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Potato Salad With Pickled Red Onion

14 Jul

Sure, I’m saving pennies in the kitchen with potatoes and eggs. But all spruced up in a nice bowl with fresh herbs and pickled red onion? Now we’re talkin’ haute cuisine.

Pickled red onions are showing up in nearly every restaurant these days. And it could not be easier to make them at home. Thin slices of red onion taking a dip in some apple cider vinegar and salt. Done.

I was having a tough time deciding whether to make the salt and vinegar potato salad from Tracy and Joy’s blogs or the classic all-American potato salad from Deb. So I combined the two. I’ve got the pickled onion and green beans AND the eggs with the creamy dressing.

Fresh basil and lots of cracked pepper.

With a grilled chicken apple sausage in a bun (grilled in the cast-iron skillet).

Someone ring the dinner bell!

Potato Salad With Pickled Red Onion

Adapted from SmittenKitchen

Makes about 4-6 servings

1 1/2 lbs red potatoes (I used about 4 large red potatoes); washed

3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, chopped (see recipe below)

optional: 8-10 green beans (you could use celery, too)

1/3 cup mayonnaise ***NOTE: I used a ratio of about 1:2 parts nonfat plain yogurt to mayo

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

about 1 tablespoon basil, cut into ribbons (I did this to taste rather than measure)

salt and pepper, to taste

pickled red onion, to taste (see recipe below)

The first step is to get the pickled red onion started (see recipe below) because it takes about an hour before it is ready to use.

Next, get the potatoes boiling. If your potatoes are big, you can slice them in half for quicker cooking. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Check the potatoes after about 15 minutes of simmering (mine took about 30 minutes to be fully done). Insert a fork or sharp knife into a potato, if it meets just a bit of resistence, the potatoes are almost done cooking. If you are using green beans, place them in the water about 3-5 minutes before your potatoes are done cooking. Once everything is done, drain the water.

While the potatoes are simmering, you can prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo/yogurt mixture, the mustard, and the vinegar. I added a dash of salt and pepper here.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle but are still pretty warm, chop them up into bite-sized chunks. Chop the green beans into tiny rounds. Have your chopped hard-boiled eggs ready. Toss the potatoes and green beans together with the dressing. Add the eggs in. Add some basil ribbons and the pickled red onion. Finish with another few dashes of salt and pepper.

Quick Pickled Red Onion

From Shutterbean and JoytheBaker

1 red onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the onion slices, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Toss everything together and let the mix sit for about 1 hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally. That’s it.

You can store leftovers in an airtight tupperware container or jar in the refrigerator.

Hard Boiled Eggs

eggs

Place the eggs in a pot. Cover them completely with water. Place the pot on the stove and heat until the water comes to a boil. Once boiling, shut off the heat and cover the pot. Wait 10 minutes, then drain the water out and place the eggs in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking more.

Peel and go!

Farmer’s Market-Inspired Tacos

22 Jun

It’s taco time!

Steamed corn tortillas, refried black beans, garlicky sauteed summer squash, blanched asparagus, fresh basil, cheesy shreds, salt n’ pepper.

There’s no better way to enjoy fresh summer vegetables.

I was inspired by the produce at the little farmer’s market near my apartment.

Not necessarily the traditional accouterment for tacos, but I went with my craving.

I’m a sucker for oven-roasted asparagus, but there was no way I was turning on the oven today, not in this 100 degree weather.

Instead, I boiled water in a large saucepan, salted the water, dropped the asparagus in for 3 minutes, took them out with tongs, and seasoned them with salt and pepper. All too easy and the result produced the most vibrant green asparagus I ever laid my eyes on.

Heavy on the garlic. That was my motto for the summer squash saute. I lightly fried the garlic in just a little oil, then added my thinly sliced squash to the pan, sautéing until browned. The trick is not to move things around too much in the pan. Only stir every 1-2 minutes or so.

Basil gets thinly sliced into a chiffonade (just roll the leaves and slice into thin ribbons) and added at the very end of cooking.

I purchased Thai basil, which has a more licorice/anise flavor profile versus the sweeter Italian basil. You can use either basil variety interchangeably. I was feeling experimental today so I went with Thai. Talk about fusion! Of course, you could always use cilantro or another herb of your choice in this dish.

Steaming tortillas is a cinch in the microwave.

Place two tortillas side by side on a large plate. Top with a damp paper towel. Place two more tortillas on top plus one more damp paper towel to cover everything. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute and you’ve got yourself steamed tortillas (enough for 2 servings= 2 corn tortillas per serving).

 Have you tried refried black beans yet? Tasty town. Out of the can and into a small pan to be heated with a little grated cheese on top. Protein power.

