Tomato pomegranate vinaigrette and a long weekend

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It's hot.  I'm busy.  So I have bundled up lots of weekend photos into some collages and tried to keep this short.  But there is a lot to say.  A whinge, a celebration and a salad.  And did I mention it was the Labour Day long weekend.  It's autumn but it feels like summer.  Melbourne is eight days into its nine day heatwave.  Tomorrow is forecast to be a record-breaking 37 C.  Nine days with the temperature over 30.  That is my excuse if this post is slightly rambling.

Summer: the Bad
sweat, sleepless nights, fast-melting soft serve ice cream, mozzies, hayfever, too hot to bake, no energy, hot pavements, frizzy hair, sunburn, squinting in the sunshine, flies, getting into a hot car, airless closed up rooms, sticky tired kids, putting suncream on our white cat, plants shrivelling if not watered regularly, heat-affected chocolate

Things that most displeased me this weekend:

• No chocolate in my pain au chocolat from the supermarket.  (I know, I know, what did I expect buying them from the supermarket but they were so cheap!)
• Getting organised to go to the pool alone to swim laps and it was closed due to an outbreak of gastro.  
• Hayfever from dusty ground at the Melbourne Irish Festival (above), despite driving there in the rain!
• Supermarket sold out of all fizzy water (except the tiny bottle) late on Saturday afternoon.

Summer: the Good:
bare feet, swimming, icy poles, tomatoes, evening walks, gorgeous clouds, leaving the house without a cardigan, spills dry quickly, cold drinks, long nights, flowers, washing dried quickly on the line, summer dresses, quick relaxed dinners, summer dresses, air-conditioned shopping centres, opening the doors at the end of the day, stone fruit, the beach, listening to crickets at night, salads.

Things that most delighted me this weekend:

• Watching the step dancing at the Melbourne Irish Festival
• Eating limeade icy poles
• (Not quite weekend but) International Women's Day morning tea on Friday (great brownies, thanks Penny)
• Sylvia playing in her paddling pool
• Green fairy floss at the Melbourne Irish Festival
• A cold organic lemonade at Abbotsford Convent to combat the heat
• Sylvia playing in the Edinburgh Gardens kids park after the Melbourne Irish Festival

It is a hot weekend when Sylvia just wants her ice cream, paddling pool filled, icy poles and even sets up a play shop in her bedroom selling ice creams (made of paper and tissue paper) and icy poles (made of yoghurt tubs and wooden sticks).  At the Melbourne Irish Festival her soft serve ice cream didn't take long to fall on the ground and was replaced by pink and green fairy floss.

We also went to the BikeFest at Abbotsford Convent.  I drove my car there (sad face).  Even if I was as fit as I used to be when I cycled about more it would have been too hot, especially with a 4 year in tow.  I did get out on my bike briefly later in the weekend.

Sylvia loved the coconut-based choc-mint ice cream.  I was a bit less sure of it but it was interesting to try.  I enjoyed the pakoras and steamed dumplings from Lentil as Anything.  We also had a lovely time tasting bakes, jams and chutneys that were submitted to the food competitions.  I particularly loved the pomegranate jelly.  Sylvia had a great banana oat choc chip cookie.  I was fascinate to see a tandem bike on display and enjoyed the music.

Summer means salads.  Cold, easy, quick meals.  I searched Pinterest, Eat Your Books and Delicious.  Delicious produced great salad inspiration.  I finally am getting some success with Eat Your Books and found a burger that I made the second night to serve with the salad.

The salad was really a tomato pomengranate vinaigrette that Janet made recently.  It was easy to make and added great flavour to any fresh vegetables.  I didn't rest it in the fridge overnight and I used more salt than Janet.  It was still rather tangy but also very tasty.

I served it with different vegetable combinations over two nights.  The first night I tossed it with cooked corn, snow peas, red capsicum, spinach, feta, carrot.  The second night it was with spinach, red capsicum, mushroom, raw corn, carrot sticks.  I had a bad experience with a bag of avocados last week.  They only ripened in half the avocado.  It made me wary of buying more.  A shame.  I think avocados would be brilliant with the vinaigrette.  I think some rice or buckwheat groats or other grains would go well too.

The hot weather can't last forever.  Our days will get cooler.  So while I have the chance I am sending this to Lisa for this month's No Croutons Required (an event she runs with Jacqueline.  The theme is raw salads and soups.  While it is not technically raw, given that pomegranate molasses is boiled down molasses juice, I hope it will be close enough for jazz for Lisa.  I am also sending it to Ricki for her Wellness Weekends.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Ukes, Labour Day and Pumpkin facon soup
Two years ago:  MLLA Renovation pancakes
Three years ago: Bread and Roses for International Women’s Day
Four years ago: Citrus Grape Cake
Five years ago: PPN #54 The Princess of Pastas

Tomato-Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Adapted from Turquoise via the Taste Space
Make enough substantial salad for 6-8 people

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp basil infused olive oil (or oil of choice, like extra virgin olive oil)
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tomato, chopped
1 spring onion, sliced
1 small garlic clove, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
generous pinch of pepper

Blend all ingredients (or strain through a sieve).  Toss through salad or keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Salad suggestions for pairing with the vinaigrette: spinach, rocket, corn, red capsicum, carrot sticks, cucumber, mushrooms, snow peas, feta, goats cheese and avocado.

On the stereo:
Late Night Tales: Nouvelle Vague: Various Artists