Grilling lettuce usually isn’t the first thing to come to mind when putting together your barbecue menu. But grilled Romaine lettuce is worth giving a go. The tender leaves obtain a slight smokey flavor and become delicately sweet. Leave the halved hearts on the grill just long enough to get a nice little char on their outer leaves while retaining a crispness in their center. Drizzle with Barnaby’s fabulous and healthy no-egg Caesar dressing, some unseasoned croutons and shavings of Parmesan. The perfect year-round salad.

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When I was a kid I hated black licorice and subsequently anything anise-flavored. Fortunately I was too young to drink Ouzo, but my mother thought it was a darn shame that I didn’t like licorice. Like most people, as I aged my taste buds changed and I developed a passion for the flavor of anise. Ouzo, Sambuca, fennel, and yes…black licorice (mmm, Good N’ Plenty!)

If you’re a fennel fan (that alone is fun to say), you’ll love this easy and delicious coleslaw. To me, plain old cabbage slaws are too often boring, drenched in mayo, or both. This version has the lovely sweet crispness of fennel and the creaminess of Greek yogurt. For best results, allow it to macerate a bit in the fridge before the final dressing. But if the natives are restless you can serve it immediately and still earn two thumbs up.

Click below for the recipe:

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My Aunt Dolores always makes this wonderful pasta salad for her barbecues and I’m adding it to my repertoire this summer as well. It doesn’t really have a name, so I’ll call it Mediterranean Pasta Salad, as it contains a lot of the yummy goodness from that region: Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, Balsamic vinegar… It’s slightly different each time, depending on what ingredients you happen to have around. The shape of the pasta can change too, though it’s best to use a variety that can “hold” the dressing otherwise it will dry out too quickly.

In this case, I happened to have some nice broccoli flourets on hand, some lovely ripe tomatoes, fresh tarragon, and a beautiful red onion. For the dressing, mix in a bit of aioli (mayonnaise can be used) to coat but not drench the noodles. This will give it a nice creaminess. Then add Balsamic vinegar, some sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, and mix well. Adjust to your personal tastes: if you want it creamier, add more aioli; richer, add more Balsamic. Toss in a bit of extra virgin olive oil before serving for added flavor.

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I recognize that it’s not quite summer, but when we have a bout of fine weather there are certain foods that just scream al fresco dining.  My aunt Dolores has a beautiful backyard in Portola Valley, filled with flowers and blooming trees, and throughout the warm months she hosts the most amazing barbecues. She and her family spent many summers in Tuscany, so there’s always a touch of Italy on the menu. One of her staples, and the thing I look forward to the most (in addition to her killer grilled ribs!) is a colorful tomato salad – something I could fill up on alone it’s so delicious. I hesitate to call it a Caprese salad as there are always additional ingredients that push it just beyond the usual tomato-basil-mozzarella boundaries: pine nuts, red onion, avocado or Kalamata olives…sometimes it has it all.

In addition to fresh ingredients, there are three keys to making this simple salad beyond fabulous: excellent ripe tomatoes and really good, high-quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. How beautiful is the simplicity of a vibrant and fresh salad! This one is a mouth-pleaser for sure.

Fresh sliced tomatoes, as red as you can get them!
Lots of fresh basil, sliced into ribbons
Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Pitted and sliced Kalamata olives, or any good-quality olive
High-quality extra virgin olive oil
High-quality balsamic vinegar
Cracked black pepper

Toss, serve and sit back to enjoy the mmmmmm’s.

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Tabouleh salad always leads to licked clean plates in our house; basically if we want leftovers for another meal I have to hide some. The dish is typically made with bulgur as the staple grain, but we prefer a lighter version made with couscous instead. The other advantage of couscous is the quick cooking time: a couple of minutes in the microwave and a few minutes cooling and the dish is ready to compose.

Also spelled tabbouleh or tabouli, this Mediterranean salad is a vegetarian’s delight, and consists of a cooked grain tossed with olive oil, onion or green onion, mint, tomatoes, parsley, and lemon juice. Or add any other vegetable you have on hand. I had some orange and yellow peppers so added a few of those. Chopped vine leaves, garlic, and cucumber are often seen additions as well. I have been known to toss in a bit of basil, OK, a lot of basil, which is probably not kosher but is tasty. If it makes you feel better, lower the blinds first and/or call it “couscous salad” rather than tabouleh, so as not to offend the purists. I won’t even tell you about my version with feta cheese…

The proportions vary wildly with “store bought” tabouleh – we have purchased some that was 95% parsley, with a sprinkling of grain making a cameo appearance. We like a more balanced version with plenty of grain, but the choice is yours. Assemble the basic chopped ingredients and mix with the grain until you like the results, then drizzle in the olive oil and finally add lemon juice, salt & pepper to your taste. I was lucky enough to have Meyer lemons on hand which have a sunny robust flavor and less acidity than regular lemons, but any lemon will do. The salad is supposed to taste lemony!

