roasted potato salad with balsalmic vinegrette dressing: greenery is for girls.

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It was a girl's night last evening. I had the pleasure of sitting down, in White Rock, with friends to just be, well, a girl. It was a night filled with all the giggling, the stories, and juxtaposition of serious discussions and completely frivilous ones, that is afforded (and usually assumed) to happen when our gender gathers in groups.

It is nice to be near the ocean again, when there are hardly any vehicles, loud construction noise, or any other remnant of the city. There is something comforting about the steady beat of the surf hitting rocks. Home is summoned to my mind with every breaking swell.

After dinner at the Boathouse in White Rock (one of the few restaurants I've eaten at lately that I wouldn't recommend), we went for gelato (I think I tried every flavor but didn't buy a scoop - I was so full, but it was so good!).

I had Amanda drop me off at the skytrain on King George Hwy (I could have stayed with them in Langley, but there is something to be said about sleeping in one's own bed). I ran up the stairs (Don't you ever just feel the urge to run somewhere? Walking takes much too long, though running everywhere isn't really acceptable after the age of 10.), ducked into the car, and perched on a seat close to a heater. I began to read, letting my mind wander as the train rumbled along, a man came in and sat across from me. He asked what I was reading, and as soon as I said 'Mere Christianity', he plopped himself next to me. His name was Edward Silver and he was lovely. I'd guess mid-40s, huge santa-beard, few teeth, hands that had not seen running water in months, and crinkles around his eyes that stretched all the way to his hairline. He lives on a small side street, literally lives on the street, near Metrotown. Yet he was so joyful, especially when the word 'God' leaped out of his mouth - I think God is what kept him going, and created those gorgeous smile lines surrounding his eyes. A beautiful soul in a body that most would look at disdainfully. Its sad how many people Edward attempted to greet or smile at turned away, before he turned friendly eyes towards me. Did you know that our brains literally objectify homeless people? They do not fire in the same way as when we see another human - you pass by a homeless individual and the brain has the same response it would to a bench, or a tree. Humanity isn't even recognized.


But I digress (a word which became another topic of girly conversation this night).

Salads. Salads are lovely. I had a salad at the Boathouse, and while munching, realized 'I can do better than this!' So here you go: the recipe for the salad we ate this past weekend. A better salad than that acclaimed restaurant in White Rock. Just looking at it makes you happy.

Roasted Potato Salad with Balsalmic Vinegrette Dressing

1 lb. new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. dried basil
salt to taste
pepper to taste

1 head garlic, top off

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 tbs. balsalmic vinegar
drizzle of lemon (about 2 tbs.)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
salt to taste
pepper to taste

1/2 yellow zucchini, chopped
1/2 head of lettuce, shredded
7 radishes, scrubbed and sliced
1 c. sweet peas, chopped
1/2 c. Italian parsley, chopped  
1/4 c. fresh basil, shredded
1 small white onion, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix potatoes and following four ingredients together in a bowl. Place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until brown, turning once (after about 15 mins) - for about 30/45 mins. Also place the head of garlic in the oven until browned and soft.

2. Remove potatoes. Let cool. Peel the garlic and mash the cloves. Mix with oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, mustard, pepper, and lemon. Blend well. Adjust flavors to taste. Set aside.

3. Add all the veggies to a large bowl. Add the cooled potatoes. Drizzle on dressing. Toss gently.

4. Pray. Eat. Read this CS Lewis passage and think of Edward.

"God made up: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.

That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2001): 50.