Grilled Eggplant & Fresh Tomato Salad

Another fabulous summer veggie recipe for you! The name Grilled Eggplant & Fresh Tomato Salad does not quite do this recipe justice, but it looked a bit excessive to write Grilled Eggplant, Fresh Cherry Tomato, Feta, Balsamic and Mint Salad. That's what this salad is: those five ingredients tossed together create an exceptionally flavorful and fresh summer side dish. This is a perfect recipe to try if you are already planning to grill. The eggplant only grills for a few minutes on each side, so it can easily share the flame with your other grillables.

Panzanella Salad

A friend mentioned this salad years ago and it just sounded weird.  I think it slipped in and out of my mind without hesitation --my thought process was probably this: bread salad? meh.  How naive I was.

Recently I attended the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, CA and it was HOT.  So hot that all we could do during most of the day was sit in the shade.  And drink cold beverages.  And wish we were swimming.  Luckily there was really good music.  We finally left and went to Chico... where it was even hotter (yes, this story does have a point).  In Chico we visited the Sierra Nevada Brewery and lounged in the air conditioning.  Panzanella salad was on their menu -- described with all the fresh vegetables and... coldness... it sounded amazing.  And it was.  I couldn't believe I'd never had it before.  Soon after returning home, where it was still hot, I had to make it again.  And share it with you.  Trust me: fabulous.

Rainbow Zucchini 'Pasta' Salad

Believe it or not, but I don't only eat sweets.  It might be hard to tell from all the sweet things I post here.  But, in fact, I really do love eating good, healthy food.  It would be a shame to let all the beautiful, colorful vegetables at the farmers' market (and in my garden!) go without notice.   This salad is a brilliant way to pack in a ton of colorful, fresh veggies -- all without heating up the house with any cooking.  There is no real 'pasta' in this recipe -- the 'pasta' is actually thin slices of the raw zucchini and cucumber.  It's great as a side salad, or it can be a more substantial dish with the addition of walnuts and Mozzarella.  Delicious, refreshing, pretty!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Continuing on my Indian food and memory kick, I made Bill's favorite Indian meal: Chicken Tikka Masala.  It is debated whether this is a true Indian dish.  If it is, it was invented within the last 50 years.  Some people believe (strongly) that it was invented in London or Glasgow.  A survey conducted in the U.K. concluded that chicken tikka masala is the country's most popular restaurant dish.  Whether it is authentic or not, it is a delicious marriage of fragrant Indian spices and tomatoes (still have some canned from last summer?) in a creamy sauce.