Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad.

by Filed Under: Potatoes, Side dish Leave a Comment

Brianne from Cupcakes & Kale Chips is my guest blogger for today.  I love the recipe she is sharing with you guys and it’s perfect for any patriotic themed party, Olympic celebration or any summer picnic!  Brianne is a good friend of mine who always makes me smile.  She is whiz kid in the kitchen and you have to check her out.

Thanks girl for guest blogging for me!  oxoxo Robin

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/cupcakesandkalechips

Blog:
http://cupcakesandkalechips.com/2012/06/22/red-white-blue-potato-salad/

Take it from here Brianne…

Potatoes get a bad rap.  Perhaps that’s because most of the time we eat them fried, covered with cheese, or mashed with butter and cream.  But really, the potato is not the bad actor here.  In fact, one medium sized potato (about 5 oz.) with its skin has only 110 calories, zero fat, and no sodium.  And it provides more potassium than a banana, 2 g of fiber, and half your daily value of vitamin C.  So potatoes can definitely be part of a healthy diet.

Just not when they are drowned in mayonnaise.  Like my mom’s potato salad.  She makes it the pretty traditional way, with just mayo (and a lot of it), white vinegar, salt, pepper, and chopped hard-boiled eggs.  Everyone in my family goes nuts over her potato salad.  Anytime she makes it, she pretty much uses an entire 5 lb. bag of potatoes, and sometimes I think my sister could eat the whole bowl.  I am an outcast and practically disowned because I don’t like it.  But I am just not a mayo fan.  And hard-boiled eggs – yuck!  So it isn’t just her potato salad.  Most other kinds I encounter are even worse because they have two of my least favorite things – raw onions and celery.

So when I saw US Potato Board Healthy Summer Potato Salad Recipe Contest for Recipe ReDux members that challenged us to create a healthier version of this summertime staple, I was totally on board.  I wanted to come up with a potato salad that I would love, and would feel good about eating.  I actually thought about my Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing recipe when I was trying to decide what to make.  So I swapped out the mayo for fat free Greek yogurt to lower the calories and fat, and add lots of calcium and protein.  Then I wanted to amp it up with bacon and blue cheese – two ingredients that have tons of flavor, so only a little is needed to have a big impact.  I used three slices of a lean, center cut bacon, which I cooked until crispy, and drained well.  So the bacon really just served as a seasoning.  And you can even use a reduced fat blue cheese, like I did.  The creaminess and tang from the yogurt, versus the sharp bite of the cheese and smokiness of the bacon really elevated the standard potato salad.  I honestly have never had a potato salad that just hit your palate in so many ways in just one bite.  This will be my go-to recipe from now on.

Unless mom is making the potato salad.  (Love you, mom!)

And it went so well with this nice, lean filet, some collard greens, and a nice Cabernet. A perfect summertime meal.

 
Recipe type: Salad, Side
Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Serves: 4-8
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered
  • 3 slices center cut bacon
  • 1/2 c Greek yogurt (fat free or low fat)
  • 3 T cider vinegar
  • 1/4 t dry mustard
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 t kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 T chopped scallion
  • 1/2 c crumbled blue cheese (regular or reduced fat)
Directions
  1. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water.
  2. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.
  3. Drain the potatoes, place in a bowl, and cool completely.
  4. Cook the bacon in a pan until crispy, and drain well on a paper towel.
  5. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
  6. In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, cider vinegar, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper, and stir until well-mixed.
  7. Gently fold in the reserved bacon, blue cheese, and scallions.
  8. Pour the Greek yogurt mixture over the potatoes, and toss gently.
Notes

If you are preparing the potato salad in advance, you can add just 2 T of cider vinegar to the Greek yogurt mixture, then add the remaining 1 T just before serving to moisten it.

— Knead to Cook

Best grilled corn.

by Filed Under: Side dish, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Okay this is the EASIEST recipe ever!  Buy the corn from your local farmer and cook it that day.  Preheat your gas grill to 450 degrees and place the corn directly over the heat.  Cook for 10 minutes on one side and then roll the other for an additional 10 minutes.  No soaking.  No pre-husking.  The husks will char up beautifully adding a great smokey flavor.  Remove from the grill and let cool for about 6-8 minutes.  Husk and then enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Pistachio Mint Tabbouleh {made with quinoa not bulgar}.

by Filed Under: Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

I adore side dishes like this during the summer.  Make ahead.  Serve at room temperature.  This screams summer.  Bright flavors.  Crunchy texture.  {yum.}

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked quinoa (red or white)
3 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh is best)
1/2 teaspoon of raw honey (regular is fine as well)
1 cup of shelled pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
1/2 cup of fresh mint, chopped
1 cucumber, finely chopped
1 spring onion, diced
10 cherry tomatoes, chopped
Zest from one lemon

Directions:

Combine in a bowl the lemon juice and honey.  Whisk to combine.  Then add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat/mix.  Serve at room temperature.

