Place lettuce in a large serving bowl. Add avocado, tomato, pine nuts, sprouts, red onion, cheese and cilantro; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic. Add oil gradually, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Add enough dressing to salad as desired; serve remaining dressing on the side. Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Jenny Wright-Hailey column
We generally consider chocolate, oysters and champagne as sexy “love” foods for Valentine’s Day indulgences. Aren’t these just a little too, well, expected? Time to take it to the next level, foodies. What about black beans … grapes … pine nuts? If you think these foods are new entries in the culinary Book of Love, read on.
I came across a beautifully illustrated and totally fun little book recently. “Inter Courses: an Aphrodisiac Cookbook” by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge offers a tongue-in-cheek history of foods that are used to entertain romantically. So if you are love hungry or just hungry for lovely food, these easy recipes might just inspire some culinary cuddling.
Black beans supposedly increase fertility. Around A.D. 400 they were taboo to nuns. These shiny black beauties are featured here with another “love” food, the chili pepper.
Black bean salsa
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1/3 cup pineapple juice
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon minced green chile pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine the mango, pepper, onion, black beans, juices, cilantro, cumin and chili pepper in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill, covered, up to 5 days. Serve with tortilla chips or fried plantain rounds. Makes 2 to 3 servings.
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In Roman times, Marc Antony fed grapes to Cleopatra. (Did he peel them first?) Little firm, plump bursts of sweet-tart juice … definitely sexy food. Combine them with creamy things and you never know what will happen.
Pasta with grapes
2 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into small wedges
4 ounces seedless white grapes
1 bunch watercress, trimmed and coarsely shredded
2 scallions, chopped
Juice and zest of 1/2 orange
Salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces spiral pasta, cooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
In a large bowl, toss the goat cheese, grapes, watercress, scallions, orange juice and zest, salt and pepper, hot pasta, and olive oil. Serve immediately.
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People in the northwestern Himalayas enjoy local pine nuts, hailed as “kernels of love.” They also enjoy a very high birth rate. Here the pine nuts are featured with silky avocado, another favorite texture.
Salad with pine nuts and avocados
1/2 head butter lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 small avocado, peeled and chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Place lettuce in a large serving bowl. Add avocado, tomato, pine nuts, sprouts, red onion, cheese and cilantro; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic. Add oil gradually, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Add enough dressing to salad as desired; serve remaining dressing on the side. Makes 2 to 3 servings.