Thai Red Curry with Shrimp and Vegetables at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Thai Red Curry with Shrimp and Vegetables at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Diners can order Thai red curry with just vegetables, chicken, beef, or shrimp and rice at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California. I love shrimp for many reasons and ordered it to go with the organic Salinas Valley vegetables in this spicy but not hot dish. 

I like Thai curries like the one I ordered, because they start out with fresh, strong “aromatics” – onions, garlic and fresh ginger that are stir-fried. Homemade curry paste made from sweet red peppers is added in with shrimp marinated in fish sauce – Thai nam pla, followed by vegetables. Coconut milk is added as the last ingredient to complete the curry. 

At Ginger Thai, this dish called Pad Prik Khing in Thai, is made with 3-inch strips of Chinese long beans, carrots cut in medallion shapes, and strips of red bell pepper. The vegetables were soft but not mushy and retained their shape. The long beans were crunchy in the center. The shrimp were large with a piquant, briny flavor and beautiful orange color. Everything combined in this curry to make every bite delicious. The curry sauce disappeared with every bite of rice. For flavor, this dish can compete European seafood dishes. 

For nutrients, this dish has several winning ingredients. Shrimp contains both selenium and iodine, which keep the thymus gland working in good order. Carrots, long beans, and red bell pepper have Vitamin A, which is good for the eyes. Red peppers and green long beans contain Vitamin C, an antioxidant, which helps protect the body from cancer. The Thais, like the Chinese, also view vitamin-rich food as medicine. 

Red curry with shrimp and vegetables, pad prik khing, delivers great flavor loaded with nutrients at Ginger Thai in Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Western Stage Announces Upcoming 2025 - 2026 Plays Posted by Ruth Paget

The Western Stage in Salinas, California announces upcoming 2025 - 2026 Plays.  Click below for information and tickets:

Western Stage 2025 - 2026 Upcoming Shows

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Sticky Buns and Vegetable Frittatas at the Gallery Café in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

Sticky Buns and Frittatas at the Gallery Café in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

When my daughter Florence Paget and I went to the Gallery Café in Pebble Beach (Califoria) a few days ago, we were in a rush, because it was late morning and the cinnamon sticky buns might be sold out. (Oh no!) 

The Gallery Café is an American diner that serves freshly baked, very large cinnamon rolls that can easily feed three people. Florence and I shared one. The sticky bun arrived so warm you could smell the cinnamon and sugar seasoning. 

Warm, liquid powdered sugar frosting was poured over it at the table and settled in little pools around the sticky bun for dipping. That was a delicious appetizer. 

While waiting for our main course, I sipped a hot chai latte, a Central Asian tea drink that can be flavored with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, clove, pepper, and/or nutmeg. The chai arrived with a frothy layer of steamed milk on top that was sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. In California, chai is now a standard beverage offered like Italian coffee drinks. I like tea that reminds me of hot chocolate. 

My brunch order was a vegetable frittata, a baked Italian omelet. Delicious, organic vegetables from the Salinas Valley really make this dish shine. The frittata was full of bite-sized green asparagus, sautéed spinach, shallots, and mushrooms. The frittata was topped off with slices of ripe tomato, goat cheese (Is this made in Pebble Beach? They have goat herds.), and velvety smoked salmon with snipped chives. 

This beautiful dish was served with a generous bowl of fresh fruit – strawberry halves, blueberries, raspberries, cantaloupe slices, honeydew melon slices, and pineapple wedges. The fruit was so sweet it needed no sugar. 

We sat outside for fresh air and had a great view of the golf course and ocean. 

The Gallery Café is located between the Pebble Beach Market opposite the Lodge and the Tap Room and Bench’s temporary location. 

