Guest Author - Jill Valente

During July and August our apartment gets so warm that I can’t even turn on the stove! Plus being pregnant is just making it all the hotter so I have created a couple salads that can be made without using the oven or stovetop. One requires usage of the microwave but that doesn’t really count as cooking.
The key to no-cook salads (besides no cooking) is taking advantage of summer’s freshest bounty and whatever you have leftover. All grilled vegetables are amazing in salads and can even make up their own if you combine them with fresh herbs, salt and pepper and some good extra virgin olive oil. The combinations are endless so here are just a few of my favorites. Check them out!

Watermelon Salad
Trim and discard the rind from watermelon and cut the flesh into ¼ in triangles. Place watermelon in serving dishes and top with arugula, crumbled fresh feta cheese, thinly sliced red onion and fresh mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice then top with thinly sliced prosciutto.

Tomato Stacks
Slice heirloom tomatoes and stack on a plate alternating with peeled and sliced avocado, torn basil leaves, red onion rings, salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together a little no-fat Greek yogurt along with a little reduced calorie mayonnaise and fresh lime juice. Drizzle over your tomato stacks.

Green Bean Salad
Place a ½ lb of green beans in a large bowl covered with water and microwave for 3-4 minutes until bright green and tender. Immediately submerge the beans in cold water so they keep their color and crispness. In a large bowl mix together green beans, some frisee lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes and chopped walnuts. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and combine with salad. Top with grated ricotta salata.

Rotisserie Chicken Salad
Lay out a bed of mixed greens and top with shredded rotisserie chicken, chopped tomatoes, sliced peaches or nectarines, chick peas and whatever is leftover in your fridge. Boiled or roasted potatoes work great as do grilled asparagus. Also any cheeses you have on hand work great. Crumbled blue cheese, shredded Monterey jack or even sliced fresh mozzarella. Drizzle with a low fat balsamic dressing and you are good to go.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!