Summer Food

When I was in Canada my favourite time of year was autumn. I loved the bright days, the amazing colours of the leaves, and kicking those leaves up with a satisfying rustle when I walked down the sidewalks. Here in the UK my favourite time is springtime. It can last a long time here. Not over in a flash like it can be in Southern Ontario where one day you can be having a late season snow fall and the following week the weather is suddenly in the mid 20s.

Here you get all the pleasure of long drawn out springtimes. Bouncy lambs and big eyed calves. Daffodils here, there and everywhere. Blossoms everywhere you look. (The fact that I live in the countryside here might mean I notice the pleasures of spring more now.)

Taken this morning as I walked to the shops.

With nice weather comes the urge to eat summer foods. Well, it does for me. Already we are switching over to salads in this house. I love a good salad. The sun continues to shine here in the middle of England. So I have been pinning new recipes to try.

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad
Link to the recipe here.
Great blog with tonnes of good recipes, including lots of vegetarian..

Everything about the above recipe appeals to me, but I am having to work around a child who has given up the eating of meat. (Those people involved in the horse meat scandal here have a lot to answer for!) Therefore I decided to try the recipe without the chicken.

This recipe is so good that I am blogging about it before we have officially eaten it. OMG! The dressing is to die for. A spicy, salty, sour, everything taste sensation. It blends chilli  garlic, peanut butter and Asian flavours in a wonderful way. Though I must admit that I substituted the three birds eye chillies (!!!) stated in the recipe  for one red chilli. I am no spicy wuss but I want to taste my veggies thanks.

There wasn't a chance I could get my hands on a green papaya, nor a green mango, called for in the recipe. Honestly, I didn't even go to town and look to see if I could buy one quite honestly. I added shredded spring onion, red onion and radishes to the coleslaw mix, along with the cabbage and carrots.

I would love to try this salad with the chicken mixed in, but for now, here is what we have to accompany the Thai fish cakes I have made for dinner tonight.

There just might be slightly less salad than shown to share with the family. I love this stuff!

Susan