For the Love of Salad.

        A strange thing happened to me about two years ago. I started to love salad. I don't mean I started to eat salad, or that I started to think salad was good for me. That I was staring down the barrel at thirty and decided salad was the answer to my impending oldness.  No, quite the opposite. One day I sat down to eat a lovely salad of fresh crunchy greens, boneless buffalo wings (I know, so nutritional) and good old Wishbone Blue Cheese salad dressing and the oddest thing happened. I enjoyed the greens more than the chicken. That was it, sitting there in my living room, on a break from reading, reading, reading for class I looked at those crunchy greens and said "Where have you been my entire life?"


 Now I am hooked. I eat salad with just about every meal.  I used to have trouble with salads as the lettuce would always spoil in the fridge - a salad spinner (and consuming the lettuce in a more timely fashion) fixed that. I can not emphasize to you how helpful a salad spinner is. I understand your skepticism, it is the stuff of late-night infomercials and 1950s Tupperware parties, but it works!  My husband and our friends find it hilarious and fascinating that I eat a dessert salad. About 40 minutes after dinner I pull the salad bowl out for one more go.


Now the key to a really good salad is the lettuce, it has to be crunchy and flavorfull.  None of that iceberg stuff - it's crunchy but it has no flavor. A good bib or butter lettuce combined with some Roman for crunch - yum! And lambs lettuce - they sell it at Trader Joe's as "Mache" to-die-for!  Everything else is mood music really, it's all about the lettuce.  I like a good classic: tomatoes, shredded carrots, maybe some snap peas or radishes. Or dress it up with some avocado (don't give me that, it's the good kind of fat).  Maybe some orange segments to go with the Avocado  Fruit is wonderful in salads. Fresh strawberries, blackberries or raspberries - though be careful what you pair them with. Right now I am really loving cucumber in my salads. All that fresh crispy spring flavor.

Of Course you also have to consider the dressing.  The dressing is very important. If you are one of those people that can eat a salad dry - bless you - but I am not one of those people.  Even if it is just a little olive oil and lemon juice/zest I need a little something on there to make it salad.  I love a good vinegrette, or goddess dressing.  Goddess dressing is the best because you get the creaminess of a blue cheese without the attendant calories of a dressing that actually uses cream or cheese. Goddess dressing uses sesame seed paste and somehow that creates the most wonderful nutty creaminess.

Oh my! I have made myself hungry - I'll have to pull out the spinner and have at!

Comfort Food - Tomato Cheese Casserole

Pizza, Lasagna, Ziti - what is it about tomatoes and cheese that go so well together? That acidic brightness of tomatoes paired with the salt and sharpness of cheese. It is delightful, and also quite versatile.  You can pair sauce and cheese as in the previously mentioned foods or pair the fresh tomatoes with rich farm cheeses, Feta or Blue Cheese on a salad.  You can stack sliced Roma Tomatoes with fresh Basil and Mozzarella, add a drizzling of balsamic vinegar for a superb snack. Or you could have tomatoes and dust Parmesan (or feta, mozzarella or even blue cheese) and roast the two together for a real treat.

 






But for those of us here in the UC system it is finals time and that means delicate pairings just aren't going to cut it. What I needed tonight was comfort food. Comfort foods are those rich, usually starch and carbohydrate heavy foods that fill you up in so many ways.  They are warm, and rich and oh-so bad for you.  They bring a certain comfort of home. Thus, my offering this evening is a family staple, Tomato Cheese Casserole. It is easy, cheap and satisfying.

This is also a great recipe for using up leftover pasta. You can even combine different types of leftover pasta for a hog-pog effect. The recipe is very amenable to tweaking.

Mom's Tomato Cheese Casserole

Ingrediants:
1 pound shell past (other shapes will do, but shells are best) Cooked, drained and transferred to a casserole dish.
2 cans diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes cut up
1/2 to 3/4 pound cheese (chedder or Colby Jack) cubed.
Splash (about 1/4 cup) of Milk
Pepper
Italian herbs to taste

Preheat oven at 350degrees. You can microwave this dish but it will taste better from the oven.  Combine pasta, tomatoes and cheese in casserole dish. Add milk - enough to make the combination "gushy" and black pepper. No need for salt as the cheese is salty. stir so that ingredients are evenly distributed and pasta is coated.  You can also add Italian seasons or one of the alternate arrangments listed below.

Place in hot oven and back for 30-45 minutes until edges of shells are golden and the casserole bubbles.

serve hot, in bowls or alongside salad and side vegetables.

leftovers reheat well.

Alternative options:
Instead of Italian herbs add 1-2 cans of green chiles for a little kick
or Add a can of Italian white beans for added protein.
If you want the casserole super cheesy shred a little cheddar over the top.

Enjoy!

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