— Knead to Cook

Fresh summer fruit & red quinoa balsamic salad.

by Filed Under: Breakfast, Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian 5 Comments

This quick and easy salad is perfect for a refreshing summer dinner.  We are off early tonight to head to a swim meet and this protein-packed dinner.  You can certainly use whatever free stone fruit and berries that you have on hand and make this your very own.

Ingredients:

1 cup of red or white quinoa, cooked and cooled
1 quart of strawberries, hulled, washed and chopped
2 peaches, stone removed and chopped
1 nectarine, stone removed and chopped
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
Zest from half of a lemon
15 mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup of good quality balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir well.  I leave this sit on my countertop for about 20 minutes prior to serving to let the balsamic seep into the fruit.  Serve alongside chicken, fish or pork.  Enjoy!  Would also make a great breakfast 🙂

— Knead to Cook

Balsamic Cucumbers.

by Filed Under: Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian 1 Comment

We harvested our very first cucumber yesterday and I made my favorite, super easy, refreshing salad with it.  Although this recipe can be made with any normal grocery store balsamic, I’m a huge proponent of buying a much better quality balsamic when you’re eating it pretty much straight.  Aged balsamic vinegar has such a wonderful complexity of flavors, smooth and doesn’t have that bitter bite afterwards.  I use Olivier Aged 25 year balsamic.  One bottle lasts me typically half the summer – and I use it in many dishes that I make.

Ingredients:

2-4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced into 1.5 inch slices
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic (eyeball the amount more/less depending on the quantity of cucumbers that you use)
1/8 tsp of better quality dijon mustard (I used Maille)
1/2 tsp of fresh chives, sliced into small pieces

Directions:

Add your cucumbers to your bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons or so (again depending on how many cucumbers you’re using) and of dijon.  Whisk to combine.  Pour over the cucumbers and toss.  Top with the chives and serve or refrigerate until serving.  Must serve this dish nice and chilled 🙂

— Knead to Cook

Peach salsa.

by Filed Under: Condiments, Dips, Fruit, Salsas & Guacamole, Side dish, Vegetarian 1 Comment

 

Eating the rainbow just got a whole lot tastier!  This fresh peach salsa is perfect alone with chips or atop chicken, pork or fish.  Tonight, it will sit along a lovely grilled pork tenderloin.

Ingredients:

2 peaches, pitted and chopped
1/4 of a red onion, diced
1/2 jalapeño, diced
1 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 handful of cilantro leaves, washed, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon of good quality balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of olive oil

Direction:

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl.  Toss and refrigerate for 2 hours or so to let the flavors meld.  Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Kentucky Derby Bourbon Sweet Potatoes.

by Filed Under: Potatoes, Side dish, Vegetarian 3 Comments

In honor of the 38th running of the Kentucky Derby, Hilary from the awesome food blog Baking Bad is hosting a virtual Derby party.  She has asked some friends to pop by and bring a Kentucky Derby-inspired dish and I was so happy to oblige with my sweet potato creation.  🙂

Ingredients:

3 enormous sweet potatoes (or you can use 5-6 large sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 c of light brown sugar
1/2 c of butter
3/4 c of bourbon (I used Jim Bean)
1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of nutmeg, ground

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place all of the peeled, chopped sweet potatoes in a glass 13×9 pan.  In a sauce pan over medium heat, add all of the other ingredients and bring to a boil.  Whisk the ingredients as they cook.  Once boiling, pour the liquid mixture over top of the potatoes.  Bake for 50 minutes or unit the potatoes are fork tender.

