Another Meatless Monday Salad Day...

I visited a newly forming farmers Market last week and was pleased to see the people in attendance, the vendors being patronized, and the quality of the food. I purchased beets, Swiss Chard, and a summer squash.
When I got home, I immediately put the beets in to roast with rosemary and olive oil, and then tossed the chard into boiling water for that night's dinner. The beets I knew would take a lot longer, so when they were done (and forgotten for a few hours in the cooling oven!) I just put them in the fridge for the future.

So for Meatless Monday, I was able to pull them out, chop them into a mixed mesclun green salad, add in a tablespoon or so of feta cheese and a couple of tablespoons of chopped walnuts. A quick vinagrette later (did you realize you can get the last vestiges of mustard out of a container by adding a bit of vinegar (balsamic or white - choose whatever) and shaking it into the container? The mustard mixture forms a base for vinegrette that's got some substance to it - that is, as long as you don't use that yellow stuff! I added in some canola oil (the flavor of the mustard would overpower olive oil) and then some rosemary to continue the flavor I'd already used with the beets.

It was a delightful salad! With our weekend temperatures posting close to 102, a cool salad keeps me from heating up the kitchen and that agrees with me completely! Someone at work (who doesn't get - or agree with - the warming of the globe or the level of commitment it takes to be an evironmentalist) asked why my upstairs was hotter than down, "don't you have air conditioning?"

Yup...I do. I also push it way up when I'm not home, and it's pretty high (77) when I'm there.

So I don't make the heat pump work harder to cool the house by heating up the kitchen (well, not often anyway...)

I promise I bought this baked item! A lovely mini-loaf of banana bread I picked up at the farmer's market.

I didn't save any. It was good.