cilantro lime dresing

Oh man... I'm a huge fan of salad. I can eat it everyday. Awhile back I had this delicious cilantro lime dressing at the Nordstrom Cafe and I had to have the recipe. Tonight I chose to make it. It's easy, refreshing, and simply amazing. It was the perfect compliment to my salad of arugula, watercress, cherry and grape tomatoes, and cucumber.

To make the dressing, you need: 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (or rice vinegar), 2 minced or pressed garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper pureed, about 1 tablespoon honey (or more for added sweetness), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup salad oil (I used sunflower oil), and 1 bunch chopped cilantro.



I cut corners and bought some chiptotle pepper salsa. It was made of the same ingredients as the chiptotle peppers but it was already pureed and in a smaller can. If you use chiptotle peppers, puree it in a mini food processor. Then combine all the ingredient minus the cilantro.



Mix well. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it.



Before serving, mix in the cilantro. It's best used within a day as the cilantro will change over time.



The salad accompanied a very delicious roasted chicken with potatoes. I found the chicken and potatoes on Gwyneth Paltrow's website- GOOP. I'm a email subscriber of her new posts and when I saw the recipe and the video that went with it, I could tell it was a winner. I think I'll be making this regularly. Thanks, Gwyneth!

get your indian on

One of my favorite Indian pastries are samosas. I think I could eat them everyday. With some tamarind or mint chutney, I'm in food heaven. They're flaky, filling, and delicious. Plus, you can't go wrong with potatoes.

My love for them got me thinking- I should learn how to make them. When I started to do an internet search, I found some YouTube demonstrations of how to make them by Manjula and a whole new can of worms was opened.

Manjula is this awesome woman who's decided to share her knowledge of Indian cuisine. Her husband is her food critic and her camera man. If he deems the food worthy, then they share it with us. I'm very excited about all the different recipes (and about sharing her with you).

Okay... so back to samosas. Watch these videos and get inspired. Let's learn how to cook Indian together.

who is claire robinson

source: www.commercialappeal.com

I woke up early this morning (to my dismay), made my necessary coffee, and turned on the TV. As I flipped through my favorite channels, I decided to stop at the Food Network. The title "5 Ingredient Fix" caught my attention. This Claire Robinson was making french toast, maple candied bacon, a fruit smoothie, and asparagus topped with scrambled eggs. The whole time, I kept thinking:

• Does this really taste good?
• Who is this person?
• What are her credentials?

It became necessary to know more so I go to the Food Network site. I learn this is her third episode, she's worked in media, she really wanted to pursue her interest in food, and she's produced other Food Network shows. I started to check out her other recipes and their reviews. They were actually interesting read- people reviewing the food before even cooking it, someone named Aggie raving about the food but making some serious alterations to the ingredients, and someone named Marsha who ripped Aggie for her comments and who ripped the recipes for getting high marks for doing not much.

I'll keep watching this show out of mere curiosity. Maybe, I'll even try some of the things she made. Claire, just stop getting excited about everything you've cooked after you have a bite but it's just a bit annoying. Really... the mini orgasms that these people get after trying their food is much.