For a pleasant and delicious brunch or breakfast, The Gallery Café in Pebble Beach, California is a nice place to relax, especially if you are driving along 17-Mile Drive. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Santa Cruz Weekly carried my review of the Images of the Virgin Exhibit by Ruth Paget

Thank you Santa Cruz Weekly for carrying my review of the Images of the Virgin exhibit organized by Dr. Jennifer Colby about the Black Madonna in various religions.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Keto Chaffles (Cheese Waffles) Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Keto Chaffles (Cheese Waffles) Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

Even if you do not diet, the Sweet and Savory Keto Chaffles: 75 Delicious Treats for Your Low-Carb Diet by Martina Slajerova about cheese waffles makes excellent use of organic Monterey County agricultural products and those of California in general. 

Low-fat mozzarella cheese is used in both sweet and savory waffles. Other cheese varieties that can be used in savory cheese waffles include mild to mature cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss cheese, Emmenthal, goat cheese or sheep cheese. 

For savory waffles, Slajerova suggests making two homemade raw Italian sauces – marinara and pesto. Both of these sauces can be kept in the refrigerator for several days as well as the cheese waffles. 

-For the marinara sauce, you will need to blend cherry tomatoes, basil, shallot or onion, tomato purée, olive oil, salt, and pepper together. 

-For the pesto sauce, you will need to blend basil; macadamia, blanched almonds or sunflower seeds, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese together. 

-For the chaffle batter, you need to blend eggs; mozzarella or grated cheddar or hard cheese of choice; almond or coconut flour, and baking powder together before cooking. 

Just these three recipes are worth the price of the book, especially if you add poached or fried eggs on top of the chaffle with some sauce poured on it. 

There are some other delicious recipes for savory cheese waffles that I have noted below: 

-salmon and cream cheese chaffles

-eggs royale with smoked salmon and Hollandaise sauce 

-Quatro formaggi pizza chaffles with marinara sauce and a mix of Parmesan, mozzarella, gorgonzola and maybe goat cheese that is run under the broiler 

-spanakopita chaffles made with frozen spinach and feta cheese 

-rosemary and olive focaccia chaffle made with chopped black or green olives 

If you are looking for a way to make organic ingredients shine, there are many good recipes for doing this in Sweet and Savory Keto Chaffles by Martina Slajerova. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Bookhype.com is carrying my first edition books by Ruth Paget

Thank you bookhype.com for carrying my first edition books including More Leisure than Money: Tales of a Navy Wife in Virginia.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Operation We Are Here Resources for Miltary Spouses has included my Virginia book on their booklist by Ruth Paget

Thank you Operation We Are Here.com for including my book More Leisure than Money: Tales of a Navy Wife in Virginia on your list of resource books for military spouses.

This book is also sold as Virginia Mom.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Salinas (California) Go-To Summer Picnic by Ruth Paget

Salinas (California) Go-To Summer Picnic by Ruth Paget 

I like the store-bought picnics I can put together with little trouble in Salinas, California. 

The following meal makes like my little town very much: 

-cooked seasoned back ribs – less than $18 as of 6-16-2025 at Costco (locations in Salinas and Sand City by Seaside) 

-Diet Pepsi – we get 24-packs at Costco 

-cleaned, cubed, and fresh watermelon and strawberries from Whole Foods – Whole Foods is located in the Del Monte Center Shopping Mall in Monterey. You can get there via Highway 68 or take Blanco Road to Reservation Road (right) to Imjin Parkway (immediate left) to Highway 1 (Soledad and Munras exit) 

-blueberry streusel banana muffins – from Costco 

If you need a place to park and eat, Toro Park is located off Highway 68 as is Jack’s Peak Park across from the airport.

With a little organization, it is easy to picnic in Steinbeck Country in Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Alibris.com is carrying my book by Ruth Paget

Thank you Alibris.com for carrying my book Eating Soup with Chopsticks.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

The ALA Store (American Library Association) is selling a book I have chapters in by Ruth Paget

Thank you ALA Store (American Library Association) for carrying the Librarian’s Handbook.  I have chapters on restaurant reviewing and online columns in it. 

 (I used to write The Global Librarian column for the Special Library Association of the Bay Area when I was in graduate school at San Jose State University.)

