This week's menu

I'm really enjoying the cooler weather lately; nonetheless, cold salads are still making an appearance on my weekly menu.  One of this week's entrees was introduced to me by a friend who claims not to be skilled in the kitchen, but I beg to differ.  It's got color, crunch, taste and texture, and most important it's so easy to make.  How can you beat that? 

I like to call it a Super Protein Salad since the main ingredients are shelled edamame (frozen and thawed) and black beans (canned, drained and rinsed).  To this you add a bunch of corn (I used fresh off the cob, but frozen is fine), red onion, carrots (which you can get shredded), and cherry tomatoes sliced in half.  The original calls for Trader Joe's tahini dressing to bind it all together, but I made my own version with tahini, tamari, lemon juice, agave syrup and a little kick of Dijon mustard.  Delish!

Here it is with a closeup of the Quinoa Tabouleh I served it with:

And the rest of the meals:

• Ratatouille with Stewed Butter Beans and Polenta
• Red Lentil Coconut Curry, Brown Basmati Rice and Stringbean Mallum