Heirloom Tomatoes with Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing

Look! More tomatoes I did NOT grow in my garden! Yes, friends, I am still feeling cranky that I have 21 tomato plants taking up real estate in the backyard, and it's August and still not a single tomato harvested, forcing me to purchase tomatoes from the store. CURSES. Although today one tomato started to blush a little yellow. Could this be the beginning of the bushels or tomatoes I had hoped for?? My heart is going pitter pat even at the thought.

On the bright side of things, look what a fabulous tomato salad you can make, even if you have to buy your tomatoes from the grocery store! And OH MY GOD. I totally wasn't even intending to blog this, it being the first time I had made the dressing and I didn't even bother to take pictures as I made it, but honestly people, THIS SALAD BLEW MY MIND. The tomatoes and the dressing and the seasonings all blend together into a perfect harmony of contrasts and compliments and I just about passed out after the first bite I was so overwhelmed with the tangy creamy sweet sour goodness. This tomato salad was so good that it was equal to, if not better than, the salad that allegedly cured my infertility nearly two years ago this month.

Please, I beg you, even if you don't like tomatoes, please try this. It just might be the best salad in the whole wide world.





Heirloom Tomatoes with Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing
adapted from the recipe by Ina Garten

The best place to find heirloom tomatoes is probably your local farmer's market, but I bought these at Trader Joe's and I thought they were delicious. Whatever you do, just make sure that the tomatoes you choose are fully ripe when you eat them; if they are white or mealy in the center, they are not worth eating.

Ingredients
3 pounds heirloom tomatoes, mixed colors and sizes
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound Gorgonzola cheese, divided in half
1 cup good mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley


slice and core tomatoes, cutting the large ones into thick slices, and halving cherry tomatoes. Arrange on platter, and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and parsley.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine half the Gorgonzola, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup cream, and 2 tablespoons vinegar, as well as 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Process until combined, but still chunky.

Drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes. Crumble the rest of the blue cheese, and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

Ina Garten's Basil Green Goddess Dressing - The Best Salad Dressing EVER

I have finally found a dressing that begs the question, can you BE in love with a salad dressing? Oh yes, you can. You know, this is not the first green goddess dressing I've ever had, but it is hands down THE best. Ever. Someday when I am old and gray, I will be able to look back at my life with satisfaction because I will, at last, have found the perfect salad dressing.

I'm not really one to go in for traditional salad. A salad made of lettuce and a few tomatoes? So boring. But that was before I had this salad. And this salad is different than your typical ho-hum, been there, done that salad for a couple of reasons. First, the lettuce: I have never had butterhead lettuce before (where have I been for the last 26 years?) and it totally rocks. I tend to really dislike lettuce, but, true to its name, this lettuce is mild and delicious, not bitter or bland at all. I loved it. Second, these were some of the most amazing tomatoes I have ever had. My aunt grew them in her backyard, and OH MY. A perfectly ripe tomato really is a thing of beauty. If you are not lucky enough to have an aunt like mine, I am sure your farmer's market has some lovely tomatoes this time of year.



But the dressing. Oh. The dressing. It's marvelous. And don't stop with salad. This would be great on grilled chicken, as a dip for vegetables, tossed with red potatoes and chopped parsley as a potato salad - endless, endless possibilities. Please, please make this dressing. I mean, just talking about this salad is making me want it. In fact, be right back....

...Oh. so good. Yeah, I'm eating it right now. Why aren't you?




Ina Garten's Basil Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
adapted from Barefoot Contessa At Home
Makes about 4 cups

Fun fact: Green goddess dressing was originally created at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the 1920's in honor of William Archer's hit play The Green Goddess. This recipe has been updated by Ina Garten, and I've changed it up a bit too. The original called for tarragon, but Ina is right on the money by using basil instead.

Ingredients
1 cup good mayonnaise, such as Hellman's or Best Foods
1 cup chopped green onions (scallions), white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh basil, packed
juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 anchovy fillets, minced (don't skip! You won't taste the anchovies, but it definitely gives the dressing a fuller flavor)
1 cup sour cream

Place the mayonnaise, green onions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and anchovies in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add sour cream, blending until just incorporated. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Enjoy!

Four Pepper Black Bean Salad with Tangy Lime Vinaigrette

Oh internet. How I've missed you. What happened to us? Remember back when we used to hang out and talk about recipes every other day? And then tell each other secrets and brush each other's hair? Good times.

So. I don't even want to go into where I've been over the past two weeks, I don't want to bore you with tales of mystery soup and the odds and ends of our pantry and freezer. Honestly, I'm just too tired to even go into it all right now. Lets just say that the baby has been difficult (night. waking. every. hour. ack.) and there may have been a week or two where I mismanaged the budget and consequently, we didn't buy much in the way of groceries. There were also some failed pickles. I don't even want to talk about the stupid failed pickles. GAR! Damn pickles. I will conquer you yet!

