Category Archives: Salad

Avocado Salad with Corn and Tomatoes and Lots of Good Stuff – Vegan

Posted on June 13, 2013 | 3 comments

DSCN0190 DSCN0195 DSCN0194 DSCN0199Most perfect summer salad and it is a vegetarian delight. totally vegan. I am not a vegan so I was grilling steaks for dinner and wanted to do a cold salad on the side. I had 2 beautiful ripe avocados on hand and all the ingredients for this yummy salad.  I had some fresh corn so I just brought the water to a boil threw it in and when it turned yellow took it out and threw it in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.   Of course I love  jalapenos , use your own discretion and this would be amazing without as well but it was kick ass with them.  You can make the salad ahead and let juices meld but don’t add the avocados till you’re ready to serve.  You can give them a little squeeze of fresh lime juice so they won’t turn brown so fast.  I like to serve salad at room temperature, you just don’t get the flavors when it’s too cold. It will keep in fridge for a few days, but you’ll have to take out the leftover avocado since it will turn brown. I cut this salad in 1/2 for the 2 of us. This easily will serve 6 as a side. By the way Joel took a bite but too much healthy stuff going on in here for his liking, although he’s gotten better he’s not quite up to this yet, it’s OK because there was more for me with leftovers.

I was inspired for this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa recipe for Guacamole Salad. The corn was my idea.

Ingredients:

2 cobs of fresh corn ( cook and then shuck corn off the cob) if no fresh corn available use frozen . I use frozen when I have to and 1 small bag is usually sufficient. The frozen corn will defrost very quickly so just take it out and when you mix in with other ingredients it will start to completely thaw by the time you’re ready to serve. You want to serve at room temperature anyway.

1 pint grape tomatoes , halved

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced into small pieces ( app. 1/2 “)

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup small diced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded ( app. 2 small jalapenos) use at your own discretion . Remove Seeds

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into small cubes.

Directions:

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour over the vegetables. Toss well. In the meanwhile cook the corn , bring water to a boil throw in for a few minutes to turn bright yellow, then I throw in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes to stop the cooking and lock in flavor and color. Then remove corn from cob. I let the salad sit for about an hour before adding avocados into the salad. Just fold avocados into the salad when you’re ready to serve. Check for seasoning and serve at room temperature.

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Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, Raw, Salad, salad dressing, sides, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

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Quinoa Salad with Roasted Eggplant and Apples – Mustard Vinaigrette

Posted on June 1, 2013 | 2 comments

Always looking for new ways to incorporate quinoa into my salads, I decided to make it with roasted eggplant, apples, cranberries and nuts. The inspiration came from Giada de Laurentiis. I made a few changes to the original recipe, including the dressing.   I served it with my mustard vinaigrette that I already had ready in the fridge and wanted to use up. This salad was crunchy and yummy.DSCN0108DSCN0119

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups vegetable broth (or you can use chicken broth)

1 1/4 cups whole-grain quinoa – I love organic quinoa but you don’t have to use organic.

1 lb. eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large apple (whatever you have on hand,) unpeeled, cored and cut into small chunks

3/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 large bunch of baby kale, arugula or watercress (use whatever lettuce you would like)

Mustard Vinaigrette: aka my favorite dressing of all time

this is always my go to dressing and it keeps for at least 3 – 4 days in the fridge in an airtight jar. Best made in a mini food processor or blender type of machine.

3 tablespoons champagne vinegar

2 small cloves garlic

1 egg yolk ( if you are opposed to this you can substitute with a tablespoon of mayonnaise, I always use the egg yolk)

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup good olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard

In food processor or whatever you’re using, first put garlic and chop it finely , then add all other ingredients except for olive oil. Give it a few whirls till it’s combined then slowly add olive oil mixing as you go till it is all creamy looking. It is awesome on any salad.

DIRECTIONS:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat in a heavy medium saucepan. Mix in the quinoa. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa just stand, covered 5 – 10 minutes. Cool and fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, spray a large rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray and toss the eggplant with 3 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on the sheet. Roast until eggplant is tender and browned, stirring once, total time about 30 minutes.

I cut up apples and gave them a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice so they wouldn’t brown.

Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, fluff with a fork. Add the eggplant, apples, nuts and cranberries. Toss with some of your favorite dressing to blend. Spoon on top of your favorite lettuce and serve.

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Roast Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Dressing – Weeknight Salad

Posted on May 17, 2013 | 1 comment

DSCN0069photoI was in the mood for something light for dinner and wanted to make a dressing with buttermilk and mustard. I picked up a roast chicken because I was very pressed for time, but didn’t want to eat a plain roast chicken from the market. I grabbed some beautiful romaine, but I know this would be perfectly awesome with kale,  Joel is not big on kale and prefers romaine. Next time I make this I am using chopped kale, preferably baby kale. In any event I used romaine, took the skin off the chicken and shredded it with my hands. Just used romaine, tomatoes, chicken and dressing. Next time out I add avocado for sure, doubt Joel will eat it but I am putting in avocado. This is an awesome lunchtime salad and so easy to pull together for a light dinner meal and mix in whatever other veggies you’d like.  Dressing is killer and only 3 Tablespoons of Buttermilk! This is also awesome if you have leftover chicken and don’t know what to do with it. The inspiration for this salad and dressing comes from a blog I follow,  124 Park. Part of being a part of the blog culture I am exposed to some really wonderful blogs , I just wish I had the time to read all of them.

This dressing should be good for at least 4 servings. Feel free to double it.

Ingredients:

Buttermilk Dressing:

1 clove garlic

1 egg yolk ( let egg sit out at room temperature) just not really cold

3 tablespoons of buttermilk ( lowfat is fine)

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1/4  teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill (you can always add more salt if you would like)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

*feel free to double

Combine all ingredients except for olive oil in the blender including salt and pepper . Keeping blender on , add olive oil from the top in a slow stream until well incorporated.

Put salad greens, avocado , chicken and any other vegetables you’d like in a large bowl. Add dressing and mix salad adding dressing as needed.

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Cinco de Mayo Salad and Green Goddess Dressing

Posted on May 1, 2013 | 2 comments

photo (2)photo (5)photo (2) photo May is here and it brings warm weather and beautiful flowers and springtime has finally arrived. This is a perfect way to bring a little Cinco de Mayo into your home in a pretty healthy way.

Any excuse to celebrate a holiday with a new recipe! Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone and here is a new salad and salad dressing to help celebrate with. While I am not a vegan and don’t always cook that way,  I tried this salad dressing which I found in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, “It’s All Good”, and I have to say it is all good! All good ingredients. I am not talking diet food–just good, healthy food, that when eaten in moderation, yields very good results. I used * Vegenaise in making this and highly recommend it in the place of mayonnaise. You can also use yogurt in its place. This is low salt and low sugar. Delicious, fresh ingredients. I made it with the delicious salad listed below. I love love cilantro, and I have to say that if you don’t love cilantro, this one’s not for you. I used half of a jalapeno and it was not hot at all, next time I will use a little more.  I scraped the seeds out. Be very careful handling jalapenos and their seeds–make sure to wash your hands well afterwards and maybe wear gloves to prevent any problems.

This dressing will keep well in a jar for up to a week.

*a little story about Vegenaise, which is lighter than mayonnaise and contains no eggs, milk or animal products. No GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms). Mix it with Dijon for great flavor in the place of real mayo. Extra added bonus is a great jar to store future salad dressings in.

Ingredients:

*this will be vegan if you use Vegenaise

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup of Vegenaise, yogurt, or mayonnaise

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)

1/2 green jalapeno, roughly chopped (you can use more or less, whatever level of heat you like)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

DRESSING DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a blender except for olive oil (I open the top and pour oil in after all other ingredients are combined.) It is a beautiful light green color with specks of dark green. Joel was definitely suspicious of the color but he really loved it! Gave it a big thumbs up!

