A little chopped salad...

Ok, I'm posting my attempt to recreate a salad I had out at lunch with the mrs.

If anyone went out to eat with me very often, they would notice that I tend to try new things on a menu. Well we were out at a place that serves tacos and such, but I noticed this chopped salad that sounded pretty good. It had cabbage, avocado, radish and jicama in what seemed to me to be a cumin scented vinaigrette. With some grilled mahi mahi on the side it was so good!

Several weeks later I was cooking and remembered this salad and decided to try and recreate it. Well one might say that I am missing several main ingredients from that salad, but I just went with what I had in the fridge. I chopped up some jicama, celery, carrot, red pepper, green onions and jalapeño. Then I just made up a simple cumin vinaigrette as I often do, and I think you should as well. I don't want to pour something out of a bottle onto the veggies that I had just worked with. 

It was pretty spicy with a whole jalapeño so I cut that in half. It's obviously not the same but I thought it turned out pretty tasty.

Chopped Veggie Salad

1/2 jicama, peeled and diced

1 celery, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1/2 lime, squeezed

1 T red wine vinegar

1/4 t ground cumin

salt and pepper

2 T olive oil

Serves 2

Mix together the veggies in a bowl. 

In a small bowl, mix lime juice, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper. 

Whisk in the olive oil slowly to make a simple vinaigrette. 

Taste for seasoning and pour enough dressing over veggies 

to coat, and mix well.

Have you ever tried to recreate something that you have had while dining out?

Weekend roundup.

A little catchup today about my weekend.


I started my weekend on Friday at lunch. I had to get over to Restaurant FnB because I was hoping that they still had this chips and ramps dip with bacon on the menu. It was and it was so good. Then I had the special 7th item off the menu, this BLT that was filled with many different veggies. This sammie had bacon, juicy tomatoes, cilantro, watermelon radish, pickles and probably some other things I can't recall. If you have never been to FnB at lunch you should go and experience the 6 item menu.










I had my leftover sandwich as we left town to head up north. Some key toothpicks held it together.

Some nice views of springtime in the high desert as well as a little sprinkle.

We got to our cabin in time for some wine and put together this little dinner of roasted carrots with carrot raita from the Bodega along with spot prawns that I grilled over Thai basil sprigs from my garden. I can't remember where I saw to cook shrimp in this way, but it was very good and I will try it again soon.

 
On Saturday we made our usual pilgrimage to the House that Chilaquiles built, MartAnnes in Flagstaff. The wait for food is usually pretty long here so I took pictures of the artwork as well as their cute salt and pepper shakers. Then came this plate of pork green chile Chilaquiles with beans, rice, tortillas and hash browns.

Obviously we had a light dinner and I was woken up later on the couch when Milo saw this raccoon on the deck.









Well we just hadn't had enough food, so we went back to MartAnnes on Sunday. I had Chilaquiles with chorizo and red sauce this time. Then we went to Pier 1 for some retail therapy plus we bought some of the salt and pepper shakers.

I think I'm full now and had better head to the gym...