By The kitchen is in full summer mode. The oven at 375 (always 375), the crockpot on the counter, the pantry stocked with jars from last August's canning — the evidence of a woman who preserves summer against winter and loss against forgetting and food against everything.
Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made zucchini bread earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.
Canning approaches. August. The ritual that marks the turn from growing to preserving, from garden to pantry, from the sun to the jar. The pressure canner — Marlene's mother's, weight jiggly, gauge lying, handle replaced twice — waiting in the closet like a veteran reporting for duty. The heirloom equipment for the heirloom work.
Between the tater tot hotdish and the pressure canner waiting in the closet, August asks a lot of the kitchen — and of the cook. This spinach salad is what I reach for when I need something that doesn’t require the oven or a timer or preserving anything at all. It’s cool and quick and honest, a small exhale between the heavier work, and it fits right alongside whatever else is simmering or jarring or holding the week together.
Cottage Cheese Spinach Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried
- 1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cucumber, sliced into half-moons
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds or toasted pepitas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Optional: a pinch of dried dill or fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until well combined. Set aside.
- Prep the vegetables. Halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the red onion thin, and cut the cucumber into half-moons. Place them in a large salad bowl with the baby spinach.
- Add the cottage cheese. Spoon the cottage cheese in small dollops over the top of the salad — don’t stir it in yet. It should sit on top like soft clouds.
- Dress the salad. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the greens and vegetables. Toss gently, keeping the cottage cheese in loose chunks rather than fully incorporating it.
- Finish and serve. Scatter the sunflower seeds or pepitas over the top. Garnish with fresh chives or a pinch of dill if using. Serve immediately while the spinach is crisp.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 155 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg