Tangy Potato Salad

I bookmarked this Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad from RecipeGirl a while ago, thinking it would be perfect for the 4th of July.  Of course that didn’t happen, but when I was invited over to a BBQ Friday night, I decided to make the recipe with local red potatoes from the Brookline Farmer’s Market.  I made a few other tweaks, using a heavier hand with the mustard and a lighter hand with the salt.

Since I needed to rename the recipe anyway, I thought I would reference the flavor – this potato salad is tangy!  With the mustard, red wine vinegar, and black pepper, there’s a lot of zing.  I enjoyed it though, and a few guests really liked it as an alternative to mayonnaise-based potato salad.  But no matter what kind of potato salad you make, I guarantee it will taste better if you’re relaxing in the backyard with a tiki torch.

 

 

 

Tangy Potato Salad

5 large red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 1 1/2″ chunks
1/4 c. chopped red onion
2 T chopped parsley
2 T chopped chives
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 T mustard
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t salt

Place cut potatoes in a large pot of cold water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Rinse with cold water and allow to cool slightly.

Mix cooked potatoes with onion and herbs.  In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, mustard, pepper, and salt.  Pour dressing over potatoes and toss well.

 – Recipes adapted from Recipe Girl

Fresh Herbs and Yellow Squash

The other day, a friend brought me fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano from her garden.  Everyone needs this kind of friend.  Just like fresh vegetables taste best, so do fresh herbs.

You can get fussy and try to match certain herbs to certain foods, but I threw caution to the wind and used all three at once.  I know, crazy, right?  I had some yellow squash on hand, rice in the pantry, and feta in the refrigerator.  This dish was quick, easy, and contained vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and dairy all in one bowl. 

Fresh Herb and Yellow Squash Bake

2 yellow squash, cut into 2″ chunks
1 heaping T fresh herbs
Olive oil
1 bag instant brown rice, cooked according to directions (makes about 2 cups)
1/2 c. feta cheese

Place squash on baking sheet, and sprinkle herbs.  Drizzle olive oil on squash, and turn to coat.  Roast at 400F for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and mix in a large bowl with cooked rice and feta cheese.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini Radish Slaw

The main dish of our Mexican feast were these corn tacos, based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  You start by making a slaw with zucchini, radish, and lime.  (A total of six limes were used in the preparation of this meal, and none of those were in an alcoholic beverage!) 

 

2 ears of corn are grilled, to produce nicely charred kernels.  The kernels of the remaining ears are sauteed with chopped onion.  This mixture of corn was so good, you could have just eaten it right out of the bowl.

 

I warmed the tortillas by placing them between damp paper towels and cooking for 20 seconds in the microwave.  So if you don’t eat all the corn first and actually assemble a taco, here’s what you get.  It was very messy to eat – you had to either hold the taco and keep eating until it was gone, or drop it in your plate and attack it with a fork. 

But regardless of how you ate them, the tacos were delicious.

Do you feel like something is missing?  Oh yes, in the hustle and bustle of dinnertime, I completely forgot to take out the queso fresco.  I can only assume that crumbled cheese would make these tacos that much better.  Next time…..

Chicken Taquitos

A few weeks ago, I went on a quick trip to Mohegan Sun.  I am not really a big gambler, but love to people-watch.  The hotel room was gorgeous, and the air conditioned environment was very enjoyable in the middle of a heat wave.  But my favorite part of the trip was our meal at SolToro, a Mexican restaurant at the casino.  We ordered a bunch of appetizers to share, including the Chicken Taquitos which were amazing.  I immediately declared that I had to try to recreate these myself.

This Baked Chicken Taquito recipe served as my primary guide, although I altered the tortilla preparation as suggested in the comments.  This is a great party recipe, because you can do most of the work in advance and just fill and bake the tray of taquitos right before serving.  They are perfect for dipping in salsa, guacamole, or sour cream (or all three!)  These taquitos don’t have the same fried taste as the ones at the restaurant, but they do have a fantastic flavor.  If you’d like them a little spicier, I would add some cayenne pepper to the filling.  I almost did that myself, but was too nervous since I was cooking for a group.  And rest assured, a vegetarian version of these taquitos is already swirling around in my head…..

