A little bit of Summer

I'm usually 100% on the bandwagon of eating as seasonally as possible.  I eat citrus in the winter and apples in the fall.  I eat berries in the summer and asparagus in the spring.  

The food is fresher, makes more sense for our bodies, and is usually a better price when you shop this way.  

But sometimes, after having a taste of above-freezing temperatures and then being plunged again into ice cold temps, a girl just needs a taste of summer.  In February.

Taste of Summer Salad

1 bunch of curly leaf parsley, thick stems removed

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 cup black oil cured olives (or kalamata), chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. umeboshi plum vinegar

sprinkle of salt

fresh black pepper

Coarsely chop the parsley.  Add parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, and olives to a salad bowl and combine.  In a little bowl or jar, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Pour over the salad and toss to coat.  

We enjoyed this on the side of a hearty- seasonal- winter dish: Brown rice with chili.  The kids had not seconds, not thirds, but fourths of this salad.  Pretty amazing.  We all licked our plates to get the last of the dressing.  Yes, really.

*I know what you're thinking.  "Why the heck aren't there any onions or garlic in this recipe?  Liz must not have thought this one up herself".  Well, you're wrong.  And if you make it, you'll see that it doesn't even need any onions or garlic.  The flavor of the parsley and olives and lemon vinaigrette are amazing!