This should serve 4 nicely as a salad but adjust quantities based on how many people you are feeding.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

About two hearts of romaine Lettuce, shredded

1/2 can of yellow corn (or 2 fresh ears of corn, shucked)

1/2 can black beans (I use organic canned beans and rinse and drain them)

4 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks

approx. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I used delicious cherry tomatoes, halved)

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Green Goddess Dressing (see above)

If you’re using fresh corn, you’ll have to cook it first. I used the canned version this time. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and dress it with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, just so it’s nicely coated. I then added beans, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, cilantro and corn. Add a little more salad dressing, and serve immediately. Joel likes a lot more dressing on his salad so I served with dressing on the side. And no he didn’t eat all that stuff in the salad; he just ate lettuce and tomatoes…he really doesn’t know what he’s missing!

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Posted in Salad, salad dressing, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

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Roasted Asparagus with Simple Lemon Vinaigrette- Springtime is here

Posted on April 8, 2013 | 2 comments

photoI wish it were warmer but I can feel it coming, any day now . If you read my blog you know how very much I love asparagus and I am always looking for new things to do with it. Love the woody fresh flavor they bring with them. Asparagus may be a year round presence these days, but the “real” deal appears each and every spring. It’s only for a few months that we’ll have these beautiful spears. I love them barely cooked with a simple delicious vinaigrette, love them in an omelette, salads, pastas and just plain roasted . Just don’t overcook them, that’s sad , they go limp and stringy and just plain old bad. I love them just cooked and thrown into my Quinoa Salad. Just throw them into a pot of boiling salted water for a minute till they turn bright green, remove and cool down and mix in with the quinoa for a delicious addition.  This recipe below is to roast asparagus in the oven and top it with this simple lemon vinaigrette. It stands on its own as a side dish or you can add it to any salad.

Ingredients:

3/4 – 1 lb. fresh asparagus, remove woody stems and if they’re very thick take a vegetable peeler to them. I usually just break off the bottoms where they will just snap off when you bend them, or use a knife.

olive oil ( a good glug)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*this can easily be doubled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Break off the ends of the asparagus and if they’re very thick, peel them a little bit with a vegetable peeler. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with a good glug of good olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with Salt and Pepper. Roast the asparagus until tender but still firm and moist. About 20 – 25 minutes.

Make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the mustard and lemon juice. Slowly drizzle the olive oil in, whisking quickly so olive oil will emulsify into the juice mixture. Season with Salt and Pepper. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold. If you refrigerate, take out for about an hour so it’s not super cold when you serve.

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Posted in Raw, Salad, salad dressing, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

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Italian Chopped Salad

Posted on December 11, 2012 | 2 comments

Chanukah 005Chanukah 038I love a chopped salad as much as the next one, and I especially love an Italian chopped salad with delicious Italian ingredients. This was my take on Giada de Laurentis’s  Antipasto Salad.  Delicious ingredients , and I made my dressing the day before , cut salami and cheese the day before. Just had to assemble salad the day we were eating it. When you do all the prep before it’s pretty easy . Also if you just like to use one kind of lettuce use whatever you like. I like a combo of iceberg and romaine lettuces in here and sometimes I just use romaine . It’s key to chop/shred lettuce into bite size pieces.

Ingredients:

1 head romaine lettuce cut into bite size pieces or whatever lettuces you like

1/2 head iceberg lettuce , shredded or chopped upChanukah 017

1 cup rinsed canned red kidney beans, patted dry

1 cup rinsed canned garbanzo beans, patted dry

8 ounces of hard salami, cubed–use a really good salami. If you have an Italian deli near you that’s the best .

