and are growing by an inch or more, every single day. The bed of greens (chard, spinach are doing great this year) is the source of supper salads, every single day. But really, summer vegetables are only available at the grocery store plus a few hot-house operations at the farmers market. What's a seasonal cook to do?! This is why I spent a year gathering all of A Veggie Venture's best soup and salad recipes into easy-to-scan month-by-month collections.

• THE COLLECTION Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for May
• BUT REALLY, DON'T MISS Celery & Chickpea Salad A captivating salad, crunchy celery, creamy chickpeas and tangy feta.
• OR THIS Spiral Zucchini Noodle “Zoodle” Greek Salad It's the salad of the summer, people!

Good to Know!

• THE THINKING How to Shop at a Farmers Market Thoughts & Tips from a Veteran Shopper
• ANOTHER TAKE How to Save Money on Groceries A multi-part series with techniques used my entire life.

Silly (But Fun?!) Food Holidays

• May 18 — I Love Reese's Day (Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie)
• May 18 (3rd Sunday) — World Baking Day (cookie recipes)
• May 20 — Pick Strawberries Day (strawberry recipes)
• May 21 — National Strawberries & Cream Day (Finnish Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake)
• May 22 (Thu before Memorial Day) — Eat More Fruits & Vegetables Day (How to Eat More Vegetables)
• May 24 — Asparagus Day (asparagus recipes)

The Best No-Recipe Recipe I Made This Week

Greens + Leftover Chicken + Feta = A Great Supper Salad

This follows my usual formula for a big dinner salad.

I tossed some greens (both arugula and a head of Little Gem) with cut-up mini tomatoes, a couple of tangerines and tossed these with an avocado version of My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing, salt and pepper (so important!) and then topped it all with a "planned over" chicken breast cooked the night before. I drizzled it all with a little more dressing, then sprinkled on some chopped cilantro and feta crumbles. It took me about 10 minutes to put supper on the table and dang, so good!

Trader Joe's Test Kitchen

We go through a lot of Cheerios around here, usually with banana and blueberries. So when I saw some steel-cut oats in the freezer at Trader Joe's, I thought my husband would appreciate another option.

But whoah. Trader Joe's Steel-Cut Oatmeal is so sweet. There are two packets per box and it's so sweet, we pitched the second one. And trust me, we're not usually ones to throw away good. But this, ugh, not for us.

A Quick Peek Into a Real-Life Kitchen

Just so you know, everything's not all pretty pictures around here, in the background is a pile of dirty dishes. And just like many (all?) of us, come five o'clock, I too draw a blank about what to make for supper, despite so many recipes I so dearly love. Here's a quick peek from this week.

• THIS WEEK Life was complicated, we ate out way too much. But one night, wow, all suppers should be so easy. So good!
• THE RECIPE Easy Margarita Chicken A Quick Supper from a surprising source.

• THIS WEEK On the side, I mixed up some quick cornbread and decided to bake muffins instead of a skillet or baking pan. Nine muffins were out of the oven in a perfect 15 minutes. Much recommended. So good!
• THE RECIPE Honey-Sweet Cornbread Sweetened with honey, a "northern" take on cornbread that's moist and tender, a total treat. (PIN This)

• THIS WEEK I had so many lentils on hand (thanks to those canned lentils for Trader Joe's Lentil-Bruschetta One-Minute Salad) and a giant bag of mature spinach and wow, did the cooked spinach, the lentils and a little prepared pesto make for a great "under" for roasted salmon. So good!
• THE RECIPE Jubilee Greens How to sauté leafy greens like spinach, chard, kale & more. (PIN This)

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Mexican Salsa Bread Great for loaves or buns, perfect for toast, sandwiches, burgers. Love a little salsa kick!
• ANOTHER TAKE Savory Cornbread Muffins Cornmeal muffins spiked with chili powder, a little jalapeño and red pepper. (PIN This)

Something to Read

A few weeks back (ten! how does that happen?!) I started into David Wroblewski's long second book, Familiaris. How "long"? More than a thousand pages.

And I only got partway in when I decided to return to his first book, The Tale of Edgar Sawtelle which I last read in 2008 and which, in fact, I reluctantly put down to attend a poolside dinner and fireworks party — thank goodness, because it's where my now-husband and I met!

I've now finished Edgar Sawtelle for the second time. And what a story! Think a mute teenager and a trio of remarkable dogs, the ending comes as a real shock. I can even imagine turning around and reading/listening to it once more and soon.

But first, I'm going back to the beginning of Familiaris.

Join me? Such lovely, surprising storytelling, these. These would be great summer reads!

• THE FIRST BOOK The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (affiliate link) by David Wroblewski
• THE SECOND BOOK Familiaris (affiliate link) by David Wroblewski


• NO TIME TO READ? How I Read 4X More This Year Than Last What I gave up, how I read so much, what I read.

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail (my current address is in the FAQs), dot-dash in Morse code, build a fire for smoke signals, launch a message in a bottle, send a Christmas letter, get the dog to yip, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, whatever.

• Any advice for Seasonal Sundays?
• Just one thing that would make it more useful for you?
• Anything else? Chime in, chat away.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. When you make my recipes, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below or better still, on the specific recipe's page.

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