Although I live in San Francisco, travel brought me east last week just in time for one whopper of a heatwave. Yikes. That was some seriously no-cook weather. None of this "you can cook it in the morning before it's so hot and serve it room temp or chilled for dinner" nonsense. Zero cooking. My favorite no-cook option is a chopped salad, which brings us to my issue with most chopped salads: they aren't really all that chopped. I want everything bite-size, an even playing field of size to highlight the different textures and flavors at play.
A go-to chopped salad at my house features chickpeas and a bit of salami and a bit of cheese and a few olives and then a bunch of bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and a bit of red onion tossed in a vinaigrette and served on shredded romaine. But for truly scorching weather, I'll pull out this salad so chopped, you can eat it with a spoon and full of crisp and cooling fennel and cucumber and celery and peppers, with pepitas and sprouted lentils for extra texture. Crumble on some feta or cotija or other cheese to make it more filling and serve with crackers or bread. Use the basic idea and go crazy with whatever produce and savory items you have on hand—olives, beans, capers, nuts and seeds of all sorts, stone fruit, sweet corn kernels, herbs and more herbs—and you can eat without cooking. It's just what summer ordered.
Strawberry Toast Two Ways (above): In the Age of Avocado Toast, it can be tricky for other toasts to get the attention they deserve, and strawberry toast deserves a lot of attention.
Neverending Pickles: Make quick pickles in the refrigerator and keep them going all summer long.
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One more thing.
Bob is nearly 90, and he goes to work at the mill every day. Bob who?
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