Simple Salads

The NY Times online has a cool article containing recipes for simple salads. They are mostly just a combination of a few fresh ingredients, so they're very easy to prepare, but the combinations are interesting and unique and most are not anything I would've come up with on my own. Worth a read. And worth trying some of them.

Here are a few that look yummy to me:

A red salad: Combine tomato wedges with halved strawberries, basil leaves, shaved Parmesan and balsamic vinegar

Cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half; toss with soy sauce, a bit of dark sesame oil and basil or cilantro. I love this — the tomato juice-soy thing is incredible

Julienne red, yellow and orange bell peppers; mix with thinly sliced red onion, olive oil and cooked crumbled sausage or chopped salami

Slice fresh figs — many, if you live where they grow — and top with crumbled bacon, balsamic vinegar (the best you have) and crumbled blue cheese

Soak sliced prune plums or figs in balsamic vinegar for a few minutes, then add olive oil, chopped celery and red onion, shreds of roasted or grilled chicken, chopped fresh marjoram or oregano and chopped almonds. Serve on top of or toss with greens.

D and F, want to try out a few while you're here? Can't wait for your visit!