Roasted Delicata Squash Salad

I waited forever to be able to make this Roasted Delicata Squash Salad.  Seriously!  I got the delicata squash from the CSA a few weeks ago and then I picked up the other ingredients - potatoes, radishes.  I had the miso already, I always have almonds on hand, and I totally forgot about the kale.  When I went to Whole Foods to pick up harissa, the missing link... they didn't have it.  After about half an hour of searching I asked customer service and they informed me that it was discontinued due to low sales, just like the muscovado sugar I was looking for a few weeks earlier.  People don't know what they're missing by not buying this stuff.  Unbelievable!

So anyway, I had to turn to Amazon for my harissa, which cost me more to ship than the actual tube.  Luckily, it's a condiment you don't need to use much of, and the handy tube means you don't have to use it all right away.  (I buy tomato paste in a tube too - unless you have a recipe that actually calls for a whole can, it's much more cost-efficient and convenient.)

Since I got some kale in my CSA share this week and picked up some more radishes at the market, I decided today would be the day.  It turned out great!  I should have cut the potatoes smaller, but otherwise I thought it was delicious.  The one change I made was to roast the radishes instead of slicing them and adding them raw to the salad.  The potatoes were my favorite part, but Ken liked the squash and radishes better.  It would be a great side for a harissa-marinated chicken!  The marinade could be used for a variety of vegetables, too.

Chopped Miso Salad

I wanted to try more recipes with miso and came across this Chopped Miso Salad.  I happened to have a green cabbage on hand and almost all the other ingredients, so I brought everything down to the beach and made it for my family.

This recipe was definitely a hit - it's variable and easy to make.  I used sunflower seeds instead of almonds, added carrots, and made the dressing in a blender instead of just whisking it together.  Everyone loved it, and we have already made it again.  (It's very aesthetically pleasing with a mix of red and green cabbage also.)  It's probably going to be a staple in our fridge down the shore this summer, at least as long as the cabbage is in season.

Walnut Miso Noodles

Sometimes we have to make something quick and painless for dinner.  I just got a container of miso the other day (I was finally able to find it at Whole Foods - it was in the refrigerated section near the fake meats.  Who knew?) so we decided to try the Walnut Miso Noodles on 101 Cookbooks.  We opted for soba instead of whole wheat (next time, I wouldn't) and rinsed the noodles under cold water (finally, we follow the directions... for the wrong recipe - next time, I wouldn't).  We used some sauteed swiss chard (with stems), edamame and toasted walnuts for some veg and crunch - pretty good choices.

The dressing was good.  I would make this again, but have it warm instead, and with whole wheat noodles instead of soba.  The easy substitution of veg makes this a great use-up-what's-in-the-fridge weeknight dish.