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Saxo.com in Denmark is carrying my book by Ruth Paget

Thank you Saco.com in Denmark for carrying my first edition of Eating Soup with Chopsticks.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France 

Sesame Beef and Broccoli at Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Sesame Beef and Broccoli at Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

When I lived in downtown Chicago (Illinois) after I graduated from the University of Chicago, I ate sesame beef with broccoli at Chinese restaurants like Szechuan House and House of Hunan and felt like an empress doing so while working at my entry-level job in sales. 

Later when I lived in Wisconsin, I bought a wok at a garage sale and restored it. I made broccoli beef myself to cook my own empress meals. 

In my new town of Salinas, California, I tried sesame beef and broccoli at one of our local Vietnamese restaurants, Saigon Noodles, located on North Main Street by Grocery Outlet. 

The Vietnamese stir-fry shallots in peanut oil and add in the beef with soy sauce and oyster sauce. The hot beef is finished with drizzles of sesame oil and sprigs of cilantro. The beef sauce is thick but not cloudy from the addition of cornstarch. 

Many Chinese restaurants add cornstarch to stir-fry dishes at the end of cooking to add a glistening sheen to meat and vegetables. I think cornstarch “slurries” add calories and dull flavors a bit. 

Fortunately, the stir-fry beef sauce at Saigon Noodles is savory, salty, and clear of cornstarch. I dipped my rice and steamed broccoli that came with my meal in the sauce and loved the rich flavor. 

Saigon Noodles also offers this dish with chicken. 

For a regal treat, I highly recommend the sesame beef with steamed broccoli and rice from Saigon Noodles in Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Seafood Sizzling Rice Bowl at Korea House in Seaside, California by Ruth Paget

Seafood Sizzling Rice Bowl at Korea House in Seaside, California by Ruth Paget 

On my last visit to Korea House in Seaside, California with my daughter Florence Paget, we ordered shrimp tempura as our appetizer. The tempura arrived warm with delicious panko breadcrumb crust.

Florence ordered dak gui, Korean grilled chicken with soy chile sauce, while I ordered seafood dol sot bimibap, a sizzling rice bowl with seafood and egg. 

The seafood dol sot bimibap came with octopus, shrimp, mussels, squid, zucchini, and eggplant and a fried egg on top of it all. You are supposed to mix everything together to evenly spread the spicy gochujang sauce in it.

Gochujang sauce is made with red chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. Red chili powder contains Vitamin C, an antioxidant, which removes free radicals that can cause cancer from the body. 

My food was hot and deliciously spicy. At the end, I ate the crispy rice that had baked on the sides and bottom of the stone bowl the dol sot bimibap was heated in. I love this Korean dish, which you can also eat with bulgogi, Korean BBQ beef. 

I drank lemonade with my meal, but barley tea is the more traditional beverage. 

For a pleasant afternoon lunch with some perky and exotic food, I highly recommend Korea House in Seaside, California. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Glass Noodle Soup Packed with Seafood and Meat at Chopstix in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Glass Noodle Soup with Seafood and Meat at Chopstix in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

The glass noodle soup with seafood and meat at Chopstix Restaurant in Salinas, California located at the Northridge Mall on North Main Street tastes great and is also a great value for the amount of seafood and meat in it. 

Shrimp and squid along with sliced pork and beef and pulled chicken breast sit atop a large mound of glass noodles made from mung bean starch in the delivery bowls. To this diners can add Thai basil leaves, jalapeño peppers, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and bean sprouts. 

Finally, diners pour on shrimp broth that tastes like it has been made with shrimp shells that are discarded after the broth has reduced and the shrimp flavor concentrates. 

The lemony shrimp broth is the constant flavor for all the different flavors and textures in the soup. This soup is a wonderful recharge in the middle of the day. 

The clear glass noodles made from mung bean starch surprisingly contain some calcium and iron. Iron helps transport oxygen throughout the body, and calcium is used to help build bones. The mung beans are flavorless and take on the shrimp flavor of the broth while adding nutritional value. 