Taco assembly involves a hefty helping of beans spread onto a steamed tortilla. Topped with the summer squash saute, 2 or 3 asparagus spears, some extra grated cheese, and basil. Salt and pepper make my wheels turn. You can add some hot sauce or chili flakes if you wish.

Tacos in the summer are a must. Check out these charred corn and feta tacos that I made last summer.

Vegetarian tacos=rad.

Farmer’s Market-Inspired Tacos

1 bunch of asparagus

3 medium summer squash/zucchini

1 tablespoon oil (canola)

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

fresh basil, about 6-7 leaves picked

1 can refried black beans

about 1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice (I used sharp cheddar and smoked gouda)

corn tortillas

Snap the woody ends off of the asparagus. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Once the water boils, add some salt. Gently drop the asparagus into the water for 3 minutes. Take the asparagus out of the water with tongs, season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Dump out the excess water.

Halve and thinly slice the summer squash. In a pan (you can use the same pan as above so long as you dry it out), heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add the squash and saute until browned. Only stir every 1-2 minutes so that the squash can get nice and golden brown. Add the chili powder and some salt. Roll the basil leaves up and slice them into thin ribbons. Once the squash is nearly done cooking, stir in the basil leaves and turn off the heat.

To prepare the beans, open the can and place the contents into a small saucepan. Heat on low. Add about half of the grated cheese and stir into the beans until melty.

To steam the tortillas, place tortillas onto a plate with damp paper towels between each tortilla. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute or until soft and pliable.

To assemble the tacos, spread a hefty amount of beans onto a tortilla. Add some squash. Place 2 or 3 asparagus spears on top. Garnish with extra cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.

You’ve done well, my friends.

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Pineapple Not-So-Fried-Rice

15 Jun

I’m at a weird transition point in my life.

Just a few weeks ago, I was working full time, volunteering once a week, and taking an online medical biochemistry class to fulfill a prerequisite for graduate school.

I felt busy and stressed, but I was in the groove. There came a point when I had to let something go. I stopped volunteering and I quit my job. I went back home to California for a week and was able to completely relax and gather myself. Now that I am back in New York, my main responsibility is to do well in this biochemistry class. Sure, I study throughout the day, but boy do I have gobs of free time.

Gobs. Of. Free. Time.

What a blessing, right? I’m trying to seize the day and take advantage of my new-found ‘freedom,’ but it is hard to get out there and explore when I feel obligated to catch up on Parks and Recreation and devour the tin of chocolate covered almonds in my pantry. Life is so hard sometimes.

At least now I have the time to experiment in the kitchen and cook healthy meals for myself.

The tofu gods were calling on me this week, I’ve been craving tofu like a maniac (see my previous post on Tofu Bento Bowls). And now that I finally realize how important it is to drain and press the tofu (see recipe below), all of my tofu dishes have been turning out better than ever.

This recipe is from Chloe Coscarelli’s book. This is her Pineapple Not-So-Fried Rice. In her picture, she plates the dish in a pineapple boat. I tried to do the boat, I even looked up how to do it online and watched a video. When push came to shove, things just got messy and I found that I was wasting to much of the sweet flesh. I broke down and cut the pineapple up and ate my meal out of a bowl. Oh the perils of being uncreative/lazy.

Despite the pineapple boat failure, the meal tasted superb. There’s sweet yellow pineapple and crunchy raw cashews. Baked tofu and bright green peas. Shredded carrots and studs of raisins. With all sorts of onion and garlic and spice to flavor the rice.


Tofu cubes fresh out of the oven. Ain’t nothin’ better. All it took was a good pat-dry and a press, a little soy sauce, and an oven.

Pineapple Not-So-Fried Rice

Serves 4-6

From Chloe’s Kitchen

1 14-oz package extra-firm tofu, drained

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 pineapple, or 1 1/2 cups diced pineapple

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 scallions, chopped (optional)

sea salt or Kosher salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce

3/4 cup cashews

1 carrot, peeled and shredded (I simple sliced the carrot thinly with my knife, but you could use a box grater if you want)

1/2 cup peas (you can use fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup raisins

3 cups cooked rice

1/4 cup water or vegetable broth

Note: The first thing I did was get my rice cooking so that it would be fully cooked for when I needed it later.

To prepare the tofu: Wrap the tofu tightly in dry paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Set the tofu on a flat surface and place a small baking pan on top. Then stack something heavy, like canned food or books, on top. Let the tofu sit for 20 minutes while it releases its water. When ready, discard the towels and cube the tofu.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the tofu with the soy sauce, making sure each cube is coated. Place in one layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, turning the tofu a few times with a spatula. Remove from the oven and set aside.

If you are using a whole pineapple, peel it and remove the core. Slice the pineapple into cubes. If you want to make a pineapple boat for serving, cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, remove the inner flesh with a paring knife, then cut into bite-sized pieces (I tried to do the boat, but found that I was losing too much of the good flesh, so I nixed the idea).

