Crisp Arugula Salad

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 cups baby arugula
10-12 strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins (I used currants)

Combine dressing ingredients in the bottom of your salad bowl.  Add greens, fruit, nuts, raisins and toss to coat ingredients with dressing.

*You may use berries, pear or apple slices, tangerines, unsweetened dried cranberries, hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds.  You can change the salad completely by adding cherry tomatoes and cucumbers or olives and leaving out the fruit.

(Basic, simple, delicious.)

Cashew Sour Cream

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup raw cashews
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

Place cashews in a small bowl and cover by about 1/2-inch with boiling water.  Let soak for 30 minutes.

Drain cashews, reserving the liquid.  Place cashews in a blender with the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid.  Blend until very smooth, adding more soaking liquid as required to puree the mixture.  Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

(This was fairly good as a sour cream alternative - just making note of it.)

Stir-Fried Corn and Tempeh

(recipe from christinacooks.com)

Olive oil
5-6 thin slices fresh ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
2 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
1 small leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed free of dirt, sliced thinly diagonally
soy sauce (to taste)
8-oz. package tempeh, cut into small cubes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup watercress, rinsed well, hand broken into bite-size pieces

Place a generous amount of oil in a skillet or wok along with ginger, garlic and leek, over medium heat.  When the leek begins to sizzle, add a splash of soy sauce and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in tempeh cubes, season lightly with soy sauce and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, allowing the tempeh to brown on the edges.  Stir in corn, season to taste with soy sauce and stir fry until the corn is just heated through.  Remove from heat and stir in watercress.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.

White Bean and Tomato Salad

(recipe from Real Simple magazine)

Two 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (I used navy beans)
1 small tomato, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
1/2 tsp. salt
olive oil

Combine all ingredients and drizzle with the olive oil.

(It does not get much more simple than this!  Easy summer salad recipe, good for parties.  Nice served with salad greens.)