Spring Veggie Salad from Diamond Organics

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Spring Vegetable SaladMollie Katzen is really the queen of salad creativity - this recipe is adapted from her classic cookbook Still Life with Menu. She notes, "The ideal vegetables for this salad are the most angelic: miniature squash, baby carrots, slender green beans, flat snow peas, pencil-thin asparagus, etc. So use the loveliest vegetables you can find. Also, feel free to make substitutions as necessary. This is a very flexible recipe. The salad can be assembled a day in advance. Just hold off on adding the lemon juice until shortly before serving. (If the vegetables sit too long in an acidic substance, their colors will fade.)" 1/4 pound baby carrots 1/2 pound fresh green beans, as slender as possible 1/2 pound snow peas 8 to 10 very small red potatoes 1 small head cauliflower 1 or 2 small yellow summer squash 1/ 2 pound asparagus, pencil thin, if possible 2 to 3 medium cloves garlic, minced 1/ 4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 4 to 5 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional) Minced fresh basil, tarragon, marjoram, dill, and/or chives 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice - Prepare the vegetables: Trim both ends of the carrots, green beans, and snow peas. If desired, cut them in half. Or leave them whole. Halve the potatoes, separate the cauliflower into 1-inch pieces, and slice the squash. Snap off and discard the coarse lower ends of the asparagus. Cut off the tips, and slice the middle parts into 1 1/2-inch pieces.- Steam the potatoes until just tender,

about 10 to 15 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, place the garlic and olive oil in a large bowl. When the potatoes are done, transfer them – still hot – to the bowlful of garlic and oil.- Steam the carrots, cauliflower, and green beans together until just tender, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Refresh under cold water, drain well and transfer to the bowl.- Steam together the asparagus, snow peas, and squash until just al dente. (This will take less than 5 minutes.) Add to the rest of the vegetables, and mix gently.- Add remaining ingredients, except for the lemon juice, and stir again. Cover tightly and chill until very cold.- Stir in the lemon juice within about 15 minutes of serving time. Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats __________________________________________________