Pesto Potato Salad

I've been making a lot of pesto. I think "Ooo, I want to make tomato basil napoleons and this bunch of basil is only a dollar!" I buy two bunches. I use ten leaves. It wilts. I make pesto. I might as well make another kind of potato salad, right? What is this, six?

This pesto salad is best with either 2/3 cilantro and 1/3 mint (C: too minty) or all arugula or the really oily pesto one buys in stores if one does not have a produce fixation. Boil one pound of potatoes until tender- try to use a sweetish potato, like white potatoes or German butterballs or Yukon golds. Destem one half pound green beans and cut into inch long pieces. Blanch the green beans until tender- about two minutes.

Slice the potatoes into bite sized chunks. Add green beans. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup pesto. (I suppose you could use less pesto, but at this point I'm just dumping it into everything. Oil and lemon are to taste- a dollop and a half lemon, probably.)

It's a pretty good potato salad, but I like all potato salads. Obviously.

Green bean and okra stir fry

I might be allergic to okra but it is so delightful I continue to eat it. (I suspect inulin.) Down in this giant city thing, the only places to buy okra are those famed inner city convenience stores and farmer's markets catering to Asians. I serve this as a side dish to the Annapurna dal.

Heat 1 tbs oil on high heat and add 1 tsp. mustard seeds. Stir until seeds start to pop. Add 1/2 pound okra, 1 chopped serrano chile, and 1/4 pound green beans, broken into pieces. Cook, stirring frequently, until okra is tender and beans are bright green.

Sprinkle with salt and cumin. Serve.