What Did You Eat?

PPN: Spring Asparagus And Sugar Snap Pea Penne Salad

Yes, here it is again, asparagus. I can't resist it.  The price is right and the quality is excellent.  This refreshing salad combines the asparagus with sugar snap peas, penne, and orange segments.  Pasta salads can sometimes be a little boring, but I thought this one was quite interesting.  And it's perfect for a party, where it could safely sit out at room temperature for an extended period.  I long for summer to arrive, with vine ripened tomatoes, basil and peppers. But beautiful spring vegetables, such as these, make the wait bearable.   

This simple but delicious salad is my submission to Presto Pasta Night, which was started by the wonderful Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. Each Friday Ruth has a recap of wonderful pasta recipes from bloggers from all over the world.  So, do stop by and check it out.

WHB: Ahi Tuna Salad With Romaine Wraps (Dill)

Recently, I had lunch at Fins Seafood Restaurant here in Davis.  This is my second meal at Fins, and it may become my favorite local spot to dine.  I ordered the ahi tuna salad, which the waiter explained was made from grilled ahi, scallions, cheddar cheese, mayo, and horseradish.  I wasn't sure how the cheese would work in the salad, but one taste when it arrived at my table made me a fan.  I realized that the salad also had a good amount of fresh chopped dill, and vowed to try and replicate the dish at home.  Yesterday, I made my own version and was very happy with the result.

Fresh dill is key to the flavor of this dish.  I rarely use dried dill, because it lacks the robust flavor of the fresh variety. And fresh dill looks so pretty, I can't resist it.   However, it doesn't have a great deal of staying power and wilts quickly. Fortunately, the fronds can be frozen for later use.  This dish is perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by the wonderful Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.  WHB is being hosted this week by Lia at  Swirling Notions.  Make sure to visit her site to see all the dishes prepared by herby bloggers from all around the world.  Lia should have a re-cap of all the marvelous recipes by Monday.

Presto Pasta Night: Pasta Salad With Tomatoes And Corn

We had quite a heat wave the last two days. Today was the worst, so hot I felt like bread baking in an oven.   I didn't want to eat or cook anything heavy. I didn't want to cook, period.  But, I had a taste for fresh corn and tomatoes. Lately, I  crave them, perhaps because I sense the end is near.  Soon, the days of fresh picked tomatoes and corn will be over until next summer.  That will be a sad thing, because I won't be able to fix a salad like this Pasta Salad With Corn And Tomatoes.  Beautiful to look at and full of  flavor, this was a delight to eat.  I'm submitting it to Presto Pasta Night, which was created by the marvelous Ruth at Once Upon A Feast.   Check Ruth's site starting Friday, when she will begin compiling her Roundup of pasta recipes from bloggers all around the world.

Presto Pasta Night: Israeli Couscous and Corn Salad

Time sure flies.  Six months ago, Ruth at Once Upon A Feast started a blogging event called Presto Pasta Night.  As I recall, Ruth was unsure if it would be a success.  Well, baby--look at you now!  Each Friday more and more bloggers from all over the world gather together at Ruth's roundup, where you will find wonderful pasta recipes.  I wanted to make something special for this week, and thought about making ravioli from scratch.  But, I have my own event taking place right now.  I'm a wildlife rehabilitator and have six baby squirrels right now, at different developmental stages, including a newborn who fell out of his nest two days ago. Right now I spend my time feeding the squirrelly crew all day and night.  I look pretty bad, with baby formula, (and worse) splattered all over my clothes.   So, I decided to make something quick, but cheerful. I love Israeli couscous. It tastes wonderful, and the round shape is fun to look at.  This recipe from Food & Wine Magazine is very colorful and reminds me of a bowl full of confetti, just right for a celebration. 

Julia Child Birthday Event: Fresh Green Beans With Watercress And Tomatoes, Oil And Lemon Dressing

It's Julia Child's birthday today, and last year Lisa at Champaign Taste had the great idea of celebrating by asking people to prepare a Julia recipe. Last year I did a Cobb Salad, which was so good, I still think about it.  That salad took hours to make, and I did quite a bit of swearing during the process. But this year, I made a very simple salad of green beans, tomatoes, and watercress, which took very little time.  It was delicious, and I liked that it shows Julia Child recipes are not all rich, laden with cream, or difficult.  Second, it features blanched green beans, which I learned to do from watching Julia on TV, back when I was a teenager.   Until then, I hated eating green beans, which were usually tasteless, gray, and mushy.  What a revelation it was to taste beans cooked for only 4-7 minutes, with a bit of crunch left in them, then plunged into ice water to set the color.   It's still one of my favorite things to eat, tossed in butter, with chopped herbs. 

