Cauliflower Tomato Salad Recipe

We recently had guests for dinner and I made a cauliflower and tomato salad. I explained to our guests how this "salade de chou fleur et tomates" was made and the following day our guests emailed me back thanking me for this new recipe.

Inevitably, whenever we have guests over, my mother-in-law exclaims "Look what an amazing dish Jackie made today! Did you know Jackie has a food website? She posts daily recipes on PhamFatale.com and she's a soon-to-be published author." And whenever she goes anywhere, she talks about my cooking and about PhamFatale.com. And now that I have my first cookbook coming out soon ("Haute Potato" due on December 18th), she hands out cards to promote my book. She's my own one-woman PR firm!

Back to the dish...I boiled cauliflower very briefly then flavored it with champagne vinegar and a bit of honey. I mixed the cauliflower with beautiful heirloom tomatoes from our garden and shredded lettuce. For a nice contrast in texture, I added lightly toasted almond slices. If you want more crunch you could also top the salad with croutons.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe

The idea for this Mediterranean salad was inspired by finding fiddlehead ferns at my local market last week. The tight coil of the young fern is very similar to cappelletti pasta and I thought mixing them would make a pretty dish playing with odd shapes and colorful ingredients. This week I was able to buy the pasta but unfortunately the market doesn't carry fiddleheads anymore. It didn't stop me from making a delicious dish... I just substituted beautiful haricots verts in place of the fiddleheads. 

I combined the coil-shaped pasta with red onions, carrots and celery that I received this evening from Full Circle and heirloom tomatoes from our garden. To the summer pasta salad, I also added garbanzo beans, hearts of palm, olives, pickled grape leaves and sun-dried tomatoes to complete the one-dish meal. No ingredient is irreplaceable; you can always substitute in an equally delicious element. All that really matters is a visually appealing and tasty dish. 

I almost forgot to mention that all PhamFatale readers will get $10 off for your first box order from Full Circle. If you're interested, use the promo code SOCIAL10 upon sign-up. Bon appétit and enjoy farm fresh, organic vegetables! 

Cold Pasta Salad Recipe

Cold pasta salad is usually made with mayonnaise dressing. One member of my family is allergic to eggs, so this recipe suits her perfectly; as no eggs are used. Even though there are no eggs, I wanted the dressing to be creamy and flavorful, so I mixed in goat cheese with the usual vinaigrette ingredients. For a little extra kick, I added onions cooked down in white balsamic vinegar.

I used cork-screw-shaped pasta, but any other shape such as bowties, shells or penne would work as well. In addition to the diced tomatoes and steamed zucchini, I added black lentils and pan-seared tofu to give this vegetarian pasta dish some protein. Cooking does not always have to be complicated. If you have fresh ingredients and a lot of love, you’ll have a wonderful meal. Bon appétit!
 

Watermelon Feta Salad with Jicama

Watermelon isn't only intended for fruit salad. The one I just grabbed at my local market is so juicy and flavorful I opted for a savory watermelon salad with Greek feta cheese. I also added shredded fried jicama, which is a sweet root vegetable that is used quite often in Vietnamese cuisine (as well as in Mexican food) and mimics the texture of pork skin. The salad lacked a bit of saltiness, so I added soy bacon bits.

I love incorporating fruits in savory dishes. The natural sweetness from the fruit balances the flavors of a salad very well. Next time you have bananas, pears or strawberries in your fruit basket, you might find an alternative to just making desserts.

Watermelon Panzanella Recipe (Summer Salad)

Panzanella originates from Florence, probably the most famous city in Tuscany. I spent a couple of vacations in this beautiful city as a teenager and I can clearly remember the freshness of the dish. This salad is typically made of soaked stale bread with tomatoes and other flavorings. I haven't been able to find any fully ripe tomatoes at my local market yet, so I replaced them with juicy watermelon.

I kept the panzanella salad strictly vegetarian, mixing vegetables with steamed lentils. For added flavors, you could add shredded tuna, anchovies or boiled eggs.