2 more salads

Way back when, or maybe just a few months ago, I had the grand idea of sharing a series of salad recipes. Of course life gets in the way, so I should be more careful about making statements like that. It's like every time I have a week off from school or work - I begin making a list of things I'd like to do about a month in advance, and inevitably fill it with much more than anyone could fit into that time span. Oh well.

In the meantime, summer has faded and blustery winds are blowing in. But I do have a couple salad suggestions, photos and all, that have been set aside ready to go, just waiting for a bit of time to type them up. And when I say suggestions, I mean I don't really think it's worth taking the time to make up exact measurements because I generally just wing it, and I imagine that will work nicely for you as well. Cooking is the most fun when it's variations on a theme.

1. Sauteed Corn Salad
This is delicious with corn freshly cut from the cob. You could try it with frozen or canned, but I'm doubtful.

Ingredients:
Corn on the cob, at least 1 per person
red onion, diced
fresh thyme
fresh rosemary, chopped
feta cheese
almond slivers or pumpkin seeds, toasted (or any other nut or seed)

Heat some olive oil in a large pan. Add a handful of diced onion and let it cook for about 5 minutes before cutting the corn straight into the pan. Mix to coat everything evenly with the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and a few springs of fresh thyme and rosemary.

Let this cook until everything begins to caramelize. The key is keeping the heat up enough to let the corn and onions brown around the edges and stick to the bottom of the pan a bit - when you scrape that off, it adds an amazing sweetness to the dish.

Top with crumbled feta and toasted almond slivers and pumpkin seeds.

2. Tuna Salad
I am not a fan of the traditional tuna salad, or any mayonnaise-based salad for that matter. But I do like tuna. I consider this a fresher take on the traditional dish, and it still gets some creaminess from the oil and feta.

Ingredients:
1 can of tuna fish
olive oil
feta cheese
capers
lemon juice
fresh parsley, finely chopped
red onion, diced

Combine all ingredients well, balancing out the olive oil, feta, caper liquid and lemon juice to get the blend of richness and acidity that best suits you.

Enjoy on a bed of greens, a slice of bread, or however you usually eat tuna salad.