Festive Salad and Halloween Burritos

A Festive Salad

Of berries red and basil green,
And avocado, luscious treat,
I’ll make a salad, fresh cuisine!

The dressing adds a subtle sheen.
Modena’s vinegar I shall beat
For berries red and basil green.

I tear the leaves and wash them clean.
Then chop the berries, small and sweet.
We’ll have our salad, fresh cuisine!

This fare will surely keep us lean,
Let’s nibble ‘til we are replete
With berries red and basil green.

The bits of berries lurk between
The leaves of romaine—frilly, neat!
We’ll have our salad, fresh cuisine!

I’ll toss it in a blue tureen
Then serve it for us both to eat.
I’ll make a salad, fresh cuisine,
Of berries red and basil green.


B. and I have been having this salad a lot lately. It's simple to put together but really astonishingly delicious. The base greens (meaning base only in the sense of providing structure, not derogatorily at all!) are red and green romaine, but any lettuce you like would be fine. The greens are topped with diced strawberries and avocado, plus a small handful of chiffonaded basil leaves. It's really the dressing that ties the whole thing together. Here's the recipe.

1 tsp. balsalmic vinegar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. or so brown sugar
hearty grind of black pepper

That makes enough to dress two servings generously.


Here's a semi-literary note. I was recently reading Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me with Apples, the second installment in her trilogy of memoirs. This volume primarily deals with her entry into the world of restaurant reviewing. Anyway, I was surprised and amused to read about the first time she encountered balsalmic vinegar, in the mid-1970s. She had no idea what it was, nor did any of her companions! I guess it's not really surprising, given the time, but for some reason imagining Ruth Reichl--former NY Times restaurant critic and current editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine--trying balsalmic vinegar for the very first time just really delights me.

Festive and tasty as this salad is, it's not really autumnal. We're just lucky to live somewhere where avocado, strawberries, basil and lemons are still growing nearby. What dinner needed was an orange and black entree. We settled on three-layer burritos, which we've adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. The first layer is a frightfully (sorry, I just couldn't resist) tasty mash of bright orange yams, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro, and ground coriander. The second layer is black beans, which we seasoned, cooked, and mashed, but refried beans or whole beans would also work well. And the third layer is extra lime-y guacamole. I know they sound odd, and despite the seasonal colors, they aren't really much to look at. Take my advice and make them anyway; they're yummy and nutritious.

We're planning to settle in for some more autumn treats this weekend, so stay tuned!