The Real Housewife of Santa Monica
Mostly NOT Potato Salad

Posts Tagged ‘cookout’

Mostly NOT Potato Salad

It’s getting HOT and making pasta every night is killing me. I’ve been trying to branch out to more salads now that it’s summer.

Pre-tofu

This is a really tasty dish to take to a cookout! For those of you who are convinced that potatoes are inherently EVIL in their white starchiness – this salad’s for you. **Also great for mayo haters.**

All you need:
4 small pink or red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
large handful of green beans, trimmed and sliced into 1″ pieces
2 TBSP coarse mustard
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
Olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar (or agave nectar)
Salt
1/4 c chopped dill (use dry dill if that’s all you have – about 2 TBSP)
1 small leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
6 stalks celery, trimmed & diced
1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and diced (I peeled mine – whoops!)
1 TBSP fresh chives
OPTIONAL: 6 oz baked or extra firm tofu cut into small cubes

This is definitely a chopping intensive salad but more special than the old mayo-laden potato salad I grew up with. [And I like mayo!]

First, set water to boil for your taters. Once it’s boiling, they need to cook until just tender. This should take about 10 mins. Set your timer for 9 minutes so you can toss in the green beans for the last 30 seconds. You just want them to turn bright green. Then drain the potatoes & beans.

Make your dressing: in a small bowl, combine 1 TBSP olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, sugar & salt. Whisk together. Taste & adjust to your liking!

Heat about a TBSP of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the chopped dill, add a few pinches of salt

and add the leeks.

Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl (because of time constraints I usually go right into a large lidded container!) combine the potatoes, green beans, celery, cucumber, chives and half of the leek with most of the dressing. Toss gently, taste and add salt as needed. Serve with remainder of leek and dressing atop. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

OPTIONAL: Not every uses/is comfortable with tofu but it adds a benign presence of protein to this salad and is virtually unnoticeable. I bought a block of organic tofu at Trader Joe’s. Before I even boil the potatoes I drain the tofu, wrap it in a paper towel and place in a kitchen towel with my cast iron skillet on top. The presses the extra water out of the tofu so that it can absorb the flavors of the salad dressing. Press it for about 30 minutes if you think of it. Then dice it and add to salad. Try it this once time if you have never used tofu before! (Or don’t!)

This salad is a very pretty dish to take to a summer cookout/party.

Pre-tofu

Maddie ate a small bowl of it before dinner. Bea spit the potato out.

Mostly NOT Potato Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4-6
 

Bright, pretty summer salad that takes potato salad to a new level!
Ingredients
  • 4 small pink or red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
  • large handful of green beans, trimmed and sliced into 1″ pieces
  • 2 TBSP coarse mustard
  • 2 TBSP red wine vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • ½ tsp sugar (or agave nectar)
  • Salt
  • ¼ c chopped dill (use dry dill if that’s all you have – about 2 TBSP)
  • 1 small leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 6 stalks celery, trimmed & diced
  • 1 cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and diced (I peeled mine – whoops!)
  • 1 TBSP fresh chives
  • OPTIONAL: 6 oz baked or extra firm tofu cut into small cubes

Instructions
  1. First, set water to boil for your taters. Once it’s boiling, they need to cook until just tender. This should take about 10 mins. Set your timer for 9 minutes so you can toss in the green beans for the last 30 seconds. You just want them to turn bright green. Then drain the potatoes & beans.
  2. Make your dressing: in a small bowl, combine 1 TBSP olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, sugar & salt. Whisk together. Taste & adjust to your liking!
  3. Heat about a TBSP of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the chopped dill, add a few pinches of salt and add the leeks.
  4. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. In a large bowl combine the potatoes, green beans, celery, cucumber, chives and half of the leek with most of the dressing. Toss gently, taste and add salt as needed. Serve with remainder of leek and dressing atop chilled or at room temperature.
  6. OPTIONAL: Not every uses/is comfortable with tofu but it adds a benign presence of protein to this salad and is virtually unnoticeable. I bought a block of organic tofu at Trader Joe’s. Before I even boil the potatoes I drain the tofu, wrap it in a paper towel and place in a kitchen towel with my cast iron skillet on top. The presses the extra water out of the tofu so that it can absorb the flavors of the salad dressing. Press it for about 30 minutes if you think of it. Then dice it and add to salad. Try it this once time if you have never used tofu before!

Slightly adapted from: Super Natural Every Day

 

Grilled Corn with Cotija

Just before I got married I had an early mid-life crisis and flew down to South America for a few months. The traveling changed my life for the better. Besides doing without a lot of things I thought I needed, long bus rides gave me time to STOP. Working as an animation producer just prior had not helped me learn to deal with stress and a racing mind. These 8 hour bus rides gave me time to stare out the window – which was a good thing. Was there an actual physiological change that occurred? I DO think so! For the first time in years I felt calm & relaxed. I wasn’t thinking about what I “should” be doing with my free time. Sometimes at the various bus stops vendors would hop on to sell food. A plastic baggie of coconut water, chips (homemade??) or maize (what you call corn) on the cob. The corn (called “elote”) was always my first choice! A large ear of corn in foil, open the foil to find a nice hunk of white cheese and a wedge of lime. Yum yum yum!!

This summer I started making my version of elote.

I really don’t measure when I make this! You can adjust amounts to your liking.

INGREDIENTS:
- corn on the cob
- cotija cheese (or feta if you can’t find cotija)
- 1 lime cut into sections
- chili powder
- salt & pepper
- OPTIONAL: crema mexicana

It’s pretty simple. I shucked the corn, brushed it with olive oil & grilled for a few minutes, turning as it browned. Next time I’m going to peel back the husk & tie it with twine so that the husk can be used as a handle. Of course, you have to remove the silk regardless.

Now, this is optional: drizzle either crema Mexicana or smear with mayonnaise. Or skip this step altogether…I like this step because it is the glue that sticks all the tasty things you are about to drop onto the corn.

Dust with salt and chili powder over each ear (to your liking.)

Crumble cotija cheese over the corn. Cojita is a dry crumbly white cheese sort of like feta. Substitute feta if you can’t find cojita near you.

Serve with lime wedges. YUM!

 

Grilled Corn with Cotija
Author: 
Recipe type: Side
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

An extra special side for late summer cookouts!
Ingredients
  • corn on the cob, shucked
  • olive oil
  • OPTIONAL: Crema Mexicana or Mayonnaise
  • salt
  • chili powder
  • cotija cheese
  • lime wedges

Instructions
  1. Brush olive oil over shucked corn.
  2. Grill till darkened on all sides.
  3. Drizzle either crema Mexicana or mayonnaise over corn.
  4. Dust with salt & chili powder.
  5. Crumble cotija cheese over corn.
  6. Serve with lime wedges!

Notes
Try this: Peel husk back withOUT removing it, tie together with twine. Remove silk threads. Brush with olive oil & grill until darkened. You can now use the husk as a handle when eating! I’m going to try this next time…

 



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