It's always easier to grab prepackaged snacks or some leftovers from the refrigerator than to make something from scratch. Sometimes ease is key when you're pressed for time or simply can't be bothered to source the ingredients for a new dish, but Jess Damuck's Salad Freak is designed to test those assumptions. In this episode of Busy Cooks Club, the cookbook author shares one of her many quick salads that use only a handful of ingredients, making them an impressive meal you can recreate at home A profound meal.
Damuck's rhubarb and strawberry salad is the star of the show this time, sweet enough for breakfast or dessert. You read that right: salad for dessert. Don't let the word "salad" fool you, because all the ingredients come together to make something sweet, creamy, and a little crunchy. According to Damuck, "anything can be a salad," and her main criteria for the label include fresh or prepared vegetables and some kind of protein, though the options are endless.
This rhubarb and strawberry salad uses two of summer’s seasonal ingredients: ricotta, honeycomb, toasted buckwheat, and a pinch of flaky salt to bring them together. While there aren't many ways to mess up a recipe so easily, Damuk has a few tricks to make this salad picture perfect.
First, use a peeler rather than a pairing knife on your rhubarb to avoid any kitchen mishaps. The resulting shreds of rhubarb are easier to marinate in a bowl with some lemon—you can pop the lemon in the refrigerator if you're preparing the stock for later. Secondly, every salad can be taken up a notch by using homemade dressing, which isn't as intimidating as you might think. The bases of almost all homemade dressings are olive oil and lemon juice—if you have these two ingredients, you can easily whip up something that tastes better than anything bottled. This recipe uses a mixture of lemon, honey, and ginger for the dressing.
Check out Damuck's salad recipes, as well as all the recipes he'll be sharing through the Bustle Cook Club on the Bustle YouTube channel. If you've been looking for new ways to make your creative time in the kitchen more fun, you'll definitely want to pay attention.
