Cool Summer Salads: Snow Pea Salad Žirniukų Salotos, Summer Barley Salad Perlinių Kruopų Salotos, Cucumber & Tomato Salad Agurkų ir Pamidorų Salotos, Cole Slaw Kopūstų Salotos, Fruit Salad Vaisių Salotos

LET’S COOK LITHUANIAN
with Dana SiliUnas

COOL SUMMER SALADS

SNOW PEA SALAD
Žirniuku salotos

1/2 lb. snow peas, trimmed, strings removed
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, stems trimmed
1 large red bell pepper, cored and seeded
6 Tbs. bottled reduced-calorie vinaigrette or “lite” Italian dressing

Blanch snow peas in boiling water for V2 to 1 minute, or until they turn bright green. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain well on paper towels and pat dry. Cut pods in half on slight diagonal and place in salad bowl. Set aside to cool. Thinly slice mushrooms; add to snow peas. Cut red pepper into thin strips; add to salad bowl. Toss vegetables with dressing.

COLE SLAW
Kopustu salotos

1 head cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sugar, or less
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
Combine cabbage, pepper, onion, carrot and sugar; mix well in bowl. Mix oil, vinegar, celery seed and salt in saucepan and boil for 2-3 minutes. Pour over cabbage mixture and stir well. Cover and refrigerate.

SUMMER BARLEY SALAD
Perliniu kruopu salotos

1 1/4 cups pearl barley, rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup cooked fresh corn kernels
1 cup hothouse cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste

Before you cook the barley, rinse it under cold water to remove any grit. Once it cooks, tossing the barley with oil and lemon juice while still warm infuses the grain with lots of flavor. Bring barley to a boil in 8 cups of salted water, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Drain well and remove to a larger bowl. Toss the warm barley with oil and lemon juice. Cool to room temperature. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Serve at room temperature. Serves 8.

FRUIT SALAD
Vaisiu salotos

1 large head leaf lettuce
1 red apple, cored and sliced thinly
1 melon, seeded, pared and cut into chunks
1/4 lb. grapes
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

Citrus dressing::
1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate, thawed

Core, rinse and thoroughly drain lettuce. Using a stainless steel knife, cut into bite-size chunks. Arrange apple slices, grapes and melon wedges on lettuce. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over top. Chill. To make dressing, whir ingredients until smooth. When serving, drizzle dressing over salad.

CUCUMBER & TOMATO SALAD
Agurku ir pamidoru salotos

1 lb. cucumbers (about 2 medium), peeled and chopped
1/2 lb. fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 scallions, minced
1 head (1/2 lb.) red or green leaf lettuce
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped fine
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
Black pepper, to taste

Mix the lemon juice, yogurt, pepper, mint and parsley together. Mix cucumbers, tomatoes, and scallions together. Place mixture on a bed of lettuce and pour dressing and stir. Serve within an hour for best taste.