Crispy Asian Peanut Slaw

I think the best recipes are always born of 30% desperation, 20% an unswerving desire for a particular dish, and 50% whatever you have in the fridge. The other day, I was stressed about finding a dinner that would please everyone in my family (meat-eaters and veggies alike), had a crazy craving for cold peanut noodles, and had no noodles but a ton of vegetables in the crisper. So Crispy Asian Peanut Slaw was born! It is delicious topped with sauteed gingery garlic tofu or sauteed/grilled chicken, or by itself as a side dish. It comes together really quickly, so if you're looking for a simple delicious salad for a  BBQ today, I think you've found it. Happy Fourth of July!

Put an Egg on It: BLT Salad Edition

Today is a really exciting day. I'm kicking off my "Put an Egg on It" series here on Dishes! Inspired by the Portlandia sketch "Put a Bird on It," this recipe series will celebrate my relatively newfound love of fried eggs. They're cheap, delicious, full of protein, most vegetarians eat them...and did I mention they're cheap?


 Runny egg yolks used to gross me out. Now I love them. Why the change of heart? One word--bacon. When I was in France a few years ago, I went out to lunch with a fellow American on the trip (hi Alix!), her student host, and the host student's father. Ordering in French was fine--I saw "Frisee aux Lardons," or curly bitter salad greens with porcine yumminess on the menu, and I felt set. Imagine my horror when my lunch arrived with two jiggly eggs on top! I had just started picking around them when Alix's father gave me an accusing look--"That's obviously the best part, and you're not going to EAT it?"--that I couldn't ignore. So I sighed, and pricked the eggs with my fork until the yolk began to drip down the salad. Taking an apprehensive bite, I was ready to hate it.


Wrong. So, so wrong.


The silky yolks were the perfect complement to the crispy bitter tangles of endive, chunks of crunchy bacon, and vinegary bite of the warm dressing.  This is by far my favorite salad, and it's pretty easy to recreate without fancy ingredients and with minimal effort. I ate it as brunch, but it's another one of those dishes that you will love anytime...including right now!! Put an egg on it!