Fruit friendly summer meals

Though I do love my fruits and veggies, I'm normally not inclined to incorporate the two into my meals. But I've recently tried some lovely summer dishes that caused a change of heart.

Photo from theLATimes.com

The first is a strawberry spinach salad that Gus's mom made.  I'm pretty sure she used a recipe similar to this one from AllRecipes.com (she's in Italia right now so I can't consult!) Just fresh baby spinach, ripe strawberries, and an amazing dressing which perfectly melds the flavors. I do remember that Jean used canola oil instead of olive oil in her dressing, likely for its lighter flavor; and cut down drastically on the sugar (I don't think there's ever a reason to be putting a half cup of sugar in your salad).  A sweet respite from the typical cucumber-tomato-carrot combo. (See bottom of post for full recipe.)

 Photo from FoodNetwork.com

This also reminded me of a watermelon watercress salad I had during my work "retreat." I'm not sure exactly how it was made, but it seems very similar to this one from Group Recipes.com, which combines watermelon, watercress, and feta in a dressing of olive oil and lemon.  A really simple, healthy summer dish. (And I mean really healthy: Did you know that Watercress has more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk and three times as much Vitamin E as lettuce? Me either! I also never thought I'd be intrigued by watercress until I stumbled upon this site.)

This is an air freshener. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be ironic. 

I had my most recent fruit-in-my-meal encounter during hump day dinner (a new potluck tradition with my Udel friends).  My good friend Laurel made fish tacos with a mango salsa.  I'm normally a traditionalist when it comes to salsa, but this really changed my view.  The acidity from the lime juice serves as the perfect counterpoint to the sweet mango; and avocado binds the ingredients with its creamy consistency. This meal also has a great variety of textures and colors. A new addition for taco night!

I hope these inspire you to try some tasty fruit friendly summer meals of your own. Enjoy!


Strawberry Spinach Salad
-Inspired by Jean, Adapted from AllRecipes.com-

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 bag baby spinach
2 cups strawberries, cleaned and halved

-Dressing-
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup canola oil
Dash of white wine vinegar
Sugar to taste (if the strawberries aren't that sweet)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (if you're feeling fancy)

Directions: Combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk.  Toss with spinach and strawberries.

Watermelon Watercress Salad
-Inspired by Encounter Books retreat, adapted from GroupRecipes.com-

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1/2 lb watermelon, cubed to your liking
2 oz feta, cubed
3 cups watercress (can also use arugala)

-Dressing-
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
-Optional-
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds

Directions: Combine the oil, juice, and oregano in a small bowl and season with pepper.  Toss with watermelon, feta, and spinach.

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
á la Laurel

Serves: 2

Ingredients

-Salsa-
1/2 large ripe mango, cubed
1 avocado, cubed
1 plum tomato, diced
1 colorful bell pepper, diced
1 lime
dash of white wine vinegar
 
-Fish-
1/2 lb. tilapia or catfish, rinsed and patted dry
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper


-Extras-
4-6 hard taco shells, depending on how hungry you are
1 container low-fat plain Greek yogurt (sour cream connoisseurs will barely notice a difference)

First prepare the salsa.  Combine mango, avocado, tomato, and pepper in a bowl.  Squeeze in one lime and the white wine vinegar.  Toss gently so as not to mash the avocado.  Cover and refrigerate until meal-time.

Next up: the fish. Rub both sides with cumin, chili powder, and a little salt and pepper.  Sauté until just opaque in center, or about 3 minutes per side.  Once the fish is about three-quarters of the way cooked, break it up into little pieces with a metal spatula. 

Meal time: Put on a Mexican radio station on iTunes. Open up a bottle of white. Serve the fish on a plate, with separate dishes for the mango salsa, Greek yogurt, and taco shells, for self-assembly.