Aaaanyway.






Lets talk about brighter things. Bell peppers! Oh, how I love them. I love them especially in this salad, in all it's tangy goodness. And darlings, it's so simple! This is one of my go-to recipes for summer, and it's a great on a hot summer evening, or as a pot-luck item at a summer barbecue. And of course, bell peppers are in season right now, so they are delicious and cheap. What's not to love?



Four Pepper Black Bean Salad with Tangy Lime Vinaigrette


What's the difference between a green, yellow, orange, and red bell pepper? They are actually all the same vegetable, just in different stages of ripeness.* The riper the pepper, the more red and sweet it is. I like that this salad has all four colors, because it provides a broad range of flavors, from the crisp tartness of a green pepper to the sharp sweetness of a red one, and the mellow flavor of the oranges and yellows between. Mix it up with some creamy black beans and lime vinaigrette, and you've got one hec of a salad.

* UPDATE: I stand corrected. While green and red peppers are indeed the same plant, yellow and orange strains are different altogether. Thanks Elizabeth! :)

Ingredients
4 bells peppers, preferably in green, yellow, orange, and red
1 14oz can of black beans
1 small red onion (or 1/2 a medium one)
1 bunch cilantro
3 limes
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/2 if you want it milder)
kosher salt
black pepper



Take your four bell peppers and dice them up. Oh, what's that you say? You want me to explain how to do that? Oh! Oh! So excited! K, here goes: First cut the top off a bell pepper. Set it aside. It is a tasty snack for you to eat.




then cut off the bottom of the bell pepper. Revolutionary, right?




Cut pepper into thirds, and remove ribs and seeds.




Slice each third into strips...




... then cut across the strips to make little cubes. Voila! diced bell pepper. Wasn't that easy?




Remember that bottom? We are not done with it.




Slice into strips...




...and then slice crosswise. Wow, we are having SO MUCH FUN. Why did I neglect you for so long, internet o' mine? After this, let's go boil some water! Yeah! Good times. Repeat with other peppers, and then put all those peppers in a medium bowl.




Open 1 can of black beans. Oh yuck. What IS that stuff around the beans? I don't know, but let's wash those beans off.




Oh, so much better. Add to the bowl of peppers.




Now take 1 small red onion.




Slice into, er, slices.




Then slice those slices into, er, dices. Woo! I'm on a roll here. Add to peppers and beans.




Finely chop 1 bunch cilantro. Add to peppers, beans, and onions.




Ready for that vinaigrette? Add the juice of three limes.




Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Whisk together. Add 1/3 cup olive oil in a slow steady stream, still whisking. Whisk until combined.




Add 3 tablespoons honey.




Whisk in 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Whisk together and pour over pepper black bean mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly.




Let rest 5-10 minutes, to give the flavors a chance to meld. Enjoy!

Spicy Summer Slaw with Cilantro and Carrots

I don't know about you, by my first experience with coleslaw was the bland, mushy, mayonnaise drenched slop ladled out at the deli counter of my local grocery store. And if you're like me, that means you are likely to write coleslaw off as yet another Processed Food That is Ruining America's Waistline.

I felt that way until I started making slaws myself, and heavens to Murgatroyd, Peneope! That stuff's amazing! In fact, that mushy deli swill (which has probably been there for days) can't even hold a candle to the glory that is a crisp, flavor jammed home made slaw. It just doesn't even compare. Why do people even buy the other stuff? And can we talk about just how good for you homemade slaw can be? Cabbage and carrots are packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and cancer fighting good stuff. You might as well put on a halo while you're eating it.

I've made a lot of slaw this summer, but this one is something special. It's got a little heat to it, but otherwise is crisp and cool, tangy, sweet, and crunchy. The cilantro and the cumin definitely give it a little kick. It's my favorite of the summer so far.

So try it already! It goes great with this barbecue pulled pork sandwich recipe, or the best grilled chicken ever, with big Bob's Gibson's White Barbecue Sauce.


Spicy Summer Slaw with Cilantro and Carrots

Hey internet, let's be lazy together. Have you got a food processor? It was born for this. It takes about 30 seconds to make this slaw if you have one. And oh, ok, it takes a whopping 5 minutes to do things the old fashioned way with a knife and a grater, but let's just be lazy together, shall we? It's summer.


Ingredients
1/2 a head green cabbage
4 large carrots
1 cup cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped or snipped with kitchen scissors
1/2 cup safflower mayonnaise (or regular mayonnaise)
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper


1. Using a kitchen knife, remove stem from cabbage. Cut in half from top to bottom. Either cut into long, thin strips with the knife, or use the slicing attachment on your food processor to slice each chunck. Set aside in a large bowl.

