3 ripe apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 c. coarsley chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon tsp honey
1/4 crumbled blue cheese

Core and quarter apples, leave skin on, may chopped if preferred. Put in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice to coat. Add the celery
and walnuts. Mix the mayonnaise and honey until smooth, add to apple mixture along with blue cheese and toss gently.

1 C. lentils (green or black keep their shape better for salads)
1 clove garlic, whole
1 bay leaf
Simmer above in water for 20 min. Drain. Discard garlic and bay. Rinse lentils.

Add:
1 small red pepper, roasted, Skinned maybe?, and finely diced
2 large celery stalks, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced (red onion looks pretty)
1 C. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Fresh rosemary, finely chopped, 1 t. or more

Dress with:
1/3 C. fresh lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
pepper; salt only if feta isn’t salty enough!
4 oz. feta crumbled on top

Serve on lettuce surrounded by sliced cucumbers

a 16 ounce package of frozen peas, thawed
1 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds

Drain the thawed peas; I usually lay a paper towel in the bottom of a colander and let the peas rest on top of it so that the paper towel can absorb the excess water.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the peas, celery, onion and 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise. Stir to combine the ingredients evenly. Add more mayonnaise, up to 1/2 cup, to taste (or depending how health-conscious you want to be!)

Cover and place in the refrigerator until serving.

Just before serving, heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the almonds to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until well toasted and fragrant (about 10 minutes). Stir about half of the almonds into the salad and sprinkle the other half on top.

Makes 6 servings

Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp dijion mustard
½ tsp honey
salt and pepper
fresh thyme leaves if available

Salad:
Baby lettuces
2 pears, peeled and cut in to bite sized pieces or left quarted and sliced almost through arranged on individual plates.
4 oz. +/- Blue or stilton cheese crumbled
½ c. or so Walnuts toasted in oven

Gently toss greens and cut pears with dressing and arrange on plates. If using sliced quartered pears toss greens with dressing and dribble dressing over pears on serving plates. Top with crumbled cheese and walnuts.

Combination of several recipes, VERY GOOD, fixed both ways with pears-sliced makes for fancier presentation, cut up makes for tastier pears as I didn’t put enough dressing on the first.

Serves 4.

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis, toasted
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.
For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

2 lbs potatoes
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 dill pickles, chopped
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 green onions or red onion, chopped
2 tbsp pickle juice

At least two hours before serving, boil potatoes in salted water until tender, but not mushy. Drain and slice thinly.

In a medium bowl, stir vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the sliced potatoes, celery, pickle and onion. Add pickle juice, salt and pepper to taste.

8 to 10 stalks
3/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Cut the celery crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pieces to make about 4 cups sliced. Place it in a serving bowl and sprinkle in the crumbled blue cheese. Add the salt, pepper and olive oil and toss well.

Served Chilled.

Serves 6 to 8

8 ears corn — shucked
3/4 cup red onion — small dice
5 tablespoons cider vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup fresh basil — chiffonade

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. When cool, cut the kernels off the cob cutting close to the cob. Break into pieces with your hands.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasoning, you may need more vinegar and olive oil, and serve cold or at room temperature.