Tahini-Dressed Zucchini and Green Bean Salad

(recipe from PureWow)

Dressing:
1/2 garlic clove
Coarse sea salt
2 Tbsp. light tahini
Finely grated zest and feshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 orange
1/2 tsp. honey
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salad:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 medium zucchini (about 3/4 lb.), sliced into 1/8-inch coins
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely chopped
Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 lb. green beans, trimmed
4 large handfuls mixed salad greens
Mint leaves, thinly sliced, for garnish

Make the tahini dressing:  Crush the garlic with a little sea salt and transfer to a medium bowl.  Add the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, orange juice, honey and a grind of black pepper to the bowl and stir until combined.  (If the dressing thickens or turns grainy or pasty, thin it out by whisking in a little water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until you get a creamy, trickling consistency.)  Gently stir in the olive oil.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed, and set aside.

Make the salad:  In a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil.  Working in batches, cook the zucchini coins, tossing them occasionally, until tender and browned on both sides, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the cooked zucchini to a large bowl.

When all of the zucchini is cooked, season it generously with salt and pepper.  Add the chile and lemon juice and toss until combined.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan filled with salted water to a boil and prepare an ice-water bath.  Add the green beans to the saucepan, return the water to a boil and blanch for 1 minute.  Drain the green beans, then dunk them in the ice bath to refresh them.  Drain again, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, and toss the beans with the zucchini.

Spread the salad greens in a large, shallow serving bowl, then scatter the dressed zucchini and beans and shredded mint on top.  Drizzle the tahini dressing generously over the whole lot and serve immediately.

Heirloom Tomato and Melon Salad

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 hot chile pepper, such as serrano, seeded and minced (I used a Hatch chile)
1/8 tsp. sea salt
3 cups diced seedless watermelon
3 cups diced cantaloupe
1 lb. green-striped, yellow, or other heirloom tomatoes, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice, chile and salt.  Add watermelon, cantaloupe, and tomatoes, and toss.  Let sit at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend; serve at room temperature or chilled.

(Kind of like a gazpacho.  I imagine if you chopped everything up finely, this would make a really nice salsa, too.  The melon-tomato combo is surprising and tasty.)

Salsa

(recipe from Real Simple magazine)

2 yellow or orange tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small white onion, minced
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash of cayenne pepper

Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl.  Toss to combine.  Spoon into a serving dish and set aside for 15 minutes to blend flavors.

(There was a sale on heirloom tomatoes, yo!  Why does anyone buy salsa?  So simple and fresh.)