— Knead to Cook

Veggie & black bean salad. Vegetarian.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Mexican, No bake/cooking required!, Side dish, Vegetarian 27 Comments

 

My vegetarian friend Brooke, made me a salad similar to this years ago and over the years I’ve revamped it and made it my own.  I can honestly down this entire, very large, container in one sitting if I needed to.  I did help myself to 3, yes 3, helpings at dinner.  Consider I only ate watermelon for lunch, that would explain my voracious appetite 🙂

Ingredients:

1 – 15 oz can of organic black or adzuki beans
2 c of fresh corn or frozen
2 c of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped (color of the pepper may vary)
1/2 c of a red onion, diced
2 jalapeño, chopped finely
1/3 c of fresh lime juice
1/4 c of olive oil
1/4 c cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tsp of salt
3/4 tsp of ground cumin (if you don’t like cumin as much as I do, use 1/4 or 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours to let the flavors mingle.  You can serve this as a side dish, with tortilla chips at a party or just with a big spoon!  YUM!

The aftermath.

 

— Knead to Cook

Mexican twice baked potatoes with Chobani.

by Filed Under: Potatoes, Side dish, Vegetarian 8 Comments

Get ready for some healthy, protein-packed & delicious side dish!

Ingredients:

4 medium to large sized sweet potatoes, washed and poked with a knife
1 c of corn (frozen, canned or cut off the cobb)
1/4 tsp cumin, garlic powder & cayenne
1-14 oz can of low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbl butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed with hand blender
2 oz of less fat cream cheese
1/3 c non fat Chobani plain yogurt
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of cumin
1 handful of chopped cilantro
1/4 c or less of jack or cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and bake the sweet potatoes for 30-45 minutes or until they’re fork tender.  Once they are, remove and set aside for 5 minutes to cool.  Over medium to high heat in a dry pan, add the corn along with cumin, garlic powder and cayenne and roast the corn until golden brown. Meanwhile, add the black beans to a bowl.  Once the corn is roasted nicely, add it to the black beans.  Stir to combine.In the same pan you roasted the corn, add the butter and once melted, add the onion.  Cook until translucent and then remove from heat.  In the meantime, halve the potatoes and scrape out the flesh, leaving the skin and a bit of flesh remaining (so it stays a bit a firm).  The flesh will be added to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on.  In your mixer bowl, add the chipotle peppers,  cream cheese, Chobani, salt and cumin.  Beat until mixed well.  Then by hand, mix in the corn/bean mixture, sautéed onions and chopped cilantro.  Then top with your cheese of choice and broil on high for 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

— Knead to Cook

Herb marinated pork with maple mashed sweet potatoes.

by Filed Under: Pork, Potatoes, Side dish 1 Comment

It was such an incredibly beautiful day again here in PA and I really was in the mood to fire up the grill & that’s just what I did.  I had some pork in the freezer (and in my sad attempt to clean the freezer out before I purchase more food for it) I thawed it out and created a super delicious marinade.  You have to try it!

Ingredients (Pork):

4-6 pork chops (I used w/o the bone but you can certainly use a bone-in)
Salt and pepper
4 tbl of olive oil
3 tbl of freshly chopped parsley
1 tbl of dried oregano (if you have fresh, use 2 tbl)
1 tsp of garlic powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbl of lime juice, fresh
1 tsp of hot sauce (I used Sriracha)

Directions:

Rinse under cold water and pat dry each piece of pork.  Season with salt and pepper and place in a platter with sides (or you can use tupperware) and then set aside.

In my large measuring cup (or a small mixing bowl) add the olive oil, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, garlic, lime juice and hot sauce.  Whisk to combine and then pour over the pork.  Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.  Longer is better 🙂

When you’re ready to cook, preheat your grill to 375 or so.  Add the pork and grill until it’s no longer pink inside and has an internal temperature greater than 145 degrees.  Then place in a clean platter and tent with foil for 5-7 minutes.

Ingredients (Maple mashed sweet potatoes):
6-7 small to medium yams/sweet potatoes, washed and peeled
1/4 tsp of salt
2 tbl butter or substitute
3 tbl finer grade maple syrup
2 tbl ground cinnamon
4 tbl almond milk (vanilla flavored but regular milk would be sufficient)

Directions:

Cook your sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling/salted water.  Once fork-tender, drain with colander.  I then add the potatoes to my stand mixer bowl, with the paddle attachment on, then add the remaining ingredients.  Start out mixing slowly and then increase the speed.  Blend until creamy or until you have the desired texture you wish.

I top with additional cinnamon before serving.

 

— Knead to Cook