Mixed summer salad

It was a very warm day yesterday and I didn't feel like eating much. I had a couple of rye bread slices with cheese for breakfast and then skipped lunch. This salad was my dinner, and it really was enough. I scavenged my fresh vegetable section and the dry cupboards and found these appealing ingredients to combine in a salad.

One of my favourite additions to this salad are the fresh new season garden peas. When I was a child I wouldn't love any summer snack more than peeling pea pods and eating the content, preferably directly on the field where I picked them. That always was a highlight of the summer when the peas started to ripen.

The balsamic pearls look fascinating and they are a fine thing to be added to salads, otherwise I kept the dressing simple. The balsamic pearls that I purchased are suitable for vegetarians, but I would look out for gelatine as some versions might contain it.

I'm only listing the ingredients used without the amounts, as you can use whatever you happen to have and put more or less of some ingredients to the salad. So, here's what went into my salad:

• garden peas of the new season
• sweet baby peppers
• red & gold santini tomatoes
• black olives
• mixed baby salad leaves
• toasted pine nuts
• mozzarella
• salt & pepper, olive oil with balsamic pearls as the dressing
• garlic bread on the side
  

Have you made a more or less random summer salad as a main meal this year?

I have no idea yet what to eat today as it seems to be even hotter. I might cook some of my own courgettes from the balcony.

Your VegHog