Why DOES a Salad Cost More Than a Big Mac?

Since I'm so inspired by the adorable and brilliant Jamie Oliver's latest quest, I came across this graphic and very short article and had to share.

Why Does a Salad Cost More Than a Big Mac?

"Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac? Part of the reason is that a huge proportion of our food subsidies go to meat while only 0.37 percent go to fruits and vegetables. That makes meat and dairy artificially cheap, so we end up consuming more of it than we should, and getting fatter."

P.S. Did anyone else watch Jamie last night?

Eoin's New Year's Eve Dinner

One of my oldest and very dearest friends in the world, Eoin, is having people over for a New Year's Eve supper and asked me for some advice as to what to make, given that their guests are a fishophobe and a vegetarian.

Easy! I said. This is what I suggested:

Winston's Pasta Puttanesca (since I myself am also a fishophobe, I've already left out the anchovies)

And the fantastic and sure-to-please-a-crowd Mediterranean Salad from America's Test Kitchen:

3 to 4 romaine hearts, roughly chopped
1 head radicchio, cored and sliced thinly into ribbons
Feta cheese - as much or as little as you like
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing:
This dressing really hits its stride once it has been left to stand for about an hour -- the flavors really develop wonderfully...so, make the dressing first if you can.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (or as much as you like....since I am a garlic fiend, I always double this part)
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl until blended and creamy. Or do what I do: combine all ingredients in small jar, seal tightly with lid, and shake until mixture is blended and creamy.

(Can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week; return to room temperature before using.)

Happy, happy new year to you and yours...stay safe and here's to a fantastic 2008 full of delicious food!

Happy Birthday Robin (and her Miso Dressing)

It was my dear, wonderful friend Robin's birthday yesterday. Yes, the same Robin who gave us the insanely addictive and deeeeeelicious School Garden Salad Dressing.

Robin was one of the first people to give me the personal confidence I needed to start cooking weekly. It was she who taught me about weekly menu plans, cooking from scratch, the very basic culinary principles and cookware I'd need, and the endless dinner possibilities available with a few good ingredients and just 30 minutes.

So Robin, Happy Birthday, and thank you for the gift of love of cooking and food that you shared with and passed on to me.

And as a birthday gift in honor of Robin for all of you readers (all 15 of you or however many you are!), I'm also sharing Robin's recipe for Miso Dressing. She mentioned it at our recent book club meeting and we were all excited about it. And if there's one thing I know by now, it's that if Robin says it's good, it is.

Robin's Miso Dressing

1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp white or yellow miso
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Put everything except the oil in a blender & give it a whiz. Stream
in the oil while the blender is running.

Robin's School Garden Salad

In light of the hot weather we've got here (81 degrees in San Francisco today!), I am scrapping my original plan for dinner tonight (which was black beans and rice) and going with one of our hot weather favorites -- what we like to call around here "Robin Salad."

It has that name because it is a deelicious recipe given to me by my dear friend Robin, who is a stellar cook. She's one of my cooking heroes. She also runs a seed-to-plate program for kids in East Palo Alto -- you know, where they teach kids how to grow food in a garden, harvest it, eat it, compost it, and grow it again. Also, she teaches them the basics, like lettuce is alive, a rock is not, and a tree.... A TREE IS ALIVE. (I'm not kidding; her kids thought trees were not alive. Like rocks.)

I have to preface this recipe, though. You need to know that this dressing is extremely addictive. It is insanely delicious. In fact, the greens and "salad" part of it are really extraneous -- you could put this dressing on cardboard and it would be good. That's why this recipe is for a large quantity of dressing: you will want leftovers of it. So just beware.

So, without further ado:

Robin's School Garden Salad

Dressing:
1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup stone ground mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (I actually always use 3 or 4, but that's how we do garlic in my house)
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a large bowl or jar. If using a bowl, mix dressing vigorously to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. If using a jar (my preferred method), put the lid on and shake shake shake.

Salad:
Any greens you like, but the ones that stand up to this dressing best are the assertive ones, like romaine, red cabbage, chard, etc. Also add carrots, radishes, and whole wheat croutons. To turn this into a main course/dinner, I also add in some chopped up baked tofu.

Toss and serve and enjoy!