Here’s a suggested starting point re how much of what to incorporate, but feel free to make it your own.

Ingredients:

2 cups couscous or bulgur, cooked and cooled
2-4 green onions, or one medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped parsley, flat or curly
1/2- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes, seeded and peeled
1/2 cup chopped red, green or yellow sweet peppers – optional
4-5 T olive oil
3-5 T lemon or Meyer lemon juice

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It’s Super Bowl Sunday! Which usually means a gluttonous dose of spicy chicken wings, greasy BBQ meatballs, and cheesy nachos. If you’re looking for some healthier options this year, or just want to add some fresh vegetables to the mix, this asparagus salad is sure to score a touchdown.

I know raw asparagus doesn’t fall in the conventional football food category, but give this underdog a chance. If you like asparagus cooked, you’ll love it raw! It’s sweet, delicate and crisp – and best of all it won’t give you heartburn like those chicken wings. Simply julienne the spears (or slice them in ribbons with a vegetable peeler), toss them in a light vinaigrette, and pile high on a plate. If nothing else people will try it out of sheer curiosity. I bet they’ll like it too.

For the recipe go to Foodista.

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This is a fun twist on the classic curried chicken salad. It’s brighter and lighter with the apples and lime juice, and more flavorful with the lemongrass in the curry. The chilies in the curry also adds a nice kick! Increase or decrease the amount of curry to adjust the spice. This salad can also be served in sandwiches. Try substituting tuna for a “pescatarian” version.

Green Curry Chicken Salad

½ roasted chicken
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Thai Green Curry Paste
1 Lime, Juiced
1 tablespoon fish sauce
¼ cup green onion, chopped
1 head Romaine lettuce

Remove skin from chicken and then meat from bones. Shred meat, discarding skin and bones.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, green curry paste, lime juice, and fish sauce.

Mix in shredded chicken, chopped apple and green onion.

Chill and serve on a bed of Romaine or Bib lettuce.

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One year Barnaby’s mother Mandy made a tomato aspic that was the yummiest thing ever. She served it with Thanksgiving dinner at her home in Palm Springs. We ate outside and the aspic was a perfect side salad to have on a warm evening (it would be great on a cool eve too, for that matter!).

The nice thing about aspic is that it’s quick and easy to prepare, you can make it in advance so you’re not freaking out at the last minute, and no one ever expects to be served this tasty retro dish.

Tomato Apsic

2 cups vegetable juice or Bloody Mary mix, cold and divided
2 1/2 cups vegetable juice or Bloody Mary mix, heated until hot
3 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (3 envelopes)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place 1-1/2 cups of cold vegetable juice in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes so the gelatin softens.

Add 2-1/2 cups of vegetable juice to saucepan and heat until hot; remove from heat. Add 1-1/2 cups of tomato/gelatin mixture. Continue heating on medium heat setting and stir mixture until the gelatin dissolves into the juice (about 5 minutes). Pour in the remaining 1 cup of cold juice and lemon juice.

Pour into a bowl, mold or individual cups, and chill until firm.

Excellent served with avocado and a dollop of mayo.

Note: Trader Joe’s has a great Bloody Mary mix that makes a wonderful, slightly spicy aspic. Sometimes I will add diced onions, celery, and olive to the mold in order to give the aspic texture.

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My new favorite thing -thanks to my friend Tracy who made it for us the other night- is herb yogurt. Made with multiple fresh herbs one bite is like a mouthful of your lovely herb garden (minus the dirt, of course).

It makes a wonderful, healthy alternative to sour cream. Just mix plain yogurt with a bunch of whatever herbs suit your fancy. I chose the following:

• Mint
• Basil
• Dill
• Chives
• Italian parsley

I added a clove of minced garlic, kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper for some extra spice.

This is absolutely delicious on tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, lamb…but would be fabulous on about anything. We spooned it over the one precious heirloom tomato our garden produced, then we drizzled it with a bit of white truffle oil.

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