Feta, Lime, and Mint Chopped Salad

 
That awkward moment when....have you heard of that one?

(Look mom, I'm meme-ing!)

Here goes.

That awkward moment when...you are eating the last of a bag of salted nuts and, when you go to eat the tasty, salty shakins at the bottom of the bag you notice half a dozen bug carcasses.

That awkward moment when...your favorite serving bowl cracks a big fat crack.  You carry it gently, delicately, carefully to the garbage can and it stays in one piece up until the very last moment when!  It shivers all to bits, one of which implants itself deep in the pad of your middle finger.  It's like my heartbeat is in my fingertip!

When you are at the gas station next to someone's old, rattly clunker and you think, 'I'm so glad my car isn't making that sound!'  And then they drive away, and you realize you are still hearing it...

When you are sitting on the lawn sharing a homemade popsicle with your little one, and he steals and eats the whole thing.  Actually that was super cute.  Baby loves blueberries.

Baby is a blueberry.

When someone asks you when you're going to have that baby.  Okay, okay, this one didn't happen to me, but can you imagine if it did?  Terrible.

This is the kind of week I've had.  And while life is sweet (there is a bowl of fresh pink crab apples on the table right in front of me!) sometimes stuff like this happens, you know?

Maybe next week will bring a slew of good things.  And a magical money fairy to pay for the car repairs.

I have been waiting for that fairy for a long time, and let me tell you she is late.

Chopped Salad with Feta, Lime, and Mint (taken and handled lovingly from Smitten Kitchen)

1 cup halved and thinly sliced radishes
1/2 pound of lightly cooked, cooled green beans chopped into 1/4-inch slices
2 whole quartered and thinly sliced cucumbers
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta, queso fresco or ricotta salata
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup well-toasted sunflower seeds, salted or unsalted
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon chile powder or 1/8 teaspoon each your choice combination of chile powder, cumin, cayenne or sumac
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

Mix the vegetables, feta, scallions, seeds and mint in a medium bowl. Whisk lime juice, olive oil, salt, spice and black pepper in a small dish and pour over vegetables, tossing to evenly coat. Adjust with more salt or pepper as needed. Garnish with mint and serve.