P
icnic in July! Summer brings
graduation parties, backyard
weddings, family reunions
and relaxed outdoor meals. When it
comes to what to bring, we like to keep
it light and simple. No cooking, ingredi-
ents that can take the heat, and leftovers
that will still taste good the next day.
Below are two salads we enjoy. You can
vary the ingredients to make your own
family favorite.
Beans & Greens
Salad
A few tips:
Choose fruits and vegetables in
season. Freshness and quality of
ingredients are key to the flavor.
Add what you like to make it
tasty and colorful. Mix and match
as desired.
Veggies: celery, cucumbers, bell
peppers, tomatoes, snow pea
pods, shredded broccoli, red cab-
bage, carrots, cauliflower, green
beans, sprouts, kale
Fruits: apples, pears, seedless
grapes, mango, berries, nectar-
ines, plums, mandarin oranges,
melon
Flavors: onions, scallions, rad-
ishes, peppadew, pickles, olives,
garlic, spices, herbs
Starch/Protein: corn, peas, can-
nellini beans, black beans, lentils,
quinoa, potato
To minimize wilting, choose stur-
dy ingredients.
To minimize watery salads, pre-
pare close to serving time or use
these suggestions:
•
Use grape tomatoes, whole
berries, small ingredients
that don’t need to be sliced
• Seed cucumbers before
adding
• Avoid watery vegetables
like cabbage, iceberg let-
tuce, and zucchini
• Serve lettuce on the side
rather than mixed into the
salad
62 WNY Family July 2019
Free of: DAIRY, EGGS, SOY,
WHEAT, PEANUTS, TREE NUTS,
FISH, SHELLFISH, GLUTEN free
Watermelon Tomato
Summer Salad
Free of: DAIRY, EGGS, SOY,
WHEAT, PEANUTS, TREE NUTS,
FISH, SHELLFISH, GLUTEN free
Yield: 8-10 servings
PrepTime: 15 minutes
CookTime: 0 minutes
1 small seedless watermelon,
cut up into bite sized pieces
5-6 tomatoes cut up or 2 pints grape
tomatoes
2 cucumbers, seeded and sliced
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
3 cans cannellini beans,
drained and rinsed
1 large bag chopped kale
8oz. bag or bunch of radishes,
thinly sliced
Favorite dressing
Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Toss
to coat evenly. Keep refrigerated until
ready to serve.
These recipes can easily be doubled
or tripled for a larger crowd.
Optional: add fresh mint, basil, or other
fresh herbs
This salad just needs to be cut up,
lightly coated with oil and seasonings.
Toss to coat evenly. Keep refrigerated
until ready to serve.
If you have any questions about our column, e-mail Kathy at allergy@roadrunner.
com. For further information about food allergies, contact FARE www.foodallergy.
org, or call 1-800-929-4040.
Kathy Lundquist is a Western New York parent whose son, now an adult, was born with
severe food allergies. Over the last two decades, she has worked tirelessly in a variety
of capacities to increase community awareness about food allergies.