2. Trim carrot tops (I leave the skin on, more nutritious, and it's not like you can tell the difference. Also, we're being lazy, remember? And peeling carrots... too much work). Grate using a box grater, or the grating attachment on your food processor. Add grated carrots to cabbage in large bowl. Add cilantro.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, honey, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and cracked pepper. Drizzle over cabbage mixture. Toss to coat. Enjoy!

Roasted Golden Beet and Asparagus Salad with Baby Spinach

In the spirit of trying new things and getting out of the ol' recipe rut, I bring you golden beets.

Wait, BEETS? Seriously?

I have a sort of embarrassing confession to make relating to beets: I have never tried them. Not even once. Beets have just never been very far up on my "must-try-before-I-die" list. All of experiences with beets has been limited to the mushy, limp variety which comes in a can, and I'm sorry but I am NOT about to put flaccid purple mystery-vegetable into my mouth. I can think of approximately 500 other things on my "must-try" list I would like to have before canned beets.



Leave it to Alice Waters, she of Chez Panisse fame, the godmother of Californian cuisine and the slow-food movement, to change my mind. It seems that President Obama does not care for beets either. But Alice, well, she would like to change that. She said, and I quote, "I would like to serve him some golden beets sometime that were roasted in the oven, that were not overcooked, that were dressed with a lovely little vinaigrette, maybe even diced in a salad. Squeeze 'em with a little lime. It's fantastically nutritious."

Um, that sounds kind of good. Maybe I have written off a vegetable as bland and mushy when it is, in fact, delicious and flavorful in its fresh, uncanned, unprocessed state?




We picked these beauties up at the farmer's market last Friday. They are so PRETTY! But did they taste good? Well, when we got home, we trolled the internet to figure out how to prepare them (apparently, they taste best roasted). I was going to make a salad out of Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food, but it seems I left 1/2 my order at the farmer's market and didn't have enough. So I made this recipe up. And you know what? It was REALLY good. We were both surprised by how much we like beets. They have an earthy flavor that paired really well with asparagus, spinach, feta cheese, and a tangy cumin-yogurt sauce. I totally recommend you try them. You know, just in case you have never tried beets either and want to give them a chance.








Roasted Golden beet and Asparagus Salad with Baby Spinach, Feta, and Cumin-Yogurt Dressing

This is great "spring" food - all of these vegetables should be (theoretically) available at your farmer's market. I used rice noodles (making the dish gluten free), but if you want to use regular noodles I'm sure it will taste great too.

Ingredients
5 small - medium sized golden beets
1 large bunch asparagus
2 handfuls of baby spinach (about 1/2 a pound, or 1/2 a bag pre-packed)
1 lb rice pasta in a small shape (not spaghetti)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek or European style whole milk yogurt, plain
2 tbs white balsamic vinegar or other tasty vinegar
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 glug olive oil



FIRST - preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring water to boil in a large pot, and cook your noodles. If you are making rice noodles, be sure to rinse thoroughly, they are hella starchy.



thoroughly scrub the beets, and cut off the green tops (supposedly these are edible too, but the top of my beets didn't look too pretty, and I was being daring enough for one day). Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast about 45 minutes, until beets can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.



Cut the ends off the asparagus and cut into 1" sections. Toss asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper on a large rimmed baking tray. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes until tender and bright green. Remove from oven and let cool.




Slip the skins off of the beets. They should tear away easily.




Slice into thin wedges.




In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, vinegar, cumin, and cayenne pepper. In a larger bowl, combine this dressing with noodles, beets, asparagus, fresh spinach, feta cheese, and dressing. Toss liberally to coat.




Enjoy!

Warm white bean salad with asparagus, feta, and bacon

Have you ever opened the fridge only to find the empty shelves staring back at you, the sad neon light blinking reproachfully? Most nights, that's my signal to pick up the phone and make a hasty call for some pad thai. Usually by the time I get to the point where I'm poking my nose in the fridge, it's too late for dinner creativity anyway, much less concocting something edible out or this and that, mad scientist fashion.

On the other hand, sometimes the grocery money is spent, the slush fund is spent, and it's too late at night to make a call for pad thai anyway. Which is how this salad was born. And may I say that it's crazy good? Maybe I should play mad scientist for often. Because really, this salad is one happy accident, and it's staying in my recipe book FOREVER.

One of the nice things about this "salad" is that it's so hearty: it really is a meal in and of itself, and it makes a great lunch. I also love the fresh asparagus. After a long winter (haha! I know, I know, I can hardly complain about "winter") of potatoes and rice and cheese and meat, it's so nice to eat something fresh and new.

