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 I can generally gauge how much I like a cookbook by how quickly I cook something in it. And I think I’ve just hit a new record with Mollie Katzen’s Salads. Within 2 hours of digging into the cookbook I had made her recipe for ‘Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette’ and had it on a wonderful ‘Basic Green Leafy Salad’, see recipes below. Then I went back to reading the rest of the book. Guess you could say I like it! 
‘Salads’ has a lot more to offer than just greens though. In fact, the fast majority of the recipes are for wonderful ways to combine fresh vegetables of all types into great salads both warm and cold. I’d definitely classify this as a cookbook that will help me cook the harvests of my garden. Recipes that caught my eye (and tummy) include Macedonian Salad (great use for the garden eggplant), Kristina’s Potato Salad, Dill Pickle Potatoes, Four Waldorf Variations, and Odessa Beets. The book is a small spiral that can be set-up as an easel to stand on its own for easy recipe viewing during preparation. As one would expect, Mollie’s recipes are straight forward and delicious. The overall variety of the ingredients and style for the salads is also great with something that will appeal to everyone. I was hooked right way and have a bunch of the recipes picked out to dig into throughout the summer as my garden starts producing… Basic Green Leafy Salad From Mollie Katzens’ Recipes: Salads, Ten Speed Press 2008 Assembling a green salad is a highly personalized endeavor, and of course there is no absolutely correct method. But the truth is some salads are much better than others. Here are a few guidelines to help your salads be among the better ones:
1) Use a large bowl, so you’ll have plenty of room to toss the salad thoroughly. Make it your special salad bowl – it will acquire more depth and soul with each use, and this will enhance something (I don’t know what) about the experience.
2) The basis for a green leafy salad is leafy green: lettuces, spinach, and other tender green leaves that can be eaten raw. Use only the freshest greens! They should be immaculate and absolutely dry (use a salad spinner plus paper towels). Store in a crisper or in dry plastic bags in the refrigerator.
3) The optional extras = delicate clippings, shavings, and gratings of other vegetables, plus cherry or plum tomatoes, olives, nuts, slices of fruit (anything from apple or pear slices to citrus sections to fresh figs), crumbled pungent cheese, grated hardboiled egg, or homemade croutons. Have whatever you choose to add ready to be mixed in gently or laid on top just before serving.
4) If you want to make the dressing right in the bowl as you toss the salad, place a few tablespoons of olive oil, nut oil, or a combination in the bottom of the bowl with a clove or two of crushed garlic. Add crisp, dry greens a handful at a time, and toss after each addition, making sure everything gets evenly coated. Add small amounts of additional oil, if needed, plus small amounts of salt and vinegar (red wine, herb-infused, balsamic, fruit-flavored – experiment!) right before serving, and add optional extras. Bring a peppermill to the table. RULE OF THUMB: Be a benefactor with the oil, a miser with the vinegar, a poet with the salt, and a demon with the pepper! Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette From Mollie Katzen's Recipes: Salads, Ten Speed Press 2008 Preparation time: 5 minutes Yield: about ½ cup (easily doubled) - 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- 5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. salt
- fresh black pepper
- a pinch of celery seed
- ¼ tsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbs. each (or any): minced fresh dill, basil, chives and/or marjoram (or 1 tsp each, dried)
Combine everything in a small jar with a lid. Cover tightly and shake until well blended. This keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator. Shake well before using. About Mollie Katzen's Recipes: Salads Credited with moving vegetarian cooking from the fringes of American society to mainstream dinner tables, Mollie Katzen has proved that there's more to salad than tossed greens. With fresh fruits and vegetables, pungent cheeses, beans, oils, herbs, and nuts, a salad can be a hearty meal in itself. Celebrating THE MOOSEWOOD COOKBOOK's 30th anniversary, the latest addition to the MOLLIE KATZEN'S RECIPES series brings together her classic salad combinations from MOOSEWOOD and ENCHANTED BROCCOLI FOREST in a convenient easel format. Each recipe is lovingly hand-lettered and illustrated with Mollie's distinctive pen-and-ink drawings, making this timeless collection the perfect kitchen countertop companion. Available at Amazon.com
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