6 ounces of provolone cheese, cubed–also use as good a provolone as you can find.

baby plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes cut into small pieces

*of course some chopped up green or black olives would be really nice

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup olive oil

Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey and salt in a blender. With the machine running , stream the olive oil in gradually. Taste for salt and pepper to taste.

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Farro with Roasted Mushrooms

Posted on October 12, 2012 | 1 comment

Farro is one of the oldest grains cultivated by humans. It was originally found in the Middle East, and is now primarily grown in Italy. Farro is delicious and a good source of fiber, as well as protein and iron. It is a perfect source of protein for vegetarians. Farro looks and tastes a bit like brown rice, but it has a more fibrous texture and a nutty taste with hints of oats and barley. It holds its texture better than arborio rice when cooked, which makes it a perfect alternative to risotto. It has a crunchy, nutty complex flavor and is low in gluten. This evening I prepared it like a salad at room temperature. I then added it to my Caesar salad and it was wonderful. It is great on greens or as a side dish. I am going to be making this wonderful grain more and more and I especially can’t wait to make it for my vegetarian daughter.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked farro (I used Italian pearled farro)

Kosher salt

1/2 lb. mushrooms (I used cremini, but a mix of wild or any kind you prefer would be good too)

Olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

* finely chopped or crumbled parmesan – this is totally optional but added a delicious flavor

* a little chopped fresh parsley (I didn’t have any so I didn’t use, but it would be nice)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan,  prepare the farro according to directions on bag.  I bought the italian pearled type and it didn’t call for soaking, but a lot of farro needs to be soaked prior to cooking. I would suggest buying the type that doesn’t unless you have a lot of time.

While the farro is cooking, wipe and trim the mushrooms. I gave them a rough chop but left a lot of larger bite-sized pieces, don’t chop too small.   On a rimmed baking sheet spread the mushrooms out and drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your liking (you can always add salt at the end). Toss gently to distribute everything, spread the mushrooms out evenly on the baking sheet and put in the oven for about 30 minutes. I like the mushrooms crispy around the edges.

Once the farro is cooked, drain it well, and allow it to cool down. I took the mushrooms off of the baking sheet with a slotted spatula, just to remove a bit of the liquid. When the farro and mushrooms have cooled down to room temperature or barely warm, I combined them in a serving bowl. I then add the lemon juice and I added 2 tablespoons of olive oil, but if that is not enough, you can add more a little bit at a time. There is some oil that gets left on mushrooms and it is enough. If you’d like, add the parmesan and parsley and taste for salt and pepper at this time. I served at room temperature. I also think it would be delicious with some chopped vegetables added, completely up to you. Joel even ate it.

* should serve 4 as a generous side dish

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Posted in Healthy Cooking with Candi, meatless, Salad, sides, vegetarian

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Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salsa

Posted on August 12, 2012 | 1 comment

Three of my favorite things in the world in one bowl! Tomato, corn and avocado! All I do is chop up some very ripe tomatoes, and combine with raw corn kernels, and diced avocado, some chopped up fresh cilantro , and fresh lime juice .(about juice of 1 lime)  I like to add a little heat so I put in some minced fresh jalapeno or minced serrano chile. Season with salt and pepper, and there you go a delicious fresh salsa perfect alongside any piece of fish, chicken or just for snacking with chips! Let it sit in lime juice for a bit before serving. Use as much or as little of any of the ingredients. What a perfect side dish, what a perfect fresh raw salsa to serve on chips!  The possibilities are endless here. It’s all fresh and raw and wonderful. Did I mention super easy?

*also a little trick to take corn off the cob is to use your bundt pan, put corn right in the center hole and using your knife cut down from the top, this will prevent corn from flying all over the place and all kernels will just fall directly into the bundt pan. Don’t waste your money on those other corn removal gadgets, they don’t work as well as this.

