So, we like to slouch about this local book store/coffee shop with friends of a Thursday evening.
In truth, I think it’s much more of a coffee shop than a book store – but they have big, squashy leather chairs, make a very nice double-shot iced Americano, and don’t mind if you pull one of the somewhat limited number of titles off a shelf to thumb through while trying to decide if you are, in fact, going to have some of that gelato over by dere.
ANYWHO… I’m slouching in this big, squashy easy chair, sipping my refreshing iced Americano, half listening to Rich and a friend natter on about Chinese Opera and other work subjects (you just had to be there), and thumbing through a recent-ish copy of Better Homes and Gardens when I come across these really cool looking salads – one a spicy ‘slaw’ with ginger and carrots, the other a kinda cunning-looking riff on the old three-bean salad – but using edamame, cannellini, and freshly steamed green beans 
with a French dressing made with fresh tomatoes – I had to try them.
But, of course, I also had to make a few, tiny changes…
In place of the edamame, I opted to use some spiced, roasted lima beans.
Let’s begin, and I’ll cover the changes I made to the dressing…
INGREDIENTS
Original Recipe:
•2 medium tomatoes, halved and seeded
•2 to 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
•2 tbsp tomato paste
•1 tbsp fresh tarragon
•2 tsp Dijon mustard
•1/4 cup olive oil
My, ermmm, adjustments:
•I had half of a tomato getting old in the fridge, and two smallish ones doing the same in a bowl on the counter, so I used 2-1/2 tomatoes.
•My trusty tube o’ tomato paste had to be tossed after the big power outage, so I used the same amount of jarred chili sauce.
•I am not really what you could call a fan of the tarragon, so I used 1 tsp of Caribbean Calypso Seasoning – a combination of lemon, lime, and orange zests with a bit of spice added.
•And, lastly, I opted to use canola in place of the olive oil.
Let’s make this dressing!
Combine the tomatoes, vinegar, tomato paste (or, ermmm, chili sauce), seasoning(s), and mustard together in a blender jar and pulse to purée.
With the blender running, stream the oil in through the hole in the lid until the dressing emulsifies. If you’ve used it and the dressing seems a bit too thin, add a little additional tomato paste.
Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper.
Kinda tastes like tomatoes and sunshine…
And now, for the salad!
Ermmm, tomorrow…