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Mexican black bean and corn salad: toss warm ditalini in a dressing of oil, jalapeno, cumin, lime juice, salt and garlic. Let cool, stirring occasionally, then add corn, black beans and cilantro.

This recipe didn't do anything for me. Maybe because I didn't use a cast-iron skillet? In any case, it wasn't any better than my usual (easier) method of cut sprouts in half, toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast at whatever temp the main dish calls for, stirring occasionally, until tender.

Eggplant rollatini with pasta. If it's fall, apple pie.

@chiff - I'd like to try the uncooked ziti method but I have no idea how much sauce would be "ample" - can you give a little more detail?

@jerzee - are you saying that adding an egg to the ricotta keeps it from being too watery? I've seen that combo in some recipes for eggplant rollatini but didn't know the reason.

My meatless ziti recipe calls for 1 pound ziti, cooked as Bittman describes, mixed with a container (1 lb) of cottage cheese, 1 jar (28-oz) Marinara sauce, and topped with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella.

Check out the cheeseburger at Shady Glen in Manchester, CT:

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=14

Erinlovestoeat figured out the apple fries - cutting them into "fries" takes an object like an apple, which anyone can buy several of for $1.50, and turns it into a "branded" product, that people will pay $1.50 for. (Same with potatoes, by the way, we're just a lot more used to them).

Think about the potato - how hard is it to cut a bunch up and fry them at home? Not very - but no company is going to make money off of a potato, because the production and transportation costs are just barely covered by the selling price (this is why you never see coupons for produce! There's not enough of a margin). So Ore-Ida comes along, and gets a few Urshel cutting machines and a deep fryer, and they take those potatoes and cut them up, slap a brand on them, and suddenly they can sell $1 worth of potatoes for $5, and make a much bigger profit than they would selling plain potatoes.

Unfortunately, natural products don't last in that cut up, branded state, so they have to add all sorts of chemicals to make them "shelf stable" - and we eat those chemicals every single day.

Of course it's healthier and cheaper to eat whole, real foods (like apples and potatoes) but we've been convinced over the last 25 or 30 years that cooking is for experts (like the chefs on Food Network), that it's too hard and it's a chore, so we pay a premium price to have other people and machines do the work for us, at the expense of our health and our budgets.

There's nothing inherently wrong with apple fries, or french fries, as long as one realizes that they're a convenience food, and not a Real Food, and eats them only in moderation. I hope no one would choose apple fries for $1.50 over an apple for $0.30, if there were a side by side choice. But there are no apples in the Drive-Thru... So it's not a side by side choice.

Fortunately grocery stores are trying to jump on the convenience bandwagon, but they're doing it with healthier, fresher food (because they have it available in a way that BK does not). So, at many stores, you can get cut up fresh fruit in the produce section that's ready to eat, or bagged salads with dressing and everything, or even soups and salad bars. One grocery store in my small town has a chicken wing buffet (?!?!?). I haven't quite figured that one out.

Hopefully, as grocery stores get more and more into convenience health foods, we'll start getting out of the drive thru and into the stores. Maybe the next step is to add a drive thru to the grocery store!

But apple fries is simply a way of taking a commodity, like an apple, and turning it into a Product, with a trademark and everything. It has nothing to do with "tricking" kids into eating fruit, and everything to do with "tricking" parents into being parted from their money.

Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

So how are they keeping these cut apples so white and pristine looking?

Also, since when is Macaroni and cheese healthy?

Manhattan Deli Pasta Salad

2 boxes tri-color rotini
1/2 pound hard salami, cut into small strips
3 different colored bell peppers, chopped fine
1/2 red onion, minced
1 can black olives, sliced (or 2 cans sliced olives, in a hurry)
1 can Parmesan cheese
1/2 bottle Kraft Free Zesty Italian dressing

Ingredient notes:
--Don't use good shredded Parmesan for this, it just falls to the bottom of the salad and doesn't coat the ingredients.
--Due to the fat-free dressing, this is the only pasta salad I've ever seen that can be kept a week or so without the dressing separating, puddling or making the pasta soggy.

Cook pasta to al dente; drain.

Cut up salami and vegetables. Mix together in a LARGE salad bowl...yes, that big one that you think is TOO big, because this makes a LOT.

Toss with Parmesan cheese until coated.

Toss again with dressing.

Cover and chill at least an hour but up to a day before serving.

Can be held in the fridge for at least a week...makes great work lunches. Sometimes it gets a little dry as the ingredients soak up the dressing, but you can just add more and toss again.

It might last longer than a week but I don't know because we've always eaten it by then.

My new summer dish is Summer Garden Chick Pea Salad, it's easy and fast to make and doesn't contain anything that will spoil if it's outdoors for a little bit or packed for a picnic.