Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing

I took my Mom to the airport yesterday afternoon. She has spent the last 3 weeks here with us and it was a blast. My Dad was here for one of the weeks and I really enjoyed their visit.

While they were here we had a Easter dinner a week early with our family members that live nearby. I came across this salad and figured it would be a good side dish for our dinner.

We don't eat lots of potatoes, but when we do, I like to roast them in the oven. I have never thought of putting roasted potatoes in a green salad, so I was intrigued by that concept.

My Mom and I worked together to get this salad ready and we were in a rush. We didn't measure the lettuce and potatoes exactly. I think this made it so the dressing was spread a little too thin, although the salad was still tasty, I think the flavor would have been better if we had been more careful in our measurements. I didn't get a pretty picture of this salad either because we rushed off to the dinner and I had to snap a quick photo so I could share it here. Go ahead and check out the recipe below and you will find better pictures and a little bit more information about this fun salad.


Here is the recipe for Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing from Perry's Plate
* My only mistake here was not being accurate when measuring the amount of potatoes and lettuce that I used. I think it would have been more flavorful if I had used the appropriate amounts.

Roasted Potatoes& Zucchini topped with a Fried Egg

Recently, I saw a recipe for zucchini-potato hash, topped with a fried egg in a magazine when I was checking out at the grocery store.
It looked really good, so I decided to make my own version, since I couldn't find the recipe online anywhere.

I used little red potatoes because they have a better flavor than other potatoes and they are small, so they are easy to cut and they cook quickly.

I also used zucchini and yellow squash that I got from the Farmer's Market.

I decided to roast all the vegetables in the oven.
I put the potatoes in first and then the squash, since the potatoes took a little longer to roast.
I topped it off with a fried egg and had some sauteed swiss chard on the side.

Roasted Potatoes & Zucchini with Fried Egg
1 pd red potatoes, quartered and sliced
1 pd zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 pd yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 Tbls olive oil
oregano
salt and pepper
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbls olive oil. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway through.

Place zucchini and yellow squash on another rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbls olive oil. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes, until tender, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, heat a tsp of olive oil in a small skillet. Crack open an egg into hot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until desired doneness, flipping over halfway through cooking. Repeat with other eggs.

When all vegetables are roasted and tender, toss together and top with a fried egg.

I cooked my swiss chard using this recipe/method.

Spring Chicken Salad

Pictures are often the reason that I want to try certain recipes.
Cookbooks and magazines are fun for me to look at and pictures of certain recipes will make me want to try them.
That is what happened here. Partly. I saw the picture for this recipe in Food Network Magazine and was happy about the word Spring in the title. Plus, it looked yummy.
This time of year always makes me want to eat more salad, so everytime I find a good salad recipe that the entire family enjoys I am excited.

I also happened to have most of the ingredients for this salad on hand, which is unusual since I don't usually have potatoes in the house.
I liked that the dressing was made with greek yogurt, which is something that I usually sub for mayo, so the fact that it was already in this recipe made me happy.

I don't really love fresh tarragon, simply because it has that anise/licorice flavor, but in this salad it wasn't too strong since it was mixed with the fresh chives. It was subtle enough that I didn't mind it at all. This was a super fast dinner, that didn't require any cooking, which is always appreciated by me on a weeknight.

I used some cooked turkey breast that I had in my fridge instead of chicken. I also reduced the olive oil by 1/2. Quick and delicious!

Recipe for Spring Chicken Salad

Greek Meatballs and Greek Roasted Vegetables

I first made this meal last summer. I had clipped the recipe for the roasted vegetables out of Family Circle Magazine and decided to make meatballs to round out the meal.
I had some ground turkey and I just added ingredients that I thought would make a tasty meatball and hoped for the best.

They turned out great and everyone was very excited about this dinner. I quickly wrote down the estimates of what I used for the meatballs, so I could make them again because I didn't take a picture of them that first time we ate them.

I don't like repeating recipes over and over again, because I like to try new things all the time, but I knew that I wanted to make this particular meal again sometime.
I recently made the meatballs and roasted vegetables again, this time using ground turkey breast for the meatballs and the results were great.

The key to keeping the meatballs moist is browning them first in a little bit of oil, then adding liquid- I prefer chicken broth- and then covering them, to let them cook completely.

