Salad In A Newspaper

I'm betting you're thinking that I found this recipe somewhere inside of a newspaper. You would be so very wrong. I ate this salad out of a newspaper. Literally.

Let me explain.

 

Midnight Snacks: 150 Easy and Enticing Alternatives to Standing by the Freezer Eating Ice Cream from the Carton by Michael J. Rosen and Sharon Reiss is a delightful cookbook. It is crowded with good food that's easy to prepare. Just flipping through the book caught my interest as the titles are thought-provoking and only made me want to learn more. Any idea what type of food these would produce?

• Double-Down Doughnuts 
• Visions of Chevre Plumbs 
• Shaggy Dogs 
• All Dal-ed Up
• Flambe The Night Away

I have no idea what any of these recipes are for. And that's why I love this book. The titles seduce you into reading the rest of the description, which only made me want to run to the kitchen and sample every recipe. 

I tried "Cures What Ails You Soup" on page 12 and was pleasantly surprised. The soup was ready in less than 15 minutes, and eaten withn the next 15. It tasted good, and --with ginger and the juice of one lime lime-- was good for me, too.  

"Daily Salad In A Newspaper" on page 160 definitely caught my eye. There's a short explaination about how this type of salad is a traditional street vendor food in India, a quick sentence on the history of cucumber cultivation, then the authors suggest that this might be the perfect food to eat "on the balcony after making love" or "something entirely novel to serve when it's your turn to host the book club." 

So what on earth is the author talking about? Salad a "novel" food? In this case, you betcha. 

I picked up a newspaper at my local grocery store. You remember newspapers, right? Read the parts you'd like and set aside. 

Chop the veggies. I substituted sliced pork tenderloin for chickpeas so as to save the tenderloin from going green and moldy in my fridge. 

Get your spices in order: garam masala, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro. Note the ice cube of cilantro. This was frozen fresh last year - couldn't tell the difference in the salad. 

Add salt and pepper and mix together. 

Return to the newspaper and fold into the size of a legal pad. 

Add waxed paper.

Roll into a triangle. 

Fold the tip over to prevent juices from leaking and add salad. 

Don't forget the secret ingredient:  Rice Krispies. 

Your salad, my friend, is officially -and literally- in a newspaper. It's entertaining, portable, and delicious.

This is one salad I'm adding into my repetoire, especially for summer. I often get tired of an Italian caprese-style salad, so this is an excellent alternative. This fed me for dinner one night, and lunch at work the next day. Be sure to keep some Rice Krispies nearby as you're eating to sprinkle throughout and keep the salad crunchy. 

DAILY SALAD IN A NEWSPAPER

(adapted from Midnight Snacks) 

Makes about 2 servings

1 tomato, diced

1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced

2 small red skin potatoes, cooked and sliced

1/2 cup protein (I used pork tenderloin; you might choose beans)

2 teaspoons diced green chili (the canned kind)

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup (or more) Rice Krispies or similar

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together. It'd be nice if you have the time to let the flavors sit and marinate. I didn't have the time, and it was still yummy. Fold up you newspaper and waxed paper as described above. If you'd like, mix the Rice Krispies into the salad - I didn't because I like that crunchiness. Place the salad into the newspaper and eat it up!

P.S. More Rice Krispies on the way soon!