salads101...101salads

the minimalist, Mark Bittman, published an article on 101 salads last week. they all take less than 20 minutes and are truly a product of his genius.

here are some of my faves from his list...

astonishing

tomatoes, peaches, red onion, red pepper flakes and cilantro. drizzle with olive oil and lime or lemon juice.

there is no better use of raw carrots

shredded carrots, cumin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice and cilantro. raisins can add some sweetness to the mix.

this will be even better in the fall

slice fennel and crisp apple, and mix with mustardy vinaigrette and parsley.

saladmania

if you have a party on the hottest day ever, it's ok to eat just salads. these were the treats people brought for kristen's birthday... pictured is an arugula and radish salad, orzo salad with grape tomoatoes and feta, artichoke salad with roasted red peppers and greek salad with balsamic. not pictured: Israeli couscous salad by kKristin and elof, sweet crack kalbi short ribs by lily and spicy black pepper pork tenderloins by alex. there were also bratwursts. i do not know who brought them. but i ate one with mustard.

cobble cobble cobble (that joke was corny)

Allison made this recipe from the August issue of Gourmet on the hottest day in Seattle EVER. Srsly, we broke a record.

At first, I was having a hard time imagining how corn covered in mint and feta would taste. Well, turns out it tastes just like heaven. Allison made a healthier version by mixing a combination of fat-free and regular feta with the half cube of butter. If that's not healthy, then I don't know what is.

Allison's Corn on the Cobb with Mint-Feta Butter (Gourmet, August 2009)

Ingredients

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
7 ounces feta, finely crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
8 large ears of corn, shucked, each cob cut crosswise into 4 pieces

Preparation

Stir together butter, feta, mint, and a rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

Cook corn in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer with tongs to butter mixture and toss until well coated.

Hot & Spicy Garlic Green Beans

In case you need a tasty side dish to go with your 7 flavor beef, these green beans will hit the spot.

HOT & SPICY GREEN BEANS

1 lb. green beans, with the ends snapped off

Splash of olive oil

1 tbsp. hot chili oil

1 tbsp. red pepper flakes

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce.

Quickly cook the green beans in salted boiling water (about 3 minutes, make sure they're still crispy and bright green) and drain. Heat oils, add garlic and red pepper flakes. Add green beans to pan and saute. Add soy to pan and cook for another minute. These are pan to plate in about 5 minutes.