http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2012/jul/27/238337/

Chances are, that if you started coming to this blog because you were looking for ideas for what to do with your initial CSA hauls. You know, the ones with ingredients you tend to never buy (turnips, kohlrabi, etc.) or ones that seem so similar you’re not sure how to use them without eating the same variation of a meal over and over (head lettuce, spring mix and kale, anyone?).

But now, on the cusp of August, you should be completely comfortable with what you’re bringing home or finding at the farmers’ market. Tomatoes, cucumber, onions, peppers and melon have probably been summer staples in your house well before you knew what the heck a CSA was (it stands for Community Supported Agriculture, by the way).

My haul last week? Tomatoes, cucumber (1), onions, multiplier onions, watermelon, bell peppers and kale.

If your CSA pickup was like mine, I doubt I really need to give you ideas on how to use those things. You know what to do. You already have your favorite recipes. And I have mine. And this week, we did nothing spectacular with our haul, we just made food we already know we love.

We made fajitas. We made this salad and one with this dressing, too. We chopped up melon.

And we made the above cheeseless vegetable lasagna, which I haven’t shared before, but have made previously. Honestly, I haven’t shared it because the recipe is super long and has multiple steps. BUT, if you want to know how to make it, and are interested in something with homemade tomato sauce, marinated mushrooms and yet another use for zucchini, let me know by emailing the Lcom folks and I’ll send out a mass email.

Thus, the recipe I’m sharing this week is a super simple one. It takes items you’re getting in spades, mixes it with other goodies and creates a fabulous chopped salad. Feel free to play around with the ingredients — use what you have on hand and don’t go out and buy stuff if you don’t have it. The dressing and the salty-sweet combo of raisins and olives will keep things flavorful, no matter the base.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2012/jul/27/238336/

Midsummer Night(s) Chopped Salad

2 large red peppers (or orange or yellow), seeded and chopped

1 to 2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped

1 to 2 handfuls kalamata olives, pitted and halved

1 to 2 handfuls raisins

1 avocado, chopped

Squirt lemon juice

Pinch each: salt, pepper, nutmeg

Mix the peppers, cucumbers, olives, raisins and avocado in a large bowl. Top with lemon juice and seasonings. Stir gently to mix and enjoy. Serves 1 to 2.