Chinese spicy noodles

A little bit hot, this is adapted from Pasta and Co.'s best-selling Chinese Vermicelli. You can find hot chili oil and sesame oil in the Asian section of the grocery store.

-1/4 cup sesame oil
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-2 T. sugar
-2 T. hot chili oil
-2 T. balsamic vinegar
-1 and 1/8 lb. whole wheat spaghetti noodles
-1 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
-1 cup green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Whisk the first five ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cook the noodles until barely tender (undercook by a couple of minutes), drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Toss with the dressing, using your hands to completely coat the noodles in the dressing. Stir in almonds and green onions. Serve at room temperature.

To make a complete meal:
Serve with a stir-fry of julienned carrots, slivered sweet onion, pea pods, minced ginger and 2 cloves garlic, minced.

Tim's Triathlon Rice Salad with Lime Dressing

Serves 4-6

Cook 1 and 1/2 cups of brown rice or a mix of wild and brown rice in salted water, about 45 minutes. Drain, rise with cold water, and shake off excess moisture.

Whisk together for the dressing:
3 T. olive oil
3 T. rice vinegar
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon garlic minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, cool under running water, then drain:
1 cup green beans cut into one inch pieces
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup frozen corn

Chop:
3 T. cilantro
3 green onions (white and green parts)

Stir all ingredients together, and just before serving add 1 cup unsalted dry peanuts

Serve warm or at room temperature

Edamame Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

This high-protein salad serves 4-6

Vinaigrette:
-one head garlic, with a half inch cut off top to reveal the cloves
-2 T. extra virgin olive oil (I'm partial to the Spanish olive oil from Trader Joe's)
-3 T. red wine vinegar
-3/4 tsp. coarse salt
-1/4 tsp. red-pepper flakes
-freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:
-4 cups shelled edamame
-2 cups frozen corn kernels
-1 medium cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
-2 T. chopped fresh parsley
-4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
-3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

To make the vinaigrette:
-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle garlic with a teaspoon of olive oil, wrap in parchment and then in foil, and bake until soft, about a half hour. Squeeze garlic out and mash with a fork until smooth.

-Whisk one tablespoon of the mashed garlic with the rest of the dressing ingredients.

To make the salad:
-Cook frozen edamame for 4 minutes in boiling water, drain, and spray with cold water to cool them. Cook the frozen corn for 1 minute in boiling water, drain and spray with cold water.

-Mix the beans and corn with cucumber, onion, parsley, feta, and walnuts. Toss in the vinaigrette. Refrigerate. Best served at room temperature, or slightly chilled.

Pear and Walnut Salad

From Jeanne - and she suggests cutting pears in thicker slices:

3 pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1 TB olive oil
l/2 tsp kosher salt
l/2 c walnuts, finely chopped and toasted
8-10 c shredded romaine lettuce
2 oz Gruyere cheese, cut into small chunks

Dressing
l/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 shallot, diced finely
1/4 olive oil
1 TB dijon mustard

Oven at 425 d. Toss pear slices with olive oil and salt. Spread in even layer on baking sheet. Roast 7 minutes. Turn over and roast another 5-7 minutes, until soft. Remove. Cool. combine lettuce, slices, walnuts, cheese and pears w/dressing (or place pears on top).

Warm Potato Salad

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 small or medium garlic clove, minced or pureed

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or for a low-fat dressing use 1/4 cup low-fat yogurt or buttermilk and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold, fingerling or red bliss potatoes

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped red onion (to taste), rinsed with cold water and drained

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 ounces soft goat cheese

2 to 3 sage leaves, cut in thin slivers (optional)

1. Make the dressing. Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil or the yogurt and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings, Set aside.

2. Scrub the potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch dice if large. If using fingerlings cut in 3/4 inch slices. Steam above 1 inch of boiling water until tender but not mushy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and toss while hot in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste, the onions, parsley, goat cheese, and the dressing. Sprinkle the sage over the top and serve.

Spicy green salad with manchego and pears

• 1/3 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas; not toasted)
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mild honey
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
• 4 cups packed spicy salad greens, such as radish greens, watercress, and/or arugula, tough stems discarded
• 4 cups packed frisée (French curly endive), torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 (1/2-lb) piece Manchego cheese, rind removed and cheese shaved into 32 thin slices (preferably with a cheese plane)
• 8 small red or yellow Bartlett pears (preferably with stems)

• Cook seeds in 1 tablespoon oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until puffed and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels and reserve oil. Season seeds with salt and pepper.
• Whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add remaining 1/3 cup olive oil and reserved oil from skillet in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
• Divide greens and cheese among salad plates. Cut off 2 opposite sides of each pear (reserve for another use), leaving a 1/2-inch-thick lengthwise center slice with stem and core. Arrange a pear slice on each plate and drizzle dressing over salads. Sprinkle with seeds

Cooks’ notes: Serves 8
Pumpkin seeds can be toasted 2 days ahead and kept separately from oil, covered, at room temperature.
Greens can be washed and dried 1 day ahead and chilled, wrapped in paper towels, in a sealed bag.

NYT Wild Rice Salad

For the salad:

1 quart vegetable stock

1 cup wild rice, rinsed

Salt to taste

1/3 cup lightly toasted broken walnut pieces

3 celery stalks, preferably from the heart, thinly sliced on the diagonal (about 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage (2 good-size leaves) (optional)

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 tablespoons walnut oil

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons buttermilk or plain low-fat yogurt

1. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender and splayed. Drain and toss in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.

2. Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil, olive oil, and buttermilk or yogurt. Toss with the wild rice mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Advance preparation: You can assemble the salad several hours before serving. If you wish to toss it with the dressing so that the rice marinates for a while, do not add the parsley. Add just before serving, or the color will fade.