Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I was in the kitchen listening to the radio the other day- which, by the way is my favorite thing to do- when I heard someone talk about summer tomatoes. They were saying how good the crop is this year because of the hot hot weather. I realized it to be true as I thought about the bumper tomato crop I have been harvesting from my backyard. The tomatoes have been unbelievable. I mostly grown cherry tomatoes- I love them. They are super versatile and delicious.

Anyway, the radio person suggested a peach and tomato salad- and that is where I got my inspiration.  It is so simple that I am almost embarrassed to post it as a recipe.

The key ingredient is balsamic glaze. You can buy it at a specialty store- I bought my from Italy but you can make your own as well. It is as simple as cooking regular balsamic vinegar down on a medium heat until it cooks down to a syrupy consistency. That is all this salad has- salt, really good olive oil and thyme.

It is very delicious- the combination of tomatoes and nectarines is unbelievable. Before summer is over- try this super simple salad…

• 2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 to 2 nectarines cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic glaze
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme

Add the cherry tomatoes and nectarines into a medium bowl. Add the salt and olive oil. Let them sit for at least an hour. Add the fresh thyme and balsamic glaze and serve.

This is my version of a spicy calamari I had at a new Thai restaurant in Chatham- Thai Passion. I reviewed it a couple weeks ago.

This salad got my attention- it was fabulous- although I realized it was a bit over the top with the flavoring. I really enjoyed it but while I was trying to decide how to replicate this salad, I decided to tone it down a bit. At the same time, I didn’t want to lose the essence of the dish- which was a lot of spicy, savory, tangy and a bit of sweet. Writing about it makes me want to eat some- my mouth is salivating. If you live in the area- you should go try it in Chatham. If you don’t live in the Jersey area, try the recipe I have created.

As I mentioned before, this version is a bit toned down. I used tamarind concentrate, lime juice,Worcestershire sauce, palm sugar, sriracha sauce, etc. Once the dressing was made, all I had to do was to cook the calamari. I will attach the video that goes with this recipe.

Try this salad- it is a great dish to make in the summer time…

• ¼ pound calamari, defrosted and cut into ½ inch rings
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the olive oil on high heat. Add the calamari and sprinkle salt. Saute on high heat for two minutes just until the rings turn opaque. Turn the heat off and drain on a paper towel.

• 2 cups mixed greens
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
• ½ cup green beans, blanched
• 1 medium tomato, cut into 1-inch squares

Toss the mixed greens with the basil, mint, green beans and tomato. Add the calamari and mix well.

Vinaigrette

• ½ teaspoon tamarind concentrate
• Juice of half a lime
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon tamari
• 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil

Add the tamarind, limejuice, Worcestershire sauce, tamari, fish sauce, sriracha and palm sugar into a small bowl. Drizzle the olive oil while whisking the dressing. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and toss lightly before serving.

This is yet another great side dish to serve with any kind of protein. It will go really well with burgers, hot dogs, steaks and fish.

I made it with some grilled chicken. I used the harvest grain blend from Trader Joes which includes a few different grains including Israeli couscous.

I kept it simple with dried cranberries and pecans.

I made a quick orange dressing with fresh orange juice, orange zest, white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I mixed the yummy dressing into the cooked couscous blend and I had a delicious and healthy side dish.

My daughter didn’t care for the cranberries and nuts- so I took them out for her and she ate the grains. I made a simple green salad on the side and we had a light and delicious meal.
Click here for the recipe… »

Here is another summer dish that is super simple to make and delicious at the same time. I made this one for a barbecue we were invited to. I offered to make a bean salad and decided to add juicy nectarines to the mix.

Like mangoes, nectarines add a delicious sweet, tangy aspect to any dish.

I used garbanzo, kidney and black beans. I added green onions, cilantro and the nectarines- that is it. You can assemble this salad in advance and refrigerate it until you serve your meal. In fact it tastes better if you dress it in advance and let it sit for a while. The flavors marry each other and taste delicious.

Speaking of the dressing, I made an orange chipotle one for this salad. I juiced two large navel oranges, one lemon and paired them with a chipotle pepper, honey and olive oil. It resulted in a delicious, fresh tasting dressing. I mixed the salad with the dressing and kept in the fridge until we were ready to go for the get together.

The salad was served with some lamp burgers and corn. Everything was delicious, especially the salad. It was a perfect balance of spice, sweet and tangy- my favorite flavor combination!
Click here for the recipe… »

I love, love this salad. I utilized our favorite fruit in the house-mangoes. I make everything with this delicious fruit- entrees, appetizers, salads and dessert, oh, and some delicious drinks as well. I needed to serve a side dish with the shrimp curry I posted yesterday. I wanted to make some kind of a starch and also vegetables. I decided to make a rice salad (never made one before) and use mangoes, red peppers, green onions, cilantro and mint. How can you go wrong with all those delicious ingredients??

I made a fabulous dressing consisting of rice vinegar, honey and olive oil. It is amazing to me how just the right ingredients can make such a big difference in a dish. The tangy dressing made the rice salad absolutely delicious and it went perfectly with the shrimp curry.  We ate the rice salad a few days even after the curry was finished. It tasted better the next day.

This salad will be perfect with any grilled entree like hamburgers, hot dogs or even steak.  This will be a staple in our house for the summer.
Click here for the recipe… »