The Vietnamese name for this delicious soup is Hu Tien Tim Thit, which I will learn for international flair.  

This value packed glass noodle soup with seafood and meat is a great deal at Chopstix Restaurant in Salinas, California. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Education tutors for summer and school year posted by Ruth Paget

Education tutoring services - one local and tw others offering online instruction:

Sylvain Learning in Salinas, California

Mathnasium Tutoring Services in Monterey

Kumon Education Services

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Bol.com of the Netherlands and Belgium is carrying two of my books posted by Ruth Paget

Thank you Bol.com of the Netherlands and Belgium for carrying two of my chapbooks about Asia - China Hand and Eating Soup with Chopsticks.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Reliably Fresh Turkey-Provolone Subs from Jersey Mike's in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Reliably Fresh Turkey-Provolone Subs from Jersey Mike’s in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I like reliable, no-surprises, fresh, and delicious turkey-provolone submarine sandwiches from Jersey Mike’s in Salinas, California located in the Northridge Mall on North Main Street.

The submarine sandwich, or sub, gets its name from the poofy, soft bread that the sandwich is made from that looks like a sub. My daughter Florence Paget and I share a “giant” sub when we order. It comes cut in four sections.

The turkey tastes as if it is roasted in-house, because it does not have a sour taste from preservatives. Provolone cheese is often bland, but Jersey Mike’s has a pronounced dairy flavor, which I like. 

The sub comes with crispy, chopped romaine lettuce, sliced juicy tomatoes, lots of sour dill pickles, and creamy mayonnaise. When you do a basic turkey-provolone sub right, it is delicious and will fill you up for four or five hours. 

To go along with your sub, Jersey Mike’s sells nice and salty Lay’s potato chips. I really like chips and think the turkey-provolone sub with chips is perfect for watching sporting events.  

So, does Jersey Mike’s. They are sponsors of the National Football League and the National Hockey League. For a headache-free game day party, Jersey Mike’s subs from the Northridge Mall in Salinas, California might be a heart-healthy option as well. 

(Note: There is also a Jersey Mike’s in the Gilroy Outlet Mall by Barnes and Noble.) 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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My chapters on blogging and restaurant reviewing are in The Librarian’s Handbook by Ruth Paget

My chapters on blogging and restaurant reviewing are in The Librarian’s Handbook sold by Barnes and Noble.

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Moai Lifestyle from Okinawa, Japan Explained reposted by Ruth Paget

I like this explanation of the Moai Lifestyle from Okinawa, Japan that is part of the Blue Zones Healthy Lifestyle Program. (Salinas, California where I live is a Blue Zones community.)

Moai Lifestyle from Okinawa, Japan Explained

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

My article on the Art of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia on Yshoo by Ruth Paget

My article on Art of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia on Yahoo:

Art of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia by Ruth Paget

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Images of the Virgin Exhibit Review by Ruth Paget in Metro Silicon Valley

I like this review I did of the Images of the Virgin Exhibit that appeared in Metro Silicon Valley.  Article below;

Images of the Virgin Exhibit Review

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Thank you National University of Singapore for adding my Virginia book to your collection by Ruth Paget

Thank you National University of Singapore Library for adding my book about Virginia - More Leisure than Money - to your collection.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Thank you Loot South Africa for carrying my book by Ruth Paget

Thank you Loot Company South Africa (ZA) for carrying my book Eating Soup with Chopsticks.  