 

Chicken Taquitos

1 T canola oil
1 c. chopped onion
2 t minced garlic
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
15 corn tortillas
1 1/2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add garlic, and cook for 2 minutes.  Add cumin and paprika and stir to coat.  Stir in chicken and cilantro, and remove from heat.

Place 5 tortillas between two damp paper towels, and microwave on medium power for 30 seconds.  Fill each tortilla with about 2 T chicken mixture, and 1 1/2 T shredded cheese.  Roll up, and place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Lightly coat filled tortillas with cooking spray, and bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

-Adapted from Whole Foods Market

Salsa and Guacamole

Last year for my Mom’s birthday, we had an elegant dinner of bruschetta, eggplant gremolata, penne with vodka sauce, veal scaloppine, and mocha ice cream cake.  It was certainly a meal to remember, and we enjoyed the earlier courses while our littlest family member was awake, and then had the later courses after his bedtime.

This year, we had a much more low key Mexican-themed meal, but it was just as much fun.  And this time, the littlest person got to stay up right to the end, to sing a well practiced “Happy Birthday”.  Of course, every Mexican fiesta needs to start with some homemade salsa and guacamole.

For the salsa, I turned to this Salsa Fresca recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  It’s a simple recipe with the usual ingredients: tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime.  The salsa was fine, but not spectacular as we’ve come to expect from Deb.  To be fair, I am not a salsa eater so need to rely on the opinions of others.  Still, I think it was nice to eat salsa that didn’t come from a glass jar.

For the guacamole, I turned to Jenna from Eat, Live, Run and what she calls the only guacamole recipe you’ll ever need.  It’s another easy recipe, calling for avocados, onion, lime juice, jalapeno, and salt.  I may not enjoy salsa, but guacamole is something I’ve grown to love.  Some people thought the lime flavor was almost too strong, but I really liked it, and the jalapeno gave the guacamole just the right amount of kick. 

 

You may think that homemade salsa and guacamole are no big deal, and to you I say, just wait for the next recipe, chicken taquitos!

Chinese Eggplant and Goat Cheese Pasta

OK, I didn’t actually buy this eggplant at the Brookline Farmer’s Market, I got it later at a local produce market.  Although I love traditional eggplant dishes like Eggplant Parmesan, these Chinese eggplants are perfectly sized for a quick weeknight meal for one, with no peeling required.

I don’t often have goat cheese on hand, so it was a special treat in this meal.  The goat cheese made a rich and creamy sauce for the pasta, but it may not reheat very well, so this is a dish to enjoy in the moment. 

 

Chinese Eggplant and Goat Cheese Pasta

1 t olive oil
1 Chinese eggplant, cut into 2″ chunks
3/4 c. dry medium whole wheat pasta shells
1 oz. goat cheese
2 t balsamic vinegar
Generous pinch dried basil
Salt and Pepper

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add eggplant pieces and saute for 15 minutes, or until softened.  In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Mix goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add cheese mixture to hot pasta and toss until coated.  Add cooked eggplant and toss again.

Beets with a Blueberry Balsamic Reduction

When one of the vendors at the Brookline Farmer’s Market said that he had pulled the beets just that morning, he definitely had my attention.  Normally, I  roast beets, although last year I grilled beets as well.  This time I decided to try boiling them.  After simmering in water for about 40 minutes, the skins slipped right off.

Since I had a little time on my (beet stained) hands, I wanted to do somthing a little more interesting.  I found this recipe for a Blueberry Balsamic Reduction.  I happened to have blueberries on hand, and the recipe is as easy as putting a few ingredients in a pot and letting them simmer for a while.  I didn’t even use a blender since the cooked sauce was already fairly smooth.  I placed the sliced beets on a bed of fresh lettuce, and topped them with the sauce as well as chopped walnuts and fresh Paremsan.

