Vegetarian

Creamy Potato Salad

Well it’s 4th of July week and that means lots of barbecues, cookouts, parties, events, and summertime food! The fact that the 4th is on Thursday this week kind of stinks unless you are one of those lucky folks who gets/takes Friday off (which I’m sad to say isn’t me). So this week I’ll be bringing you some great July 4th-friendly recipes, like this Creamy Potato Salad to get you in the mood for our delicious day off in celebration of our country’s independence.

Fingerling potatoes are boiled until nice and tender along with one egg which becomes perfectly hard-boiled. A creamy mixture of sour cream (I used Greek yogurt instead), yellow mustard and light mayonaisse gives this salad a light consistency. Fresh celery and red onion add bits of crunch and flavor to this salad which makes a great complement to your holiday burgers or dogs. If you’re looking for a simple, basic yet lighter potato salad without all the calories, give this a try. It’s even better the next day.

The ingredients:

Place a saucepan filled two-thirds with water over high heat; add egg, and cover. Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Add potatoes to pan; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; add potatoes.

Peel and coarsely chop egg; add to potatoes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating:

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

California-Style Bibimbap

June 25, 2013
Shannon
3 comments
Asian, avocado, food, peppers, rice, spinach, vegetarian

I went to a Korean restaurant with my friends Jade and Scott a while back and, not knowing much about Korean food, couldn’t bring myself to eat anything other than chicken teriyaki. I kept eyeballing Jade’s bibimbap because if it weren’t for the meat, this seemed like a dish I would totally be all over: rice, veggies, chili paste, egg, yum! So when I came across this vegetarian version, California-Style Bibimbap, I stared in disbelief – could it be true? I was all over it.

Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish usually made with beef but this version takes the beef out and instead uses spinach (or kale), peppers, and avocado. The spinach and pepper are sautéed until the spinach is wilted and the pepper is slightly soft and spooned over fluffy jasmine rice (hello…a new fave, even if it is a dreaded white rice). Fresh avocado is added and an egg (either fried or over-easy) tops the dish. The whole bowl is then dressed with a sesame oil-soy sauce mixture and dotted (or splattered if you so incline) with hot and spicy sriracha. I cannot even begin to tell you how obsessed with this dish I am. I plan on making tons of (non-traditional) variations of this using broccoli, carrots, celery, bok choy, mushrooms, asparagus or chicken in the future. I made this on Sunday, texted Jade a picture right away, and continued to eat it all day long. It’s no wonder that I couldn’t get Hanson’s “MMMBop” out of my head all day.

The ingredients (I forgot the avocado):

Put rice and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook rice until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat grapeseed oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Cook kale, bell pepper, and garlic with salt over medium heat until kale is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Divide rice among 4 bowls and top with vegetable mixture and avocado. Fry eggs in the same pan until done the way you like. Slide each egg into a bowl.

Mix sesame oil and soy sauce and drizzle over bowls.

Drizzle with Sriracha or sprinkle with togarashi.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Sunset Magazine

Roots, Greens, and Shoots Quinoa

June 13, 2013
Shannon
0 comments
food, nuts, quinoa, spinach, sweet potato, vegetarian

Have you been hearing about “superfoods” lately? Foods that are supposedly the most nutritious food we can put into our bodies? Well, I have. The list of the top superfoods can vary by professional or article but I’ve seen enough written on the topic to know that quinoa, sweet potatoes, and spinach are all top contenders. So when I came across a feature in Cooking Light magazine of different low-calorie quinoa combos, I was drawn to this Roots, Greens, and Shoots combination.

With nothing more than roasted sweet potato, baby spinach, toasted pecans and scallions, this quick meal is about as nutritious as you can get. If you have a spare sweet potato or some leftover cooked quinoa, you also have a speedy meal. But if not, either roast a sweet potato in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or buy a super-simple pre-wrapped sweet potato and microwave according to the directions. Quinoa, which has become an easy replacement for rice in my house, can be cooked in 15 minutes with a 2:1 water ratio. Although there isn’t any dressing or other flavoring to this dish, you might think this would be pretty bland but on the contrary, the combination of the sweetness in the potato, the crunch of the pecans and the zing of the scallions made this easily one of my favorite quick meals I’ve ever made. In fact, it’s super.