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Curry Chicken Salad

Posted on August 9, 2012 | 1 comment

I really love curry. I love the spicy warm flavor it has, and I love how it transforms this chicken salad from just any old chicken salad to chicken salad with kick. I went on a hike the other morning with 3 friends up to Hanging Lake in Glenwood Springs, we left early and were returning in the early afternoon and having lunch at my house. It’s lunch for girls who’ve just hiked for a few

hours, so you don’t need to be super diet conscious. It’s perfect for after hiking, and I have to say I can’t think of a time that it wouldn’t work just perfectly. I made it the night before and I will add the cashews right before serving. This recipe should serve 6 as it is, I cut chicken in 1/2 because we were only 4 and I had a quinoa salad and greens as well. I have been making this for many years and I don’t always put the celery in because I am not a big fan. The original recipe is from Barefoot Contessa, and once again thanks Ina.

Ingredients:

3 whole ( 6 split) chicken breasts, bone – in , skin on

Olive oil

Kosher Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise (Hellman’s or Best’s) are very good choices

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chutney ( Major Grey’s) in a jar (pretty available)

3 tablespoons curry powder

*1 cup medium diced celery ( I don’t always use it b/c I don’t love) but go right ahead if you like raw celery in chicken salad

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup raisins ( I like the dark raisins contrast to salad, but golden ones work as well)

1 cup whole roasted salted cashews ( also optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 35 – 45 minutes depending on the size of the breast. Set aside the chicken once it’s cooked, and wait till it’s cool enough to handle. Once the chicken is cool , remove the skin and remove the meat from the bones, cut the chicken into large bite size pieces.

For the dressing, I used food processor. Combine the mayonnaise, wine , chutney, curry powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in the bowl of processor. Process until smooth.

Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well.  Add the scallions, *celery and raisins , and mix well. Refrigerate till ready to use but refrigerate for at least a few hours for flavors to blend. Add the cashews right before serving and best served at room temperature.

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Orzo Salad – and a delicious red wine vinaigrette

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 1 comment

Fresh Basil from the garden

This is a wonderful recipe I am passing on, the original was from Giada de Laurentis and I’ve since doctored it up to suit my tastes.  Upon going to prepare recipe I realized that I didn’t have any garbanzo beans so I substituted red kidney beans.  Feel free to add and subtract ingredients and  do whatever you like with this delightful recipe.  Sometimes you feel like pasta but not really and this is it.   It is perfect at room temperature. What I mostly like about this recipe is that you can use what you have in the pantry and in the house. I have to say the mint and the basil gave it a wonderful fresh flavor and I wouldn’t omit them.  Super Fresh! The vinaigrette is delicious and fresh tasting as well, so give it a try. It also cooks up very quickly which is always a plus for me.

Ingredients: 

4 cups chicken broth ( to keep it vegetarian just use vegetable broth) I like the broth rather than plain water . It adds extra flavor to the orzo.

1 1/2 cups orzo

1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed , I used 1 can of Red Kidney Beans because I wanted to make recipe and didn’t have Garbanzo Beans, it was just fine. Any type of bean is fine.

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, if you can get those great little yellow ones do so. Halve the tomatoes. Use red and yellow. So pretty!

*app. 3/4 cup chopped red onion — If you don’t like onion you can omit it or add a little less

1/2 – 3/4 lb. feta cheese ( sometimes I use crumbled and sometimes I cube it) makes no difference ( I love the cheese but you can omit)

*1/2 bag frozen green peas ( also optional) didn’t use this time–optional

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

3/4  to 1 cup of the Red Wine Vinaigrette dressing ( listed below) but you’ll use as much or as little as you like

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Directions for the Orzo:

Bring broth to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until orzo is tender but still firm, stirring frequently, about 7 – 10 minutes. Drain the orzo as you would pasta in a colander. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss and let the orzo cool down. Set aside to cool completely.

When orzo is cooled down, toss the orzo with the bean, tomatoes, onion, basil , mint and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste with additional salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in the blender. While machine is running , slowly add in the olive oil. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper if desired.

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