I really love the combination of eggplant, green pepper, and red potatoes, that the recipe uses in the roasted vegetables. Chickpeas are added to these veggies, near the end of the roasting time and really enhance the whole dish. Top it off with fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs and a little feta, and you have got a real winner.

Both times that I have made this meal, I have prepared the veggies first, and started roasting them, then made the meatballs while the veggies are in the oven. That way everything is ready at about the same time.


Greek Meatballs by Mary Ann
20 oz ground turkey, 93% lean or ground turkey breast
1 egg
2-3 oz feta cheese crumbles, flavored with basil and tomato
1 1/2 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
3 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
garlic powder
salt
black pepper
2 Tbls skim milk

Mix all meatball ingredients with a fork.
Form meat mixture into balls about the size of golf balls.
Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a saute pan over med-high heat. Add 1/2 of the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add 1/3 cup chicken broth or water. cover with a lid and cook until meat is no longer pink in the middle, about 6-8 minutes.
Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Greek-style Roasted Vegetables adapted from Family Circle magazine

• 1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
• 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, sliced
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degree F. In a large roasting pan, toss together the potatoes, eggplants, onion, green pepper, 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic salt and pepper. Peel off the lemon zest with a peeler and add to mixture. Reserve lemon. Roast vegetables at 425 degree F for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

2. Add chickpeas and roast an additional 15 minutes.

3. Stir in juice from lemon, oregano and mint. Top with feta crumbles.

2 Thanksgiving Sides- Autumn Hash and Vegetable Trio with Orange-Thyme Dressing

I love roasting vegetables. I truly believe that any vegetable can taste delicious if you roast it in the oven with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. It's true for brussel sprouts, parsnips, beets, cauliflower, etc. I could give millions of examples.
I saw a couple of recipes in the Thanksgiving issues of food magazines and these 2 side dishes really looked delicious. I decided to try both of them and see if they would be a great addition at a Thanksgiving dinner. Both of these would be great for a special occasion, but I also think they would be great anytime. Delicious.

The first recipe comes from Bon Appetit and I thought it looked beautiful with all the different colors and I loved that they included the beet greens, mixing them in with the oven-roasted vegetables. The original recipe calls for potatoes, sweet potatos, yams, baby golden beets, and butternut squash. I changed it a little bit and decided to use red potatoes, butternut squash, golden and red beets. The fresh herbs it uses are oregano, Italian parsley, and rosemary.

I couldn't find baby beets, so I just used normal sized beets and cut them into small pieces.
This was really delicious and a great way to get more vegetables on the table!

Recipe for Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash



The second recipe I found in Ladies Home Journal. It combines acorn squash, carrots, and beets. It also has a fabulous dressing that combines thyme (one of my fave herbs) and orange juice/zest. Delicious! The thyme and orange really go great together and make these vegetables taste amazing.

Spice up your thanksgiving table by adding some delicious color and nutrition with roasted vegetables!


Recipe for Vegetable Trio with Orange-Thyme Dressing

Recipe for Potato and Autumn Vegetable Hash

Roll-ups with Turkey Bacon, Peas, and New Potatoes

I really like magazines. But mostly for the recipes. I have recently gotten my subscriptions under control and only get the ones that I really use and need. Do you like how I used the word need? I still sneak peeks at the ones I used to suscribe to. Like Real Simple.
I also have this thing for tearing out the recipes from magazines. I put them in sheet protectors, which I then put in 3-ring binders and keep track of all of them. This way I can recycle the magazines, but keep the recipes I want to try.
I am embarrassed to say how many of these 3-ring binders I have. In fact, I don't think I am going to tell you. But, the point is, I tore out this recipe years ago and never got around to trying it, until the other day. Luckily, I remembered which binder it was in and I whipped it up.
I used turkey bacon and did not cook the bacon in butter. I think bacon has enough fat in it that cooking it in more fat really isn't necessary. I also used Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream because that is what I do.
This was a great twist on mashed potatoes and we really enjoyed it.
Now the question- Do you like magazines? and if so, do you tear out the pages?

