The best meal ideas ever!

Sander, Sawyer and a friend. Sander didn't like the friend. Can you tell?

Published July 21, 2009

You know, every time I think I’m getting the hang of cooking, I’m knocked on my ass.

This article from The New York Times, which is just a bunch of salad ideas, knocked me out.

Why, oh why, aren’t I eating like this every day?

Why have I ever eaten beans and rice when I can have this:

“Cereal for grown-ups: Start with puffed brown rice; toss with chopped tomatoes, scallions, a minced chili, cooked or canned chickpeas and toasted unsweetened coconut. Dress with coconut milk and lime juice.”

I had bean soup for dinner last night. Why didn’t I do this:

“Cook short-grain white rice in watered-down coconut milk (be careful that it doesn’t burn) and a few cardamom pods. While warm, toss with peas (they can be raw if they’re fresh and tender), chopped cashews or pistachios, a pinch of chili flakes and chopped raw spinach.”

Or this:

“Sear tuna until rare (for that matter, you could leave it raw) and cut it into small cubes. Toss with shredded jicama or radish and shredded Napa cabbage; season with mirin, soy sauce and cilantro. Avocado and/or wasabi paste are great with this, too.”

I thought I was fancy and uber-urban with my walnut-dried-cranberry-feta salad.

Apparently, that’s SO last century.

This is the salad of today:

“Grate carrots, toast some sunflower seeds, and toss with blueberries, olive oil, lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Sweet, sour, crunchy, soft.”

Yeah. That’s the New York Times talking.

I’m off to go buy me some modern vegetables.

I had a meatloaf defrosting. Silly, silly me.

Perhaps I’ll buy some arugula. Or maybe some raw spinach.

My kids can eat the meatloaf.

The article, because I know you’ll be wanting to read it and eat it, is here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?pagewanted=1&em