THE LADY OF SHALLOTS

Thus begins part two of our "It is hotter than Hades" food series. :) Today was so hot and humid I would have gladly spent part of it locked in a freezer. I hate cooking on days like this, but we've gotta eat. Since I also did not feel like getting in the car that has no air conditioning in order to go to the grocery store, I also had to play "let's experiment with weird random stuff in the fridge/freezer." Thus, I give you "Chilled Cajun Cod Nicoise Salad" which bears no real resemblance to Nicoise except for the green beans (which started off purple--see below). INGREDIENTS (serves 2) 2.5. filets cod or other flaky fish (I used frozen cod, but fresh would be better!) 1 Granny Smith apple purple green beans (incidentally, purple beans just turn green when you cook 'em, so don't bother unless you plan on eating them raw) red-leaf lettuce cajun spice (I used Penzey's , but you could also make your own) salt (enough for a rub--1 tsp s...

It is true that necessity is the mother of invention. This is one of those "random things I had in my fridge" recipes that turned out pretty well. I was looking for something relatively healthy, quick, and "summery" (meaning, not meat pie or mac n' cheese). We have a great Farmer's Market here, and on Saturday I had picked up some rainbow chard, locally made black pepper chevre, cilantro, and a sweet green pepper. The cilantro is optional, but I found it really mediated the slight bitterness of the chard (as did the green pepper). The chevre is scrumptious and provides a bit of tang. I also used lemon pepper (my "summery" spice of choice) to give it just a tad more zip. The result was a really well-balanced filling with a crispy and light texture. THE INGREDIENTS NOTE: The amount I used is for ONE PERSON (roughly eight wontons). 1/2 a yellow onion, chopped 1/2 a sweet green pepper, choppped (or whole small pepper) 4-5 large leaves rainbow ch...