Roll-Ups with Bacon, Peas, and New Potatoes from Real Simple Magazine
1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch pieces
8 white corn tortillas
1 tablespoon butter (I omitted this)
4 to 6 slices precooked bacon, crumbled (I used turkey bacon)
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted in 2 cups water and drained
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/3 teaspoon dried
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup sour cream (I used Greek Yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan on high heat with enough water to cover them. Cook 15 to 18 minutes, until soft. Drain in a colander; set aside.
Meanwhile, wrap all the tortillas tightly together in foil and place in oven for 5 minutes. Place the saucepan back on low heat and add the butter and bacon. Stir until warm and sizzling, about 2 minutes; remove from heat.
Add the potatoes, peas, thyme, half the scallions, and half the sour cream. Stir and mash with a potato masher or a wooden spoon. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Remove the tortillas from oven and place 2 on each plate.
Put 1/3 cup of the potato mixture on each tortilla and roll them as shown above. Top each with a spoonful of the remaining sour cream and sprinkle with the remaining scallions and a few grinds of black pepper to taste.


Coming Tomorrow- Lentil Stew with Butternut Squash

Red Lentil Soup, 2 ways, and Bundles of Joy with Homemade Ginger Cardamom Pear Butter

I have two really delicious red lentil soups that I like to make and I couldn't decide which one to have, so I made them both. The one pictured above has carrots, tomatoes, and spinach added and you can see all the lovely colors. The other red lentil soup is pureed, so you can just see the orange color of the soup. The pureed soup usually has a spiced oil that you drizzle on top, but since I made both the soups and a yummy phyllo side, I decided to skip the spiced oil. It does add an extra zip that is so delicious.


The Bundles of Joy were in a recent issue of Rachael Ray's magazine and reminded me of a samosa. I love phyllo and whenever I work with it, I use cooking spray to moisten the sheets, rather than melted butter. I was making the little appetizers when I realized that I could save time and energy and just make one, long strudel. So, I layered 5 sheet of phyllo and put the filling down the middle and enclosed it. That was after I had already done 2 rounds of the little ones. It suggested serving them with apple butter, but we had so many pears and had decided earlier to make pear butter. Now that smelled amazing and tasted so good, that we went ahead and made another batch. It was a great combination. And yes, my daughter could not keep her finger out of the pear butter!


This was a great dinner that we enjoyed outside- I am not sure how many more of those we will get, since the cold is coming. Yummy! If you are wondering about the Weekly Lunchbox, it will be posted tomorrow- I was just too excited about this dinner!










Red Lentil Soup with Spiced Oil from Celia Mason, I am unsure of the author or source

for the soup:

1 cup red lentils

2 onions, chopped

1 1/2 Tbls vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

5 garlic cloves, minced

4 tsp grated peeled fresh gingerroot

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup drained canned tomatoes

for the spiced oil:

2 Tbls vegetable oil

1/4 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cuminseed

1/4 tsp turmeric

To make the soup: In a large bowl wash the lentils in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear and drain them in a fine sieve. In a large heavy saucepan, cook the onions in the oil over medium heat, stirring, until they are softened. Add the garlic and gingerroot, and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the cumin and the ground coriander seeds and cook for 1 minute, stirring all the while.

Add the lentils, broth, 1 1/2 cups water, and the tomatoes, and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. In a blender puree the mixture in batches, transferring to a bowl, until it is all pureed and return to the clean soup pan. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the spiced oil: In a small skillet or saucepan, heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the red pepper flakes, cuminseed, and turmeric, and fry the spices, stirring, for 10 to 15 seconds, or until the sizzling begins to subside. Remove from the heat. Drizzle the spiced oil with a spoon over the soup to serve.

Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup from Good Housekeeping Magazine

1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 medium carrots, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can (14 1/2-ounce) diced tomatoes

1 can (14- to 14 1/2-ounce) vegetable broth

1 cup dried red lentils

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 6-oz bag baby spinach

In 4-quart saucepan, heat oil on medium until hot. Add carrots and onion, and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Stir in cumin; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, lentils, 2 cups water, salt, and pepper; cover and heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 8 to 10 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in spinach. Makes about 7 1/2 cups.

Bundles of Joy From Every Day with Rachael Ray August 2008
3/4 pound red potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed (I used canned Le Sueur early peas)
3/4 cup frozen carrots, thawed (I used fresh chopped carrots and cooked them along with the onion)
10 frozen phyllo sheets, thawed and covered with a moist kitchen towel
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (I used cooking spray instead)
1 cup apple butter ( I used pear butter)

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash.

2. Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet, toast the cumin and turmeric over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the oil, onion, garlic and salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the peas and carrots. Remove from the heat and stir in the mashed potatoes.

3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush 1 phyllo sheet with melted butter. Top with another phyllo sheet; brush lightly with butter. Cut lengthwise into five 2 1/2-inch-wide strips. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the vegetable mixture at the end of each strip. Working with 1 strip at a time, fold the corner over the filling to enclose, forming a triangle; continue folding the strip like a flag, keeping the triangle shape. Place the resulting bundles seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets and filling. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, stir the apple butter with 3/4 cup water. Serve warm or at room temperature with the bundles.

Ginger Cardamom Pear Butter from Cooking Light

4 cups coarsely chopped peeled Bartlett pear (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place pears in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Combine pear puree, sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium sauté pan over medium heat; bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook 3 hours or until mixture is thick.

Barefoot Bloggers- Wild Mushroom Soup and Red Lentil and Portobello Wraps with Feta and Tomatillo Salsa

This week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe was chosen by Chelle of Brown-eyed Baker
Check out her blog for the recipe or click HERE for the original, creamy recipe.

I hate mushrooms. There, I said it. They are the one food that I do not like. I will eat them mixed in with other foods, but when they are the star of the show, hmmm, I seriously have a hard time.
But, I wanted to be a good sport, so I thought to myself, I will make this soup and surely someone will like it. I will pair it with something I know I will like on the side and it will be fine. I was shocked to find Portobello, Crimini, and Shitake mushrooms all at my grocery store. I had my half and half and milk ready to go.
But, when I saw the part about straining out the carrots, stems and onion, I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to waste those yummy vegetables.
So then I saw the stick of butter to cook the leeks in- nope, couldn't do it. If I am going to use a stick of butter and a cup of cream, I better be looking some sort of dessert in the face.
That is when this simply became Wild Mushroom soup- broth based. Maybe this one turned out to be a little more Mary Ann, and a little less Barefoot Contessa. Sorry, really I am.
Forgive me my fellow Barefoot bloggers, please. I ate a bowl of it, and it wasn't half bad. I got the mushrooms down and saved my calories for something later this week.

Now, on to the wraps. Absolutely fabulous. I love red lentils, so I was excited about these and they were wonderful. The salsa alone was great. That is how I like mushrooms, mixed into the filling, so you can't really tell. But, hey I attempted it and didn't just give up after seeing the title of the recipe. That has got to count for something!

Wild Mushroom Soup heavily aapted from the Barefoot Contessa
5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms

5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms

5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 carrot, chopped
1 sprig fresh oregano plus 1 teaspoon minced oregano leaves, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped
2 cups vegetable stock

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
To make the stock, heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat 1 Tbls olive oil and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown, adding water if necessary to keep from burning. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender.
Add the vegetable stock and transfer leek/mushroom mixture to the mushroom stock pot.
Bring back to a boil and then simmer until ready to serve. Serve with fresh oregano leaves

Red Lentil and Portobello Wraps with Feta and Tomatillo Salsa adapted from Fitness Magazine
Salsa:
1/4 habanero pepper, stemmed and minced
1/2 scallion, chopped
1 onion, chopped
6 tomatillos, chopped
1 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup cooked, cubed zucchini
1/2 cup toasted fresh corn
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Wraps:
1 Tbls olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup diced red potatoes
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup red lentils
3 cups fresh spinach
2 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed
whole wheat or multigrain tortillas
cilantro and radishes, for garnish

Place first 8 salsa ingredients in a food processor and pulse until chunky. Add remaining salsa ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 Tbls oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Saute the onion for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes, adding a little bit of vegetable stock to keep from getting too brown. Add lentils and rest of vegetable stock. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, oregano, and chili powder. Add feta.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spoon 2-3 Tbls lentil mixture (you might have to do this with a slotted spoon, if too juicy) in the middle of a tortilla. Fold sides into middle and then other sides. Place seam down on a cooking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Spray wraps with cooking spray and cook for 20 minutes, until crispy. Serve with salsa. Garnish with cilantro and radishes.