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Better World Books is carrying Eating Soup with Chopsticks and my chapbooks posted by Ruth Paget

Thank you Better World Books for my book Eating Soup with Chopsticks and several of my chapbooks.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Abe Books is selling my books China Hand and Eating Soup with Chopsticks by Ruth Paget

Thank you Abe Books for carrying my first edition books - China Hand )Revised book title - Teen in China) and Eating Soup with Chopsticks.about being an exchange student in Japan.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

H & R Block Online Tax Preparation Course posted by Ruth Paget

 H & R Block Online Tax Preparation Course Information flows:

H & R Block Tax Preparation Information

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Barnes & Noble is carrying my chapbook The Edible Tao by Ruth Paget

Thank you Barnes & Noble for carrying my chapbook food memoir The Edible Tao: Munching my Way Toward Enlightenment that highlights many ethnic restaurants in Seaside and Marina, California.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

UChicago Online AI Courses posted by Ruth Paget

University of Chicago Online AI Courses and other Management Subjects Offered this Summer:

UChicago AI and Management Courses

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Ninja Storm Companion Cookbook Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Ninja Storm Companion Cookbook Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

The companion cookbook for the Ninja Storm blender/food processor combination set with blades that can crush ice has several recipes that Salinas and Monterey County California residents can easily make with local agricultural products. 

The cookbook’s official name is Ninja Storm: 50 Quick and Easy Recipes. The following recipes from the cookbook make great use of Salinas and Monterey County California’s agricultural products:  

-Apple-Chicken Sausage – This recipe is worth the price of the cookbook. I have eaten Aidells link apple-chicken sausage for decades, but this recipe for handmade patties is easy to make as well. This recipe calls for olive oil, seasonings, thigh chicken meat cubes, and apple slices mixed in the blender. 

The apples add fiber, Vitamin C, and antioxidants that remove free radicals that can cause cancer from the body to the chicken. The apples also stretch the meat to make it feed more people. For a lighter sausage, you can replace the thigh meat with white breast meat for frying.

-Fresh Vegetable Fritatta – a frittata is an Italian baked omelet made here with broccoli, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, and eggs that is blended and then poured into a baking dish with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. 

-Spinach Feta Strata – cubes of day old bread are placed in a casserole dish with a mixture of eggs, feta cheese, and thawed frozen spinach poured on top of the cubes. The strata stays in the refrigerator overnight so the bread cubes can fully absorb the egg mixture before baking the next day. 

-Broccoli – Cheddar Soup which is mixed in the blender 

-Tomato – Basil Soup which can also be used as a sauce. This recipe calls for canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and fresh basil. 

-Cucumber feta dip made with red onion and lemon juice and used as a dip for carrot, celery, and bell pepper sticks 

-Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip made with thawed frozen spinach, canned artichokes, sour cream, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese that is baked. 

-Blueberry Antioxidant Sorbet made with frozen blueberries and apricot nectar. 

-Peach (or Strawberry) Ice Cream made with frozen peach slices, lime juice, sugar, and low fat milk mixed in the Ninja Storm. 

All good recipes! 

The Ninja Storm: 50 Quick and Easy Recipes cookbook contains many easy, healthy, and delicious recipes that highlight produce. 

Residents in Salinas and Monterey County will find great use for the region's organic produce in this cookbook including recipes for smoothies, frozen drinks, hummus, ranch dressing, and sauces. 

(Note: Salinas and Monterey County are practically self-sufficient in food.)

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Coursera Forex Trading Courses posted by Ruth Paget

Forex Trading (Foreign Exchange Trading) courses offered by Coursera.  Information below:

Coursera Forex Trading Courses

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Coursera App Development Courses reposted by Ruth Paget

Coursera App Development Courses that may be of interest:

Coursera App Development Courses

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

AI Courses offered by Coursera reposted by Ruth Paget

AI courses offered by Coursera follow:

AI Courses Offered by Coursera

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Always Great Pizza at Gino's in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Always Great Pizza at Gino’s in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

My go-to pizza place in Salinas, California is Gino’s located between Wise Music and Nob Hill Supermarket on Main Street (Highway 68). 

