Salads

There are a zillion mashed eggplant dishes. This one, is slices, marinated in a tangy lemon garlic vinaigrette. It would be at home on a summer table, a picnic, or with grilled, cold chicken. Have this once, and it will be a staple in your eggplant repetoire. It is also easier than the usual eggplant recipes.

You can also leave out the egg and flour dip, and just fry the eggplant slices in oil – minus their coating. Either way, is good.

So many people enjoy this simple salad. It is easy, keeps well and is refreshing in summer, at a bbq supper, or as a side with a meal. It doubles and triples well for a crowd.

Not to vinegary nor too creamy but somewhere in-between. A perfect side of homestyle cole slaw. Serve with fried fish, biscuits or fried chicken or chicken and dumplings. I always make a big batch of this and pack it in a Mason jar.

The very first scene in the movie Like Water for Chocolate showcases buckets of diced onions – as a symbol of tears and heartache. This salad makes short work of zesty onions and hot peppers and heartache, if any, is sheerly physical, not emotional! I use surgical gloves (my fruit and vegetable store stocks them). They make handling the hot peppers a piece of cake. This can be enjoyed on it its own but I prefer it on baguette sandwiches or atop a mixed green salad. The vinegar is optional - it does make things a bit more watery but gives it an acidic bite. The salt also makes things watery. You can leave that out too and add it as you dole out the salad. For more recipes from this film, check out the novel by the same name, which includes most of the recipes seen being prepared in the film.