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions until soft and lightly browned. Season with salt. Add the garlic, scallions (if using), curry, coriander, and chili-garlic sauce. Let this cook a few more minutes. Add the cashews, carrots, peas, raisins, cooked rice, water (or broth), pineapple, and tofu. Cook until heated through and adjust salt to taste. Serve the rice in the pineapple shell (if you are brave enough to try the boat method) or simply in a bowl. Enjoy!

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Tofu Bento Bowls

10 Jun

A light dinner for a warm summer night.

A vegetarian take on the Japanese bento box, the containers with separate compartments usually used for  lunch to-go.

Vegetarian Times Magazine is a great resource for healthy vegetarian meals. This Tofu Bento Bowl, along with the Hearty Grain Soup With Beans and Greens and the Peanut Butter Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips are some of my favorite recipes that I tend to make over and over.

Finally, I felt satisfied with my skillet tofu skills. The secret? I drained and patted the tofu until it was nice and dry, which, as so many tofu experts preach, is the best way to ensure a great tofu product. No excess water to interfere with the heat and the sauce that flavor the tofu. I also tried not to turn the tofu very often; I just let it get nice and brown and flipped it only once or twice.

Tofu Bento Bowls

serves 6, adapted from Vegetarian Times Magazine (october 2006 issue)

For some crazy reason, I did not have hot chili-garlic sauce (I know, I need to get on that asap). I omitted the chili-garlic sauce and instead used a combo of a spicy chili sesame oil and a regular dark toasted sesame oil. I also sprinkled a few red chili flakes into the mix for an added kick. 

I also used lime instead of lemon because that was what I had on-hand. 

You could also omit the yogurt in the recipe to make this a vegan meal. And if you use a gluten-free soy sauce, this could be a gluten-free meal! Boom.

Spicy Tofu

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup hot chili-garlic sauce

2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil

14-oz. extra firm tofu, cubed

5 green onions, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Salad

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. hot chili-garlic sauce

2 cups cooked brown rice

4 1/2 cups mixed baby greens

2 carrots, peeled into ribbons

1 cucumber, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

To make the Spicy Tofu: First, drain and pat your tofu dry. Wrap it in paper towel and put a skillet on top to ensure that the tofu dries out. Change the paper towel a few times.

While the tofu is drying, whisk together the soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce (if using), and sesame oil in a bowl. Cube the tofu and add it to the sauce mixture. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Let the pan get hot. Add the tofu in one layer and cook it for about 10 minutes, or until browned, turning occasionally. Save the remaining sauce. Cool the tofu.

Add the green onions, yogurt, and lemon juice to the remaining sauce. Toss it with the tofu.

To make the Salad: Whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, and chili-sauce in a bowl (I added some more scallions to the dressing). Mound the rice into bowls. Top with greens. Add the carrot ribbons, cucumber slices, avocado, and tofu. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with the sauce.

Nutrition Info Per Serving: 297 calories, 12g protein, 15.5g total fat (2g sat. fat), 30g carbohydrates, 0mg cholesterol, 858mg sodium, 6g fiber, 3g sugar

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3 Bean Summer Salad With Corn, Tomato, Avocado, & Lime

28 May

A colorful healthy salad to ring in the summer. This salad was inspired by Cooking Light’s Summer Salad  slide show. I don’t own a grill, so I adapted the recipe to accommodate my NYC apartment lifestyle.

A delight on its own with some fresh ground pepper.

Perfect with feta (or cotija) stuffed into lightly fried corn tortilla tacos. Or simply pair the salad with tortilla chips for a crunchy appetizer or snack.

This also makes a nice little side dish to accompany some heart-healthy salmon (I purchased my salmon already grilled and cooked at Whole Foods).

3 Bean Summer Salad With Corn, Tomato, Avocado, & Lime

from CookingLight

makes 12 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)

If you have a grill, you can grill your onion, corn, and jalepeno (click on the link to the Cooking Light recipe). If you do not have a grill, follow my directions below

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1 jalapeno, minced

1/2 of a large onion

3 ears of corn, shucked from the cob

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup lime juice

1 can pinto beans, no salt added, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, no salt added, drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, no salt added, drained and rinsed

2 avocados, peeled and diced

olive oil, for sauteeing

Place the sliced tomato halves in a large bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, mix, and let this sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.

In a large saute pan, heat some olive oil. Add the onion and saute for about 5-7 minutes. Add the jalapeno and corn and saute for another 5-7 minutes.

Add  the corn mixture to the bowl of tomatoes and toss with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the beans, cilantro, lime juice, and avocado. Grind some fresh pepper over the top and enjoy.

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