Cucumber, Corn, and Avocado Salad with Scallion Dressing over Whipped Feta

& what to expect the next few months (it's good news, don't worry)

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

I got a good night’s sleep last night but still woke up feeling a bit anxious, and then I scrolled on my feed for too long and felt even more anxious. Don’t be like me, and don’t do that! People tell you not to scroll first thing in the morning for a reason!

I’m feeling a little better now after my morning chia pudding and matcha, but I just feel like my to-do list is so long, I can’t get to everything as quickly as I’d like, and everything just feels like a ticking time bomb right now! I also feel like social media has just been feeling weird to me lately. I can’t pinpoint what exactly, but it feels like it’s lacking inspiration.

And before I forget, I wanted to talk about what to expect the next few months! I’m definitely going to take time off to be with baby, but I’ve prepped a bunch of recipes to take us through the next few months, so this newsletter will still be running — the regular, free Wednesday edition as well as 30-minute budget meals on Fridays! There will probably be a bit of a break immediately after I give birth (well not probably, definitely), but do know I have plans to keep this Substack chugging along, and I appreciate your support!

THINGS I’M LOVING!

If I had to conjure up my dream scent for soap, this Dirty Lab’s Dish Soap would be it. It’s made with yuzu, geranium, and lemon balm — dreamy! Grant said the scent reminded him of something nostalgic, but for me, it’s just bright, fresh, and lively. Their formulation doesn’t contain sulfates, parabens, phthalates, etc., which is an added bonus!

I bought these H&M soft-move bike shorts when I was in New York to wear under my dresses when walking a lot, and that was when I realized they were an incredible dupe for Vuori workout shorts. They’re so buttery soft and stretchy, and at only $18, they’re a steal! They hold up great during exercising.

We are living in a non-alcoholic beverage renaissance, and I love it. I’m all about the spritzes, and I find that Ghia has some great options that don’t just taste like watered down juice. Their “Le Spritz Variety Pack” is a great place to start, but I think my personal favorite might be the Sumac & Chili!

DISCOUNT CODES!

Supplements

• KALEMEMAYBE25 gets you 30% off your first order with Ritual!

• Use my link to get up to 45% off Grüns gummy vitamins!

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Armra Colostrum!

Food

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 10% off Fishwife products!

• KMM10 gets you 10% off your first purchase with Ground Up Nut Butters

• DRIZZLE gets you 20% off Little Zing Mustard

• KALEMEMAYBE gets you 15% off Kola Goodies tea lattes

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off Primal Kitchen products

• KALEMEMAYBE15 gets you 15% off Flour & Water products

• CARINA15 gets you 15% off Juliet Wine!

• CARINAWOLFF gets you 40% off your first order with Hungryroot!

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off of Algae Cooking Club

Home & Other Products

• CARINA10 gets you 10% off Starter Kits from Branch Basics!

• CW15 gets you 15% off Bon Charge Red Light Therapy

• CARINA15 gets you 15% off East Fork Pottery

• CARINA20 gets you 20% off at Eva Polar (energy efficient personal air cooler)

• Use my link to get 20% off at Canopy

RECIPE!

Welcome back to my summer salad series! This is salad number four?! In case you missed it, here’s what we have so far:

• High Protein Greek Salad

• Strawberry Feta Kale Salad with Sumac Onions and Spiced Pepitas

• Gigante Bean Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing

Now for this salad — why is it so tempting to put everything over whipped feta? I know it’s a trendy ingredient, but there’s something about that tanginess in feta that gets me every time It’s one of my favorite cheeses, especially when it’s smooth and creamy under a big plate of crunchy vegetables.

This salad contains smashed cucumbers, corn, avocado, shallots, and mint, and it gets tossed in a sizzled scallion dressing, which all gets served over the feta. I topped it with some sliced almonds for even more crunch.

It’s the type of salad where you question if it’s really considered a salad, but that’s the fun part! The perfect appetizer or side dish at your next summer gathering!

Cucumber, Corn, and Avocado Salad with Scallion Dressing over Whipped Feta

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

Salad

• 3 Persian cucumbers

• 1 cup sweet yellow corn (I used from a can)

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup torn mint leaves

• 2 tbsp thinly sliced almonds

Scallion Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 large scallions, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 tsp aleppo or crushed red pepper

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• Zest of 1 lemon

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• Pinch of salt

Whipped Feta

• 4 oz cream cheese (thawed for 10-15 min)

• 5 oz feta, broken up into chunks

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Remove your cream cheese from the fridge to let thaw for 10-15 minutes. Slice your cucumbers in half lengthwise, and then smash with the back of a knife. Chop into bite sized pieces. Add to a medium bowl along with corn, avocado, and mint leaves.

2. Heat up olive oil in a small saucepan on medium-high heat until it’s very hot, but not smoking. While oil is heating, add scallions, garlic, aleppo pepper/red pepper, and cumin to a small bowl. Pour the hot oil over the bowl, and then mix in the vinegar, lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt. Let sit to marinate while you prepare the whipped feta.

3. Take a small handful of crumbled feta and set to the side to use on top of the salad later. Add thawed cream cheese, remaining feta, and olive oil to a food processor, and pulse until everything is well combined and smooth, making sure not to over blend. Texture should be light and whipped.

4. Spread feta onto the bottom of a large plate or bowl. Add the scallion dressing to the bowl with the salad ingredients, and toss together. Pour the dressed salad over the feta, and top with almonds, remaining feta crumbles, and another pinch of aleppo pepper/crushed red pepper. Serve immediately or store in the fridge!

If you’re keeping for later, bring the salad out 10 minutes or so before serving to let the feta soften a bit!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for a Mexican Street Corn Salad made with chickpeas! I think I’ll make this one again this week ;)

Just a reminder!!! Anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive, plus one exclusive recipe a week. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well.