Meat-eater salad

There's no meat in this salad, but it does have potatoes, every traditional meat-eater's perfect side dish. The lettuce is there for the fun and the color of it, but since it marries so well with the potatoes and the warm oil from their frying, no meat-eater will be able to resist, no matter what his or her take is on the leafy green stuff.

For two servings, peel and boil about 5 or 6 small to medium potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain, allow to cool for a while, then cube. Heat about 4 or 5 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the potatoes and sautee until the potatoes brown a bit, maybe 5 minutes or so.

Mince a garlic clove and add to a large bowl with salt to taste and mix well. When the potatoes are done, pour the oil from the skillet into the bowl and stir again. Allow to cool for a while and then add the potatoes and a handful of fresh minced parsley. Stir to coat the potatoes with the oil and parsley, the add fresh lettuce and mix again. Serve the salad lukewarm as a side dish. It's delicious!

Carrot salad

This little side-dish of shredded carrots loaded with garlic and onion will give your immune system a boost, not to mention keep the vampires away! Scroll down to see a second recipe made with the leftovers of this salad.

In a large bowl, add 2 or 3 large garlic cloves and half a small onion, both minced. Add a generous teaspoon of salt and mix. Add 3 generous tablespoons or so of olive oil and stir. Peel and shred about 5 or 6 large carrots. Add to the dressing, stir to coat, and then add a few heaping teaspoons of hemp seed if you have any. Serve at room temperature with a slice of lemon.

Sautee a can of drained, rinsed chick peas in a tablespoon or so of olive oil until browned. Mince a large handful of fresh parsley. Stir the chick peas and parsley in a large bowl with about a cup and a half of leftover carrot salad described above. Serve a side dish. (For the curious out there, the dish behind this one in the picture is creamy rainbow chard, which is simply one chopped leek sauteed in olive oil with chopped chard to which I added salt and creme fresh when the chards were nicely wilted. It's very yummy, too.)