Salad-e Shirazi

 

The pandemic sent me down a rabbit hole. While the Howard Hughes in me totally enjoyed the isolation, that confinement caused a big increase in my sedentary lifestyle. My gym closed when the pandemic hit, which introduced me to a whole new, very relaxing hobby of watching my ass grow.

This spring I decided to undo four years of covid bad habits. My beloved glasses of red wine disappeared...reserved only for special occasions. Lunch changed from rich, delicious leftovers to Becky's awesome strawberry protein shakes. And dinners switched to our very favorite summer format...a salad with a protein grilled over charcoal and oak..

I've dropped 28 pounds since March 15. I am joyfully donating all of my fat pants to the Goodwill store. And I continue do my workouts three days a week, taught by Stocco Fitness trainer extraordinaire, Alex Stocco. His expertise in optimizing muscle mass for us aging but capable Septuagenarians has made a huge difference.

Here's a favorite Iranian salad recipe for you to try (yes, some countries have bad governments....but thankfully there is always good food in every culture). It's perfect for a warm evening and goes great with lean proteins. One word of advice...make sure you use dried mint. Fresh mint is too strong and will overpower the taste of the dish.

INGREDIENTS
3  Persian cucumbers, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon dried mint

2 medium tomatoes (about 1 pound), cored and diced

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large salad bowl, combine the first five ingredients.
2. Combine lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk to mix thoroughly.
3. Do not dress the salad until immediately before serving...you want to preserve the crunch of the vegetables. When ready, pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly. Sample and add salt, pepper and additional lime juice to taste. And prepare to go 2 out of 3 rounds for the juice leftover in the bottom of the salad bowl!

Wine pairing for protein: Cabernet for red meat, Chardonnay for white

Septuagenarians! Shout it out!