This is one of those recipes that slips into your repetoire and before you know it you are making it 4 times a month and referring to it as my watermelon salad. This is not my recipe, it comes to me from K, and to her from a restaurant in San Francisco, and really, it's a classic greek pairing. But, I promise you, make it a few times, serve it to your friends, and before long you too will be calling it My Watermelon Salad.

1/4 to 1/3 of a ripe water melon, cut into bite sized pieces.
1/2 to 1 Cup of soft greek feta, cut or crumbled into pieces.
A good handful of basil, cut to ribbons
Juice of one lemon.
Some good olive oil.
Some basil oil if you're feeling fancy
2 T toasted pinenuts.
Maldon salt and some coarsely ground pepper.

Salad greens. K uses mache, which I can never find. I use watercress. Butter lettuce might be nice. I think arugula would be great. So, you know, pick something green and toss it in.

If I was going to do this salad for work, I'd cut the watermelon into rounds and the cheese into squares, and stack it all up in layers, and garnish it with a cutesy little cress salad on top of the stack, but, since I am anti fancy plating at home, I just toss the whole mess into a big bowl and swirl it around with my hands till everything is coated.

It's hot. Okay, it's not really all that hot. But I still don't feel like cranking up the oven, or heating up a frying pan.

And it's fruit season. I've had entire dinners made up of blueberries and cherries twice this week. Avocadoes with salt and lime for lunch. Watermelon for breakfast.

Why cook when the farmers market is overflowing with fruit.

I wanted dinner to accompany my traditonal election return watching beer, and salad seemed the right blend of not really cooking and "real dinner".

Grilled Apricot Soy Chicken Salad

(as always, sub firm tofu for the chicken, if it suits your fancy)

2 T apricot jam
1/4 cup light soy sauce or tamari
1/2 t dried ginger
a sprinkling red pepper flakes.

Warm the whole mess up in a saucepan, just to melt the jam.
Allow to cool.

Toss in some chicken tenders, or sliced chicken breast. Marinate for a half hour or so.

Grill. Outside.

Toss some salad greens in your favourite vinaigrette.

Pretty up your plate with some sliced avocado, cherry tomatos, sliced cucumbers and shaved red onion.
Add a bit of blue cheese, and some crumbled bacon.
Add the chicken, and salt and pepper to taste.

Crack a beer. Watch the election returns. Enjoy.

Slice a small loaf of bread (I use a demi-loaf of Fig Anise bread from my local bakery because it is the best bread in the entire world. Note to self: must learn how to make fig anise bread) and cut into largish cubes.

Toast lightly under the broiler, til slightly browned and crisp.

Chop small tomatoes into quarters and toss into a serving bowl.

Add a handful of marinated cherry boconcini (I marinate in basil olive oil, torn basil leaves, and a few whole pepper corns - 24 hours to 72 hours). The cheese is better if you have time to let it come to room temperature before you serve the salad. I don't always. Life goes on.

Add torn basil leaves to your taste.

Salt and Pepper generously.

Drizzle with olive oil and fig balsamic vinegar.

Add the toasted bread cubes.

Toss thoroughly.
Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.

2 t olive oil, divided
1 t dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c cider vinegar
2 (16 oz) cans white beans - cannellini or whatever, rinsed and drained*
1 1/2 c diced plum tomatoes
1/2 c chopped sweet onion (and everyone knows Vidalia is the only option here)
1/2 c (2 oz) crumbled blue cheese
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
1/2 t each salt and black pepper

Heat 1 t oil, saute oregano and garlic 30 seconds. Add vinegar adn remove from heat. Combine with beans and cover and chill 30 minutes. Add 1 t oil, tomato, rest of ingredients and toss well.

*The Bush's great northern beans I used this time weren't as firm as I would have liked. Starting with dried beans would certainly fix that, but maybe a different brand or a different bean would, too.

(courtesy Guppy)

I have made this twice now with all the carrots I have lying around from the winter (I was getting tons of them in the veg delivery). I never make the garnish stuff or use the sugar (I don't see a need and there has to be a damn good reason for sugar in non sugary things, in my book), and this last time I made it I didn't measure anything and skipped the celery because I didn't have any around (I added a little extra pepper). It sounds insane, but it is really good, you can play around with it a lot.