Light Waldorf Salad

I made this salad nearly a month ago when my mother-in-law, Bunty was here. We were eating a lot of fatty food and all of us were feeling the weight of it. So, I made this lightened version of Waldorf Salad. Instead of mayonnaise (which I dearly love), it uses a yogurt dressing. I told my Official Taster, Nancy, about this salad and she has been asking me to post it ever since.

I'm not always fond of yogurt on salads, because it can be too tart. But, this dressing surprised me. It was a very good compliment to the sweet fruit, a bit tangy, but muted by the honey.  This was a good tasting, healthy, and refreshing break from heavy eating.  And it was perfect for the summer heat. 

Salad Stravaganza: Simple, Fabulous Tomato Salad

Lis at La Mia Cucina and Kelly at Sass And Veracity hatched the idea of a Salad Stravaganza for this month and I promised to submit something before the deadline of June 25th, and it appears I have managed to make it just in time.  Lis and Kelly are on a quest to acquire smaller hips, a very noble idea, don't you think?  This is an extremely easy salad, but getting the right ingredient may or may not be easy for people. It's a tomato salad that must be made with the best quality fruits (or you can call them vegetables, if you like).   If you're lucky enough to grow your own, by all means use those. But, excellent specimens are starting to appear on the market. And for those still waiting--your time will come.  Really, it will.  The waiting period for vine ripened tomatoes makes them all the more delicious when you finally taste them.  So just keep telling yourself that, as you wait impatiently for them to finally arrive in all their perfection.

WHB: Asian-Style Cole slaw

The new issue of Food & Wine arrived with a photo of a big bowl of cole slaw. Asian-style cole slaw, with a dressing that included fish sauce, garlic, lime juice and Sriracha.   I love Asian salads, so I immediately began thinking about it.  On Friday I assembled all the ingredients and was thrilled with the result. It was crunchy, silky, chewy, sweet, sour, tangy, and hot.   The heat came from the marvelous Thai chili sauce called Sriracha.  You can limit the amount so that it doesn't impart much heat--or you can go all out and blast a hole in your sinuses.  This dish is perfect for Weekend Herb Blogging, the brainchild of the delightful Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen. This week it's being hosted by Rachel at Rachel's Bite.  Please go to her site and see all the marvelous Roundup of herby bloggers.

WHB: Salmon With Thai Red Curry Sauce, Cabbage Salad, And Jasmine Rice

Several years ago, I bought a wonderful cookbook called Terra, Cooking From The Heart Of The Napa Valley, by Hiro Stone and Lissa Doumani.  As often happens, I've enjoyed reading this book and imagined cooking several of the recipes, but never did so.  One dish in particular has appealed to me, a fillet of grilled salmon on top of rice, surrounded with a lovely red curry sauce, and topped with crunchy cabbage salad.  It's exactly the kind of dish that appeals to me.  So, I decided the time had come to make this dish, and I was not disappointed. The sauce is slightly nippy, but not overpowering, and absolutely delicious. The cool, crisp salad is perfect with the soft and succulent salmon.  The dish looks impressive, but is actually quite easy to make. It would be perfect for a dinner party, because you can prepare the rice, sauce, and salad in advance, leaving the salmon, which takes less than ten minutes to cook. 

This recipe is full of herbs and spices, which makes it a noble candidate for Weekend Herb Blogging,  created by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.  This week WHB is being hosted by Rinku at Cooking In Westchester-the practical, spicy, flavorful Way.  Check out the Roundup of herby recipes at Rinku's site, you'll be glad you did.  It was quite easy for me to choose my herb this week. Look at the lovely cilantro gracing the top of the dish. My favorite herb is cilantro, hands down.  Some people hate it, which is unfortunate.  But it appears that this dislike is genetic, so why torture yourself? If that's the case, you could just use the mint.  This was one of my favorite meals this year, so I recommend this to those who like this type of cuisine.   I also recommend the cookbook, Terra. 

Green Blog Project: Mixed Green Salad With Chopped Egg And Flowers

I love my garden. It's not very big, but I'm able to grow some of the vegetables and herbs near and dear to my heart.   So, when I saw that the lovely Mandira at Ahaar was hosting the Green Blog Project, I knew it would coincide with harvesting my first spring vegetables.  My fava beans are almost ready to pick, but the tomatoes were only recently planted, and that splendid moment when I pick my first juicy red fruit is months away.  But some weeks ago, I planted a variety of lettuce seedlings and now they're ready for a salad.  I didn't want to do anything that would overwhelm the fresh picked flavor, so I made a simple garden salad.  Just the lettuce leaves, dressed with a simple vinaigrette, and sprinkled with a little finely chopped hard boiled egg and chives.  I also tossed in some organic flowers.  They look pretty, taste good, and help celebrate the first spring harvest.  If you want to see what other bloggers have in their garden, head over to Mandira's blog.