I know we’re late to join the bandwagon, but we enjoyed this salad all through last summer, and now that watermelon and tomatoes are starting back in season, it seemed like it was about time to share this with you. My parents lived in Atlanta very briefly at the beginning of last summer. It didn’t work out so well, but they say at least one good thing came out of it — they went to a restaurant that served this salad. I’m not even a big tomato fan, but when it’s combined with watermelon and feta cheese, as has become popular lately, it becomes something wonderful. And the way my parents serve this salad is all about the presentation. It’s simple and quick, but elegant and a bit “dressed up” looking at the same time. It’s especially nice with both yellow and red tomatoes, as shown here.
I know this is barely a recipe, but the peas are so sweet and beautiful right now, that I wanted to remind you, just in case you haven’t been enjoying the peas at your local farmer’s market, and just in case you haven’t tried cooking with mint, that you should do so. Right now, before it’s too late!
I served these with the tilapia with cilantro butter I shared last week, but it’s the perfect accompaniment for any fresh spring meal. (more…)
Last weekend I asked mom to bring a salad to dinner, but she did much better — she brought romaine to grill along with the chicken we were making! I had been seeing recipes for grilled romaine, but hadn’t tried it yet. I wasn’t convinced I thought lettuce was going to have enough flavor to be worth grilling, but boy was I wrong — this was delicious! It reminded me a little of the caramelized brussels sprouts we were making all the time last winter. She kindly shared the recipe. Next time you fire up the grill, you should definitely try this one out.
If there’s one person outside my family — which, not to brag, includes numerous excellent cooks — whose cooking I really admire and am inspired by, it would be our good family friend Kelly Branson. She can do everything from comfort food and cookies to fancy party food, always making it look easy and elegant — and everything is always delicious.
When Matt and I got married, Kelly and her daughter Meg, who I’ve been friends with since I was about 8, hosted a Bridesmaids Brunch for me. With the invitations, they enclosed recipe cards for the guests to fill out, so now I have a wonderful box of recipes from my family and friends. Kelly filled out several cards, and one of them was for her baked ziti with these roasted vegetables. Someday I’ll pass along the recipe for the baked ziti, too, which is delicious, but last weekend I just made these roasted vegetables. As Kelly says, “I could eat these roasted veggies all day – spread on crackers, pizza – cold, hot, yummy, yummy, yummy.”
I know you’re all thrilled to hear we are back in town and finally getting to do some cooking again! The food on our RAAM trip was actually pretty good thanks to the hard work of Anne, our resident chef, but it still feels good to get back in the kitchen.
I’ll readily admit that this is not the most photogenic side dish in the world — but it sure is delicious. Matt and I bought The South Beach Diet Cookbook several months ago, with a plan to try to eat along those lines. The diet didn’t last long — instead we decided to start a food blog! But, we have enjoyed a few recipes out of the cookbook, particularly this one for edamame, which we make all the time. It goes well with stir fry, as in the picture, but it’s often just a go-to vegetable side dish for us, since we can keep everything on hand. It is definitely quick, easy and healthy, and it’s surprisingly delicious, especially considering how little there is to it. I urge you to give it a try!
Sesame Edamame
adapted from The South Beach Diet Cookbook
12 oz frozen shelled edamame
1 T light soy sauce
1/2 c water
1 1/2 t sesame oil
Dash of hot pepper sauce (we use either Tabasco or Crystal, depending on how spicy we want it)
Combine edamame, soy sauce, and water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to low and simmer for about 12 minutes, until tender. Continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated and the beans get a little bit shriveled-y and caramelized. (I think it’s best if they seem to almost be getting dried up. They seem to have more flavor that way.) Stir in the sesame oil and hot pepper sauce.
