Tonight was another case of "holy crap this tasted amazing" but "holy crap...what, do I photograph?!"  I say "I," but really I just did some of the prep work and all the uploading/blog upkeep.  Kate is the real mastermind behind the photographs.  Anyway, tonight we wanted to put something together fast after a day in lab so we could run over to the Tremont Farmers Market.  Tonight there were a ton of local artists as well as the usual great bunch of booths.  We met up with some good friends, and sat out on the blanket enjoying this summery dish.  Of course had to go to Tremont Scoops for a little something afterward, and as we ate our turtle sunday taking in the shimmering glow of the evening sun, we could help but think how this time of year is truly wonderful.  Well, enjoy this fresh, clean, bowl of goodness!

Giant Bowl of Goodness
**I got tired of having the word salad in my recipes and this description seemed pretty appropriate. If you cant find some of these specialty ingredients, substitute cilantro and parsley.







Cabbage, I had koboku and as they say, necessity is the mother of invention (Source: FFM)
Mint (Source: Minh Anh Vietnamese Market)
Rau Rum (Source: Minh Anh Market)
Cilantro (Source: Fire escape garden)
Green Onions (Source: Fire escape garden)
Optional: Shredded chicken breast, Mango slices

Dressing:
Wasabi Paste (Source: Tink Holl Market)
Sesame oil- only use a few drops as this can be a pretty dominant flavor (Source: Tink Holl Market)
Rice wine vinegar
Lite soy sauce

Whisk together dressing ingredients. Chop greens and herbs. Toss with shredded chicken, sliced mango and greens. S&P to taste. Serve with crusty bread and butter.

Listening (courtesy of the DJ)
Artist(s): Lady Sovereign, The Rolling Stones, Phoenix,

I only recently started liking salads. I know what you're thinking, who doesn't like salads?! But I used to only eat them for the nutritional benefit and, I have to admit, as a vehicle for creamy dressing. My favorite salads were those light on the lettuce and heavy on the toppings- my favorite being dried cranberries or raisins, sunflower seeds, cheese, veggies and croutons. When we began our transition away from a meat centric diet I started reading lots of praise about greens. I had heard so much about their vitamin packed power and was intrigued by the many recipes I discovered that used them in ways besides salads. You probably can't believe that I wouldn't have ever thought of eating greens prepared any other way, but it's true. And I didn't really ever pay attention to the different types of greens that could actually shine in a salad rather than be limp participants overshadowed by far tastier toppings. I've since grown to love swiss chard (I hope we get some through the CSA this year and maybe even our fire escape garden if we're lucky), kale, spinach and the many varieties of lettuce like my peppery favorite- arugala. 


This week's bounty included pea shoots (which we unfortunately didn't receive, but upon thinning my own window box of sugar snap pea shoots I was able to procur!), spinach and cilantro and as we've already shown you, radishes. Although I would have liked to find a more creative way to eat these greens, I realized my bias against salads was again creeping in and I quickly snapped out of it. Forging ahead I developed this recipe based on some of our favorite flavors. I have to say, it was one of the greenest tasting (if green could have a taste!) things I have ever had. Cilantro will be making repeat appearances in my salads in the future that's for sure! Enjoy.

First Harvest Surf and "Turf" Salad
**I know the puns are probably already getting old but I couldn't resist! The earth gave us a beautiful cornucopia of greens this week and they were the inspiration for this dish. You could substitute chicken for the salmon or any other meat, or simply omit it and add a poached egg on top! As with most of my recipes I eyeballed mostly everything and adjusted to my taste. 


Variety of Greens: 
Spinach (Source: FFM CSA)
Cilantro (Source: FFM CSA)
Pea shoots (Source: our fire escape garden)
Super baby lettuces (Source: our fire escape garden, they needed thinning and I hated for them to go to waste!)


Radishes (Source: FFM CSA)
Salmon (Wild Caught)
Maple Syrup (Source: Toby Knoll Sugarbush Farm in MI)
Dijon mustard
Wasabi Paste
White Balsamic Vinegar


Make the sauce for your salmon by mixing maple syrup, dijon mustard and wasabi paste together. I loosely used 3 TBL of mustard, 1 TBL of maple syrup, and 1 TBL of wasabi for two salmon fillets and I had enough left over to thin with the white balsamic vinegar and use as salad dressing. 


Wash and prepare your greens. Thinly slice your radishes on a mandolin and toss with greens. S&P


Heat your grill pan and S&P your salmon. Grill on one side for about 2-3 minutes before flipping. Baste cooked salmon with your sauce near the end of cooking. Serve on top of your salad and drizzle thinned sauce all over the greens. 




***We also had a warm baguette and the rest of our grass fed Blue Gouda (Source: Mayfield Creamery) on the side and the flavors complemented each other perfectly!