101 minus 3 = 98

As I said, I decided to try some salads from this week's New York Times 101 salads. I made one with watermelon, peach, basil, bacon, and vinaigrette (on right below, with bowl of the first local apricots).

Quinoa was the base for the two other salads -- chosen for comparative tasting. First: quinoa cooked and cooled, then tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, chopped parsley, zatar, cubed tomatoes, and topped with toasted pine nuts. And (not shown): quinoa tossed while still warm with orange zest, juice & sections, and golden raisins, garnished with lemon wedges and a sprig of mint. Do I plan to try the other 98 salads? I couldn't say, at this point -- though we and our guests did enjoy these. And quinoa, while not exactly new, was a great subject for conversation. We had googled it extensively while I was cooking. Said Len: "It's not a grain, it's a weed."