Potato Salad

Barbecue season is upon us! This potato salad goes great with grilled chicken or beef. My salad was adapted by Martha Stewart’s New Potato Salad, “Everyday Food,” published July/August 2007. What is wonderful about this potato dish is that it is not mayonnaise based, so you don’t have to worry about it spoiling quickly in warm weather. Traditional French-style potato salad uses white wine, but this one uses tangy lemon juice and zest! I used a combination of small red and gold potatoes, instead of just new red. The salad is so easy to make and so delicious to eat!

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds new red potatoes, sliced ½-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
• 2 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Place a steamer basket in a large pot and fill with water up to bottom of basket. Bring water to boil and add potatoes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Cook until tender, occasionally tossing potatoes, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. While potatoes are cooking, place lemon zest and juice in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer potatoes to bowl and gently toss with lemon juice. Refrigerate for about an hour, until cool.
3. Gently incorporate oil with potatoes. Add additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Mix in herbs. Can be refrigerated for one day. Serve at room temperature. 4 servings.

Simple and Light Caesar Salad

I love Caesar salad, but I like to make a lighter version without anchovies and egg yolks—less fat and salt! We are having this tonight with my chicken sausage lasagne. Homemade croutons are so easy to make and have a wonderful crunch! This is truly a light and less fattening version!

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 slices of sourdough bread, cut into ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 ½ pounds organic romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place bread on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.
2. In a small-medium bowl, whisk oil, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Using a large bowl, toss romaine with dressing, cheese and croutons. Serves 6 to 8.

Organic Apple and Cranberry Salad

Tis the season for apples, citrus and cranberries! My inspiration came from Cook’s Illustrated’s “Apple-Cranberry Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette,” November 1996. This salad is a wonderful mixture of flavors from the lemon zest and dried cranberries to the crunchy textures of the Granny Smith apples, celery and walnuts! It is so easy to make with ingredients commonly found in the refrigerator and pantry. I used organic Greek yogurt, instead of heavy cream, and used a little honey to sweeten the vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

• 2 organic Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• ½ teaspoon organic lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons organic lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon organic sunflower oil
• 2 tablespoons organic Greek yogurt
• ½ teaspoon organic honey
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 large organic celery rib, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons organic dried cranberries
• 1 cup organic walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 4 large lettuces leaves, romaine (shaped to fit plate) or butter

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, toss apples with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and set aside.
2. Using a small bowl, whisk oil, yogurt, lemon juice and zest thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add celery, walnuts and cranberries to apple. Drizzle dressing over fruit mixture and gently mix. Spoon fruit mixture into each of the four lettuce leaves and serve. Serves 4.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/1613-apple-cranberry-salad-with-creamy-lemon-vinaigrette?incode=MCSCZ00L0

Citrus Salad

With all the yummy and rich food we’ve been eating since Thanksgiving, I thought it would be nice to have a light and refreshing fruit salad for a change. Citrus fruits are in season, so I searched the internet and found my inspiration from this Food and Wine recipe by Sarah Jordan, published November 2013. It has a wonderful mixture of sliced grapefruit, orange and tangerine with nutty crunch of pistachio nuts! It’s delicious with or without the dressing. Instead of using Champagne vinegar, I used Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar
• ¼ cup organic extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons organic sugar
• Pinch of sea salt
• 3 Ruby Red grapefruits
• 3 organic oranges
• 6 organic tangerines
• ½ cup toasted and unsalted pistachios, chopped
• Mint for garnish

Directions:

1. Using a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt.
2. With a very sharp knife, peel all the citrus fruits. Make sure you remove all the white pith. Thinly slice the fruit crosswise. Layer the citrus in glass bowls and drizzle with dressing. Garnish with pistachio nuts and mint. Serves 6.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/layered-citrus-salad

Lemony Waldorf Salad

This wonderful and healthy salad is a take-off of the classic Waldorf salad. My inspiration came from Mark Peel in Food and Wine, November 2009. I modified it to the tastes of my family and what I had in my kitchen. It is incredibly easy to make and gets it spiciness from the arugula, radish and cumin!

Ingredients for dressing:

• 1 tablespoons minced shallot
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons organic canola oil
• ½ teaspoon organic cumin
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, combine shallot, lemon zest, lemon juice, canola oil and cumin. Whisk thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk well.

Ingredients for salad:

• ½ cup (2 ounces) organic walnut halves or pieces
• 2 cups (4 ounces) organic romaine lettuce, shredded
• 8 large radishes, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 cup organic celery, thinly
• 2 cups (4 ounces) organic arugula
• ¼ cup organic raisins
• 1 organic Fuji apple, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise

Directions for salad:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and toast walnuts for about 8 minutes, until golden and break into pieces.
2. In a large salad bowl, add romaine, arugula, celery, radish, raisins, apples and walnuts. Toss with dressing and serve immediately. Serves 4.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemony-waldorf-salad