This made an excellent salad, although the sauce was perhaps a bit too sweet on top of the beets which were sweet as well.  The original recipe suggested that the sauce could be paired with goat cheese.  Since the next meal to roll around was Happy Hour, I spread some goat cheese on a baguette, with a dollop of  Blueberry Balsamic sauce.  Oooh, now that was really good.  (And not just because it was served with wine.)

If the farmer hadn’t talked about his freshly harvested beets, I never would have bought them, and then discovered this sauce.  The best cooking inspiration always comes from talking about food!

 

Indian Spiced Zucchini Fritters in Tomato Sauce

If I ever write a book, it just might be titled “101 Ways to Prepare Zucchini”.  If you do a search for zucchini —–> there are a startling number of entries.  But I haven’t yet combined my fondness for Indian food with my zucchini obsession.  I am pretty sure this is not an authentic Indian dish, but it worked for me.  I started with this recipe for Indian meatballs, and then made it my own.

Normally, you’d expect an item named “fritter” to be deep fried.  But you probably already guessed that I baked these.  If you really want that crispy coating, go ahead and fry them, I am sure they’d be great.  The batter is very delicate though, so just be careful and handle them gently no matter which method you use.

 There’s no doubt about it, the fritters are spicy!  They would be fantastic tucked into a fresh piece of naan, and the bread could be used to scoop up the tomato based sauce as well.  Since I didn’t have any naan, I packed these fritters into lunches on a bed of brown rice, with some plain yogurt on the side to help tame the heat.  It’s a great dish, packed with vegetables and spice, and just one more way to use up that zucchini.

 

 

Indian Spiced Zucchini Fritters in Tomato Sauce

3 medium or 2 large zucchini, shredded
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 large onions, minced and divided
1/2 t ground ginger
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
2 T olive oil, divided
1/4 t turmeric
Dash cayenne pepper
1 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 t garam masala
Salt to taste

1.  Place shredded zucchini in a strainer over a bowl and press with a fork.  Allow to sit for 30 minutes, occasionally tossing with a fork.  Be sure to reserve liquid for a later step.

2. Mix drained zucchini with jalapeno pepper, 1/4 c.  minced onion, ground ginger, and whole wheat flour.  Form into 12-15 balls.  Pour 1 T olive oil on a baking sheet.  Gently roll zucchini balls in oil, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Heat remaining 1 T olive oil in a large frying pan, and add remaining minced onion to pan.  Cook on medium high heat for 15-20 minutes until onions are well browned.  Add turmeric, cayenne, cumin, and coriander and mix well.  Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.  Add 1 c. reserved liquid from zucchini, adding water if you do not have a full cup.  Cover pan, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove cover and add garam masala and salt to taste.

4. Add zucchini fritters to the pan gently, and cover the pan.  Heat on low for 5-10 minutes.

-Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey “World of the East Vegetarian Cookbook”

Swiss Chard and Brown Rice Bake

After surveying my purchases from the Brookline Farmer’s Market, it was clear that the Swiss chard from Enterprise Farm was the most delicate, and needed to be used first.  That’s not a problem, since it’s a versatile vegetable.  I’ve used Swiss chard in soup and curry, and paired it with both pasta and potatoes.

This time I decided to pair the Swiss chard with brown rice, inspired by this recipe for Brown Rice, Feta, and Swiss Chard Gratin.  You could assemble this faster if you had leftover rice (or another whole grain) on hand, but instant brown rice only takes 5 minutes.

It was delicious hot from the oven on the first day, but I cut the rest into squares that are perfectly portable.  It’s a simple, almost rustic, dish that would make an easy meal.

 

Swiss Chard and Brown Rice Bake

1 T olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large bunch Swiss chard, leaves torn and stems chopped
1 1/2 c. (dry) instant brown rice, cooked according to package directions and cooled
1/2 c. Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
2 t fresh thyme

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.  Add onion and Swiss chard stems, and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened.  Add Swiss chard leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes, until wilted.  Set aside to cool. 

In a large bowl, mix rice, cheese, eggs, thyme, and cooked vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into an 11″x7″ or 8″ square glass baking dish, and cook for 20-30 minutes at 350F.