Sometimes I put tomatoes in this... and sometimes I don't. Usually, this time of year, I don't. All the tomatoes you can get are mealy and white and totally disgusting. However, I had a box of them from Mexico, and they were really ripe and sweet, so... I put them in. They were delicious, by the way.



Beck's Favorite White Bean Salad with Asparagus, Feta, and Bacon

Feeds 2 for lunch, or up to 6 as an appetizer

There are three things that really "make" this salad. The first is the dressing. Without the dressing, this is not a salad, just a bowl of beans and asparagus. The other two things are the bacon and the feta cheese. They play off of each-other, and the beans, and the asparagus, and everything else. The whole really is greater than a sum of the parts. Please don't skip the bacon. Nate would be sad.

Ingredients
• 1 can white beans packed in water, thoroughly rinsed in a colander
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1/3 cup black beluga lentils (they have these at Trader Joe's pre-cooked, I imagine they probably have them at Whole foods and regular markets as well)
• 2 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, drained on a paper towel, and chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (but if they're not in season and you can't get them, just skip them, OR maybe use sun-dried tomatoes, those are good too)
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (I like sun-dried tomato flavor)
• 1 tbs white balsamic vinegar, or white wine vinegar
• 3 tbs virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• cracked black pepper



Bring a pot of water to a boil. Chop asparagus into 1" pieces, and blanch in the boiling water until just tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.


Combine rinsed beans, black beluga lentils, bacon pieces, asparagus, feta, and tomatoes in a large bowl.


In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, some black pepper, and a pinch of salt, until salt is dissolved. One tablespoon at a time, add olive oil, whisking constantly, until all is combined. Add a little more oil or vinegar as necessary, until it tastes delicious and you want to drink the whole bowl. Pour over the bean mixture. Toss to combine. Enjoy!

Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad

I know. I go from blogging about cookies with a pound of chocolate in the batter, and I follow it up with... salad? Seriously? A Salad? Um, yeah. I do. There's no way I can top those cookies. I mean, anything I blog about after that is bound to be a disappointment. So instead of even trying, I bring you something completely different: Nate's bacon egg salad.

Have you noticed bacon as a theme here yet? Does it seem like I put bacon into everything? Well, I do. Nate loves bacon. No, wait. I don't think you understand. He LOVES bacon. He loves bacon with a passion I don't even pretend to understand. I honestly don't get it, because to me, bacon is just another ingredient, and it's not even one I like especially. But Nate just, you know, LIVES for bacon, and isn't happy if we don't have a pound of it in the house AT ALL TIMES.



And this salad? I have to admit, it's pretty awesome. I'm not much of a bacon lover myself, but this this salad really elevates bacon above the level of salty smoky meat into the realm of the beatific. There's something about the interplay between the crispy bacon, the soft eggs, and the tang of the dressing that is really something. It's definitely a favorite in our house, and makes a very filling lunch. I feed it to Nate all the time: it's man-pleasin'. So. Got a man who likes bacon? Give this one a whirl. Even if he's not much of a salad guy, he'll probably love this!




Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad

This salad is SO EASY. It's very simple, but very good. Good ingredients really shine through here. What makes this salad (apart from the bacon, obviously) is the vinaigrette. I mean, without this vinaigrette, this salad is not "Nate's Favorite Bacon Egg Salad." Maybe it's somebody else's salad, but it's not this one. For this salad, a good balsamic vinegar is the key (and so is a decent virgin olive oil, but no need to be TOO fancy about it). This is my favorite balsamic vinegar. I can't even remember where it came from, but it's like nectar from the gods. When it runs out, I am totally going to cry because I've never seen it again.



Actually, this vinegar came from Modena, like many great vinegars (I know that much). And speaking of Medina, I just sent a renaissance doublet there! I fact, I sent this one:



I told you I was domestic. This is what I do for my day-job. It's fun.

Ok! recipe:

Ingredients
3 strips of bacon
2 hard boiled eggs
baby spinach (about 1 lb? I just use 3/4 of a bag. I am ashamed to admit, but I don't even know how much that is!)
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
cracked pepper
6 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Dijon mustard
thyme


Fry your bacon up in a heavy skillet, then drain on a paper towel. Transfer to a cutting board, and dice. Peel eggs and dice as well. Combine eggs, bacon, and spinach in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, measure 2 tbs of vinegar. Add a pinch of salt, and some cracked pepper. Whisk to dissolve salt. Add olive oil 1 tbs at a time, whisking, until all is incorporated. Do a little taste test and add more oil or vinegar until it tastes divine and is well blended. Add mustard and thyme, and whisk to combine.



Pour dressing over bacon/egg/spinach mixture. NOTE! There may be more dressing than you like. Sometimes if I have a little extra I store it in the fridge for next time. Toss until the dressing has coated all the spinach.

enjoy!