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Marian baker's avatar

I'd be a regular at your restaurant - dreamy!

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emily nunn's avatar

Thank you, Marian! I wonder if anyone would come to a fancy sit-down salad restaurant that wasn't fast food? Maybe I'll just start selling salads out of my house hahaha! But that would mean I'd have to vacuum. Thank you, also, for reading the DOS! 💚

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Deborah Paes de Barros's avatar

Harrisa citrus vinaigrette? Chopped and roasted vegetables? Your restaurant would be my dream. We would be free from the hierarchy of taxonomy and understand that the essence of salad rises above such banal and possibly vulgar categorical assumptions.

And Emily, you are so right about the distinction between entrees and sides. I mean even the associations of the word side are not noble. Consider if you will a fling or romance on the side, a side hustle, or a sidekick. To name a salad a side is to limit and even demean its verdant possibilities.

Salad is all.

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Marian baker's avatar

Well said!!!

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emily nunn's avatar

Deborah, I love this! Thanks for being here!!

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M Sheila Rabaut's avatar

You have great original ideas! Keep up the good work.

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emily nunn's avatar

Thanks you!! I'm so glad to have you as a reader. And it's so nice to get your feedback, truly--💚

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Ellen's avatar

Just finished leftover bulgur salad for lunch. Damn! Delicious. Instead of almonds, I used leftover pine nuts from the zucchini carpaccio recipe from Amy T; the extra pepper was a nice touch. Thanks as always!

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emily nunn's avatar

Thank YOU, Ellen. I actually thought about pine nuts, too, but decided on almonds for the extra crunch. But since the celery supplies quite a bit, maybe I'll try it your way next time. I LOVE pine nuts, maybe too much.

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deb semine's avatar

Emily, you crack me up!🤣. A perfect way to start my morning is reading your column. Thank you!

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emily nunn's avatar

Deb, thank you. That makes me so happy. If we didn't have humor, where would we be? I'd probably be in jail! 💚 🥬

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fillups44's avatar

Wow two more winners and just in the nick of time (I'm providing a lunch salad for family and was looking for something original that they would talk about). These fit the bill beautifully. I think I'm doing the roasted vegetables for the event. These are both substantial but that one just fits perfectly!! Thanks so much!

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emily nunn's avatar

Hey, that THRILLS ME! Let us know how it went, will you? 🥬

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Cyndi Lee's avatar

Great new salads! Any suggestions for subbing out dried apricot which I like but is not my friend😕

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emily nunn's avatar

Thanks, Cyndi--how about the golden raisins from the other recipe in this issue. I just LOVE them, and would take them over regular raisins any day. Dried cranberries or cherries would be okay, but they might be too much with the olives?

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Cyndi Lee's avatar

Thanks!

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Cyndi Lee's avatar

PS What do you think about beets for the sweet?

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emily nunn's avatar

That’s a real different kind of sweet—I imagine it would be good but not as sharp a contrast as you’d get with dried fruit?? Maybe dried mango??

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Cas Workman's avatar

I love salads, no matter the type or direction! I live for the summer, when produce from my garden is abundant, and it's warm weather. Thanks for your inventive take on salads!!

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emily nunn's avatar

Cas, thank you, too--I love reading notes like this. What kinds of salads are you making from your garden. I don't have a garden this year--hoping to get one in next year; so I have garden envy.

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Cas Workman's avatar

It is all anticipation at this point. The four tomato plants have beautiful green tomatoes, the eggplants are really just starting to form, I have picked cucumbers (which were consumed right away), and only the Italian frying peppers are ready. I do supplement with purchases from my local farm market. But I have high hopes!

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emily nunn's avatar

Cucumbers from the garden are just a completely different thing, aren't they. I grew them in my last garden, when I was living in the country, and I just ate them like apples-crunch crunch crunch!

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Beth Mazur's avatar

Reading about these salads always makes me smile! Look at that picture of broccoli! So beautiful and bright green….yummy. 😊

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emily nunn's avatar

Isn't broccoli just BEAUTIFUL. I think it's a little odd that we don't put I in vases and bring it to people when they are in the hospital!

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Yukari Sakamoto's avatar

Love any salad with salami topping!

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emily nunn's avatar

Yukari, you are like my best salad compatriot. xoxoxo

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Amy Axler's avatar

A giant salami loving pill beats a puny side salad each and every day. Good tip about the oil cured olives.

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emily nunn's avatar

Thank you, Amy. I love them, but they are POWERFUL!

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Amy Axler's avatar

💯

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Kate's avatar

The roasted vegetable salad looks amazing! Any suggestions for an alternative to dill? I believe you that it tastes great with salami but I unfortunately really hate dill :/

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emily nunn's avatar

So many--basil, mint, parsley, tarragon! Those would all be nice with the cruciferous veg AND the salami

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Lisa K. Obrien's avatar

Dear God, do I love olives. Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives are on our dinner table 8/10 nights. I never had good olives until they were served to me in Greece, 1978. That taste was revelatory. The thought of them paired with apricots will keep me up tonight. I’ll be making this salad ASAP.

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emily nunn's avatar

Lisa, I am a lifelong olive lover, too, and didn't have good ones until I moved to NYC--but I'll bet having them in Greece was transportive! Let me know what you think of the olive apricot combo!

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Lisa K. Obrien's avatar

You betcha! 😉

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Liz Orelup's avatar

❤️❤️❤️ This missive is a perfect complement to the lovely salad I had for lunch today at the (new to me) Green Door Cafe in Delafield WI: arugula, farro, roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, & carrots, goat cheese, candied pecans, maple ginger vinaigrette. We sat in the lovely garden, longed for a breeze, sipped our hibiscus tea Arnold Palmers and enjoyed the good company. And generous enough portions to have a bit to bring home to dinner (where it will be decreed a side salad).

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emily nunn's avatar

Oh, that sounds WONDERFUL! It's a little wintery, and I love that in the summer. And that vinaigrette sounds crazy--was it super-sweet? Or how did they handle that issue with teh candied pecans and sweet potato?

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Liz Orelup's avatar

It does sound a bit wintery but it was wonderful, even sitting outside in 85° weather. I wonder if they tweaked it a bit to lighten it up? I don’t remember there being many sweet potatoes but there is no photographic evidence - it looked so delicious that I failed to snap a shot before eating. I don’t remember it being too sweet. I will simply have to return for a second tasting.

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emily nunn's avatar

It sounds like a good salad to revisit, for sure.

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Mary Ellen's avatar

The bulgar salad was so, so good, even though I forgot to add the almonds. I will get another chance tonight. 🙄

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