New Salad: Corn, Avocado, and Lime
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
The other night I was trying to make use of some items before they went bad and ended up with a new, fun salad. (I often find those are some of my best and most creative meals.) For the dressing, I squeezed the juice of half a lime into a bowl, then added a pinch of thyme and one of sugar–to temper the tart acidity. With the whisk (and my left arm) working hard, I drizzled in about two and a half times extra virgin olive oil and continued whisking until it was emulsified. The romaine lettuce, already clean and cut, was simply waiting to be dressed.
While the flavors were soaking in, I took an ear of corn and rana knife down each side to cut the kernels off, sauteeing them for a few minutes in a small pat of butter and a pinch of salt. I also cut an avocado half into small chunks. Topping the salad with the corn, avocado, and a handful of cherry tomatoes made for a tasty side dish. I also added crumbled goat cheese, but ended up pushing most of it to the side because the flavors weren’t quite melding.
As it wasn’t the main dish, I didn’t pair a wine, although it would have gone nicely with a crisp sauvignon blanc or unoaked chardonnay.
You could also grill some shrimp, maybe after a dip in a tequila-lime marinade, and do the tomatoes the same way, while you’re at it, making this a nice lunch or a light supper.
And I didn’t even have to make it. Last week BK fixed me the most wonderful dinner. Having stopped at Whole Paycheck, he had some raw oysters and a thick slice of Ahi tuna, cut to oder at a little over an inch. He made a salsa of tiny tuna chunks, corn, and mushrooms to dip soy flavored rice chips into, and shucked the oysters. Meanwhile, he toasted sesame seeds and patted them onto the filet, then seared the tuna quickly on each side, slicing down the length of it. Oh, but it was good! One of the best meals I’ve had in a while.
I find that for those occasional nights where I give in to the ease and price of getting Chinese take-out, I need to spiff it up somehow. The best way to do that is with a bottle of bubbly. Sparkling wine goes well with the saltiness of your chow mein, the fried egg rolls, or sweet and sour chicken. That particular bottle in the picture is an Oregon brut, but you could use almost any bubbly. 
Most meals I try to make relatively healthy, especially compared to some of the recipes on Food Network shows like Barefoot Contessa and Paula’s Home Cooking. However, my lady Paula can make something lowfat when she tries. Her 
So, I had a nice, simple dinner planned for BK last night for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out so much. The halibut (from Trader Joe’s freezer section) I rubbed with garlic and Himalayan pink salt then seared on each side in sizzling olive oil. Not so bad, a little dry. The rice—I had wanted to make curry with raisins, so I found a recipe that sounded marvelous on 
If you’re looking for a Valentine’s dessert, I’ve got the one for you. I have made Paula Deen’s 
Have I mentioned that I love Trader Joe’s? Yesterday after getting home from work, BK got dinner ready for us. It did not take too much to get it started. He had bought a lamb shoulder from Trader Joe’s that was already marinated, that you cook directly in the bag it comes in. 400 degrees for 45 minutes. He also chopped 2 potatoes into fat wedges and coated them with garlic, salt, paprika, and olive oil. Those went onto the same cookie sheet with the lamb and cooked right along side them while we went for a 40 minute walk. When we got back, the plates were loaded, along with some hummus and olives on the side. The lamb was juicy and tender, and the mint in the marinade really came through so that the meat was almost sweet. I mentioned to him I most likely would have walked right past pre-marinaded meat, but that it was really delicious. The potatoes were good, too: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
I had blueberries, raspberries, and red currants that needed to be used, so I got online to find a recipe for a tart, thinking to make use of the quiche pan I got when returning one of two salad spinners I received for Christmas. However, the rustic berry tart I found on Eating Well sounded tasty, in addition to being healthier than many other versions. The crust was made partially from whole wheat flour, and there wasn’t too much butter or sugar called for.
I followed 
Here’s a great recipe to add to your repertoire. This is one of my absolute favorite salads that I make all the time. It’s quick and easy and oh-so-delicious.
After pulling the dough out of the fridge, the first thing you’ll want to do is season your chicken breasts. I used chipotle chili powder, garlic, and a tablespoon on bbq sauce, mixed together and brushed on. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Go ahead and chop a few slices of red onion and drain the a few spoons of pineapple.
If you use items and concoctions from the previous post, this next meal will be super quick, great for a lunch to take to work. Now that you’ve got basil pesto already made, you need something to put it on. Boil water for the penne from yesterday’s list of ingedients. While that cooks, assemble the mixed greens with the balsamic vinaigrette that also doubled as a marinade, along with the goat cheese and sliced red onions, optional. Pull out and reheat the 2-4 portabellas you previously grilled or baked and chop into small pieces. When the penne is done, drain all but a little of the starchy water, then stir in as much of the basil pesto as it takes to coat the noodles, and toss in the mushrooms as well.
I love to find quick and easy meals that serve dual purpose. For instance, the other night I made portabella sandwiches with pesto and goat cheese along with caprese salad, which turned into penne with pesto the next day for lunch, with possibilities for variation.
This is one of those such meals, from back when I still lived in my little studio. The quick and easy menu? Seared tuna and fried rice. For the rice, I just heated up a cup of the instant kind in the microwave and let it rest. For the tuna, I hope you have access to a Trader Joe’s because that’s how I happened upon the major ingredients for the main dish. 