For the 4th of July holiday, this is the pizza my daughter Florence Paget and I have been ordering to go along with mangonadas and sundaes from Baskin-Robbins: 

-sweet pepperoni flavored with red pepper that tastes like sweet paprika from Hungary 

-chopped onion that is sweet like Vidalia onions from Georgia 

-beefy-tasting wild mushroom slices that be locally sourced from the mountains around Monterey County 

-melted but not stringy tangy tasting mozzarella di bufala chesse from the Campania region around Naples, Italy 

-sweet tomato-basil sauce to tie everything together 

-firm crust baked to a caramel brown made from 00 pizza flour that was like a soft German pretzel 

Pizza like this one from Gino’s in Salinas, California sets a standard for artisanal pizza.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Hamilton Musical Download for 4th of July posted by Ruth Paget

Hamilton the musical is 4th of July fare!

Hamilton Musical Download Site

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks

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Carnitas Taco Salad at Taquitos in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Carnitas Taco Salad at Taquitos in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

The rodeo is coming to Salinas, California the second week of July, so my daughter Florence Paget and I went to lunch at Taquitos, which is right across from the Salinas Sports Complex where the rodeo takes place on Main Street. 

I ate a Mexican-American classic taco salad, which came with a choice of proteins. I opted for carnitas, roast pork that is cooked with bitter Seville orange juice and the rinds. The Seville orange juice tenderizes the meat and seems to rid the meat of greasy liquid. 

At Taquitos, they place the carnitas chunks in the bottom of a large salad bowl, spread on a thin layer of refried beans, place a thick layer of crunchy and sliced iceberg lettuce on top of the beans, and finish it off with grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. 

On the very top of the salad, Taquitos uses sour cream, juicy chopped tomatoes, and guacamole salad as dressings. The guacamole is also a salad made with chopped onion, chopped tomato, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Crispy, homemade tortilla chips were stuck in the various sauces. I have to admit, I love guacamole salad dressing.

I ate a third of the salad and made two more meals out of the leftovers at home. 

Diners who like roast pork might enjoy carnitas in this salad or alone as a tasty introduction to Hispanic cuisine. 

(Note: Taquitos is open for breakfast, lunch, and supper.)

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Vegetable Simple Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Vegetable Simple Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

Michelin star chef Eric Ripert writes in his introduction to Vegetable Simple that vegetables have become more important to him for three main reasons: 

-he eats more vegetables as he has aged 

-he serves vegetable buffet dinners to his friends for entertaining on weekends 

-he opened a wine bar with a vegetable-centered menu next to his Michelin-starred restaurant 

All of these reasons prompted me to carefully read the easy if you have great vegetables recipes to put together a French buffet dinner: 

Most of the following dishes can be made ahead of time and served cold or room temperature with the exception of the baked mushrooms, which can be placed in the oven as guests arrive: 

-sweet pea soup – made with frozen peas that are boiled in water and blended till smooth with crème fraîche and mint added just before serving. Ripert serves this soup hot, but in the summer I would chill it in the blender and pour it in champagne flutes to set the tone for the vegetable lunch. 

-endive blue cheese salad – the leaves of bitter endive are set out spoke fashion for this dish with a blue cheese-cream dressing place in the center of the leaves in the middle of the spoke 

-grated carrot salad – so simple, so good for your eyes with the Vitamin A in the carrots that is good for the eyes.  So easy to dress with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. 

-cold basil past salad – a “sauce” of grated fresh basil, garlic, grated Parmesan, olive oil, and pepper fragrantly coat linguine pasta that is preferably made from semolina flour from durum wheat for its protein content 

-baked cremini mushrooms made with the butter used for snails – butter, parsley, and garlic 

-tomato “croquet sel” – fresh tomato halves sprinkled with sea salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil 

-melon balls “au porto” – If you do not have a melon baller, cut cantaloupe into fourths and scoop out the seeds. Place about 2 tablespoons of Portuguese porto in the cavity of the melon. Eat with a spoon to scoop up all the porto. 

This French vegetable buffet is very doable at home with a little planning and well-suited for American potluck lunches where everyone brings a dish to share. 

I like these recipes, because I live in an agricultural community that grows all organic produce (Salinas, California and its surrounding region of Monterey County). 

I also love Vegetable Simple by Eric Ripert for its recipes from many cultures that young people might enjoy making on their days off for international flair on a budget. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France 

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