Fig and Goat Cheese Salad with Fig-Vinegar Dressing

My husband and I became frequent visitors to Long Branch, NJ this year. The beach, boardwalk and many outdoor concerts entertained us throughout the summer. The beach season is over, but Long Branch has a lot more to offer than just sunbathing and watersports. We enjoyed Mexican/Hawaiian quick bites at Shaka, sipping great martinis at Avenue, and relaxing at Wine Loft with a glass of wine and tasty tapas-like plates. Last but not the least, there are interesting stores to satisfy shoppers. Among all the stores, my favorite is Carter and Cavero, an olive oil company where you can taste all sorts of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. We sampled most of their vinegar selection (some fifteen or more types of infused vinegars) from coconut to tangerine, though eventually getting a bottle of fig vinegar. There are many ways to use this slightly sweet vinegar, but I decided to pair it with the most obvious, fresh figs.

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Tomato and Orange Salad with Fresh Mint

It's very unfortunate that I have to write an obituary. My mint plant couldn't survive the heat wave that hit the east coast last month. It had kept two green leaves for a while, but they are all gone. It is now officially dead. I killed a mint plant, which, for many, seems to be more difficult than growing it. Anyhow, I did it again.

It wasn't a good feeling. I confessed to my co-worker that the mint plant wasn't growing well. She kindly brought mint leaves along with a bunch of thyme, both of which were freshly picked from her garden. I cut a tomato and an orange, then simply mixed them with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and mint. When the ingredients are fresh, simple is often best.

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Quinoa and Grapefruit Salad

Everyone says that whole grains are good for you.  They contains more vitamins, minerals and fiber than regular white rice.  But my husband hates brown rice or probably anything whole grainy.  He complains about the texture or chewiness.  I'm sure there are a lot of people just like him who find the taste of whole grains "too healthy."  If you are one of them, try quinoa!

So, how good is it?  According to Wikipedia, quinoa is an edible seed and a nutritional powerhouse.  Not only is it high in vitamins and minerals, but it also contains all the essential amino acids.  Plus, it's gluten-free, too!  I never would have thought this tiny thing would have had such a high nutritional value.  If you are interested in its complete nutritional information, just Google quinoa.  You'll find many sites with that information.

But most importantly, it doesn't have the dryness, toughness or "too healthiness" that you may have experienced with other whole grains.  In fact, my husband doesn't mind eating it at all.  Also, it takes only 15 to 20 minutes to cook, so it's perfect for people with busy schedules.  You can find quinoa in organic stores and the health food section of regular grocery stores.

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Tomato and Feta Cheese Salad

There are so many good restaurants in New York city.  I like eating out at some of the nicer restaurants on special occasions and enjoy the dishes created by well known chefs.  However, often, the most memorable dishes are found at tiny restaurants that you've never heard of.  a few years ago, my friend took me to one of these hidden gems in Manhattan's Lower East side.  This restaurant, called Mama's had two or three tables, and most of their business was take-out (or take-away as it's known in Europe.  The place offers huge platters with low prices and is especially known for their fried chicken.  The fried chicken was good, but it was the side dish, the tomato and feta cheese salad, that was absolutely fascinating.  The combination of ripe tomatoes, salty feta, slightly sweet pine nuts, pungent onions, garlic and fresh herbs.... Need I say more?  I went back to my kitchen and worked out the recipe for that salad, and here is my take on Mama's tomato feta cheese salad.

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