Herb Salad

The earthiness of the beets pairs well with the creaminess of the yogurt and cheese.

Over the years of experimenting with summer salads, this black bean mango salad settled as a favorite. It not only tastes better the next day, but it also keeps for days as the sharp taste of celery mellows and nestles in with the black beans and mango. The season for the small, skinny Atulfo mango variety is almost over, the next best is the larger rounded Kent or Hayden. Do make sure to let the mangoes ripen to a soft sweetness before making the salad.

Here, a simple roasted composed beet chaat gets the crowning glory of chaat masala however, most salads are good candidates for a sprinkle of chaat masala.

A bean salad tucked away in the refrigerator has made for a wonderful late-night snack after busy nights at the restaurant, especially during the holiday season. Over the last few months, I’ve experimented with umpteen combinations, none of which I have stuck to. I always start with soaking one cup of beans overnight (this cuts the cooking time in half), cooking them to softness the next day and adding a changing assortment of vegetables, herbs, nuts, or dry fruits. I’ve embellished some with roasted carrots, others with steamed asparagus, peanuts, walnuts, cilantro, mint and much more. In the last few weeks, I finally arrived at a combination that I have made for three 3 weeks straight and one I am excited to share with you. Raw purple cabbage, celery and beans make the base of this salad, and one can go in so many directions with it. It makes a great light lunch on its own or pairs it with a sandwich or soup. The best part is that cabbage and celery taste better wilted and after they’ve marinated in the juices for an hour or two. The salad tastes delicious for up to three days so use it for a healthy late-night snack.

In New Delhi, for almost a decade, there resides a sweet fruit chaat vendor tucked away near the famous Janpath street market. Depending on the time of year, his choice of fruits and vegetables varies. He rides his bike every morning with a fresh load of fruits and vegetables, hands out fruit chaat all day until his stock is over. Mango, melons, cucumber, papaya, pineapple, apples, or bananas are cubed and laid out on a banana leaf plate and sprinkled with chaat masala. Sometimes, strawberries will show up in the mix. A squeeze of lime and he hands it to you with a smile. If it can be eaten raw, any vegetable or fruit is fair game for fruit chaat. Usually, chaat masala is a combination of toasted ground cumin, chile powder, amchur (dried mango), salt and more. Black salt, a sulfurous rock salt native to India, is a common but not essential component of chaat masala. It’s an explosion of flavors – give it a try this summer with the fruits and vegetables at hand!

A wonderful way to balance holiday indulgences and alleviate the guilt associated with it is to eat something cleansing after. Besides, why not start the year on a fresh healthy note? Green papaya salad, or Som Tum as it is known in Thai cuisine is believed to have originated in Laos. I have never tasted a version of this salad that I don’t love, and I often make a meal out of it. The fact that green papaya has innumerable health benefits like high fiber and vitamin content always helps. But it’s the endless possibilities with this salad that make it most exciting. On a basic level, fresh grated green papaya is tossed with chiles, dried shrimp, palm sugar and fresh garlic. Add grated carrots, cabbage, apple, green beans, cucumber, or mango. The shrimp is delicious but not essential to the flavor; instead throw in copious amounts of grated, finely minced, or julienned ginger. Slice in some tomatoes for the acid, peanuts for crunch with herbs like cilantro or basil for aroma and you have a wonderful salad. Instead of peanuts, add cashews, add sliced almonds, or pine nuts. Switch out sugar for something as wholesome as honey or maple syrup. If you have extra papaya left over, use it in meat marinades as a tenderizer.

Jicama is delicious raw and lends itself well to Indian chaat style street preparations.

This is a simple ‘anti-pasti’ style salad that can be eaten by itself, on toast for breakfast or added to an omelet.

Peaches may be the glory of Texas summers, but they originated in northwest China, along the Yangtze River over 6,000 years ago. Of specific importance were peach blossoms, which were believed to fend off evil spirits and bring vitality. Each new year in China began with peach blossoms hung on front doors to start the year off right. Today, in the sweltering Texas summer, biting into a chilled ripe peach can provide respite — especially when paired with tangy tomatoes and a nutty almond butter dressing.

Here is a salad that takes minutes to make that you can enjoy for days.

Local brussels sprouts season here in Texas is glorious but short lived. The cabbage-like buds, which are native to the Mediterranean region, resemble nothing like you’ve ever seen at a supermarket. And there are infinite ways to enjoy them. I found this little beauty last week at the market – sliced it right down the middle and roasted it in the oven long and slow with a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Usually relegated to crudité plates or a salad add-on, radishes get little respect in the western cooking world. But one just has to look over at the vast and varied culture of Asia, where they first grew in the wild, to see the umpteen ways to enjoy these pungent cruciferous little globes. From quick pickles in a Vietnamese banh mi to brightening up a Thai cucumber salad to making the north Indian Punjabi “mooli” paratha, radishes are used all over Asia. Seeing the vast array of brightly colored radishes at the farmer’s markets these days makes me want to find more ways to enjoy them — particularly the large, purple heirloom Japanese radishes that appear perfect for roasting. Roasting radishes diminishes their pungent flavor and adds an interesting sweetness. The hardest part of this recipe may just be deciding how best to arrange the vegetables on the platter — it’s a visual feast.

This salad is the perfect showcase for the aromatic magic of popping coriander seeds and is best-eaten warm, served immediately off the skillet.

Sunchokes, despite being starchy, are a high source of fiber and in particular inulin, which makes us feel full after eating.

These delicate little white Japanese turnips have become a fixture of farmer’s market from New York to California to here in Houston. I decided to slow roast them with spices and orange juice and found them to be so delicious, I had to stop myself from eating them all straight from the pan.

A layered citrus salad in the winter, especially using nice oranges like Cara cara or blood oranges can be a great start to a meal. They can also be served after dinner posing as a salad cum dessert! Variations are limitless – it’s all in the art of the composition so have some fun with it.