Szechuan Carrot Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
a 3/4-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and sliced thin
1/8 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
3 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable)
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 cup milk (you could skip it, or use coconut milk)

Garnish: 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons heavy cream

In a large heavy saucepan cook onion, celery, and garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Add carrots, gingerroot, red pepper flakes, and broth and simmer, covered, until carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and in a blender purée mixture in batches (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return soup to pan and heat over low heat until hot, being careful not to let boil.

Serve soup drizzled decoratively with sour cream mixture.

(courtesy Pink)

Beth's Split Pea Soup

1 large carrot, diced very fine
1 stalk celery, diced very fine
1 medium onion, minced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive or other oil

1 bouquet garni (herbs tied up in cheesecloth) containing 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, fresh parsley, and a dozen peppercorns. (You can substitute dried herbs in or out of cheesecloth, and I also threw in some marjoram)

8 cups cold water, or 4 cups chicken stock and 4 cups water
1 smoked ham shank or ham hock, or 1 cup minced ham, or 1 large smoked sausage (chopped), or skip the meat altogether
1 pound split peas
Salt to taste

Rinse the peas but don't soak them. Sautee onion and garlic in oil at the bottom of a heavy dutch oven until the onions turn translucent. Add other ingredients, including the bouquet garni, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally. (I think it needs at least 3 hours but some people don't like it so mushy.) Remove ham bones and skin and bouquet garni; discard. Serve soup with parmesan cheese.

If you don't use stock and you don't cook it with a bone, you may want to thicken it with some butter and flour mixed together. Or take the cover off for the last half hour and cook it down a little. Split pea soup is very, very forgiving.

(courtesy Beth

Three-Grain Vegetable Salad with Cilantro Cream

Salad:

1 cup long grain brown rice
1/3 cup pearled barley
¼ cup wild rice
2 ½ cups vegetable stock or water
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
2 small yellow zucchini, cut into a ¼-inch dice
2 small green zucchini, cut into a ¼-inch dice
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into a ¼-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cilantro Cream:

1/3 cup tahini
¾ cup water
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or fresh dill
1 small serrano chile, seeded and chopped
½ tablespoon light sesame oil or French olive oil
salt
cayenne

Place the rice, barley, and wild rice in a saucepan and rinse under running water until the water runs clear. Drain, cover with the stock, set aside for ten minutes. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the liquid has been absorbed, about thirty minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for ten minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature. (May be prepared one day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.)

Blanch the zucchinis in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a strainer, rinse under cold water, and drain. Add the zucchinis, cucumber, and lemon juice to the grains and toss to mix.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until creamy. Just before serving, add the dressing to the salad and toss to mix.

Southwestern Asparagus, Corn, and Tomatillo Soup (with cashew cream)

2 yellow onions sliced into thin crescents
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp canola or light olive oil
1/4 cup sherry
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 bunch asparagus, tough stems removed, sliced into 1" lengths
2 ears of corn, kernels removed from cob
4-6 tomatillos, peeled
2 quarts vegetable stock
4 Tbsp yellow or white miso
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
1 Tbsp fresh marjoram or oregano
salt to taste

In a soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in the oil over medium heat until softened and light brown, about five-seven minutes.

Add the sherry followed by the cumin and bay leaves.

Add the asparagus, corn, tomatillos, and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. The asparagus and tomatillos should be very soft.

Add the miso and cayenne and puree the soup in batches, adding the cilantro, parsely, and oregano to each batch.

Return the soup to the pot or to a serving bowl and adjust the salt. Serve each portion with 1 Tbsp cashew cream (see below).

Millennium uses cashew cream spiced a million different ways in their dishes. Don't be lazy and not make this part... it's really good and makes the soup, which is already amazing, even better!

Cashew Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews
2/3 cup water
1 Tbsp yellow or white miso
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth (I usually don't add all the water at once, so I can keep it a little thick, since you want it to be like thick cream). This will keep in the fridge for a few days. You can add chipotles, or basil and garlic, or sesame and wasabi, or pretty much whatever you want to this to make it have the flavors you want if you want to use it for other dishes (but it is really nice plain, too).

(courtesy of Pink)

Asian Coleslaw

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

5 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 cups shredded napa cabbage
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 carrots, julienned
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic.
2. In a large bowl, mix the green cabbage, red cabbage, napa cabbage, red bell peppers, carrots, green onions, and cilantro. Toss with the peanut butter mixture just before serving.

(recipe courtesty of Pink)