potatoes aren't very photogenic

There has been a distinct shift in the weather. The clouds and grey skies have rolled in leaving cooler temperature in its wake. It's disappointing, but I'll manage. I spent the long weekend redesigning my portfolio and then coding it into xhtml. Cornelius and I also launched our web design business website. Not the best way to spend a long weekend, but sometimes stuff just needs to get done. Today I will have to pick up my lcd screen for my camera at the post office and then trek it over to VanCam to get it replaced. Soon, photos will be back on this blog, I promise!!

You might be getting sick of all my salad postings of late, but I can't seem to help it. Something about quick and easy seems to spell salads for me at the moment and I'm not going to fight it. Plus, I might as save all the really pretty recipes for the moment I get my camera back! Frosted and decorated technicolour cupcakes dressed to the nines in photographic glory, I promise!

The other day I had made some european weiners for dinner and this potato salad turned out to be the perfect accompaniment. Instead of the traditional, artery-clogging potato salad of the past, this is a lighter and brighter tasting salad using a small bit of yoghurt for that traditional creaminess. So good!

I should note that I did make this a few days ago and while I'm pretty certain of the ingredients used, I'm just guessing at the amounts. I think this is correct, but you should taste before you serve and make any necessary adjustments!

light n' creamy potato salad
4 large potatos, left whole with skin on
2 eggs, hardboiled
1/2 c chopped dill pickles
2 T plain yogurt
juice of half a lemon
a drop of honey
2 T dijon mustard (I used a very mild dill mustard, so I used about 3 T)
2 T olive oil
1 t dried dill
salt & pepper

1. In a large pot, boil water and add the 4 potatos. Cover. When almost done, add the 2 eggs into the water. Remove eggs after about 4-5 minutes (they must be hard boiled) and dice. Drain potatoes and dice them into 1 inch cubes or so.

2. In a large bowl, add the diced potatoes, eggs and pickles and lightly mix.

3. To prepare the dressing, mix the yogurt, honey, lemon juice, mustard, oil, dill and salt and pepper until thick.

4. Pour dressing over salad and mix lightly to combine.

The salad can be eaten at room temperature or cold.

portland, here we come!

My stomach is in a flurry of nervous excitement. I always get that way when I'm about to take flight, so to speak. This holiday long weekend I'm heading to my most favorite city ever, Portland, OR with a pitstop for sleep & breakfast in Seattle, WA. I love roadtrips!! I'm excited because we'll be visiting with my very best friend, Kyla & her sweet husband Sergio for some much needed belly-laughing, beer-drinking, game-playing, thrift-shopping and of course, eating. Fun times definitely ahead.

Road trips to the US of A usually involve foods not meant for daily (or yearly) consumption. Things like "Chicken Fried Steak" or "Biscuits N' Gravy" don't even exist on Canadian breakfast menus, so as tourists, we of course must oblige in the artery-clogging good times. All of this "local colour" requires a bit of preparation before-hand. Lots of greens and tofu and fresh vegetables are more than needed, so I've fashioned myself a lovely salad that lends itself to variation. Why have a meal that consists of a bit of protein, some vegetables on the side and a bit of salad when you can combine everything into one bowl as the real deal? Easy! This salad is great because it tastes like springtime even in the dead of winter and there's some nice contrasting textures because some of the vegetables are raw with bite and some others are steamed and yield nicely to the tooth. Perfection!

Like I said, this recipe works wonders with most vegetables. Play with what you've got on hand and personalize it with what you like best. I think some cubes of feta cheese or some avocado or steamed broccoli would taste great here. Enjoy!

easy vegetable salad
organic mixed greens
large handful of fresh dill
1 lb green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 large handful of toasted pumpkin seeds
parmesan, grated

dressing:
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 t lemon rind
1 t dijon mustard
olive oil
water
salt & pepper

1. Steam the green beans, until bright green and still crisp. Plunge into an ice bath until the cooking process has stopped and the beans are cool. Repeat process with the cauliflower.

2. In a large salad bowl, add the greens, dill, chickpeas and the cooled cauliflower and green beans. Toss until everything is well distributed.

3. Make dressing. In a measuring cup, add the lemon rind and lemon juice and add the mustard. Mix. Add an equal quantity of olive oil plus a bit (I'm not the most scientific here, but let your taste guide you) and add about 1 T or more of water. Add salt & pepper. Stir until everything is combined and slightly thickened.

4. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and the pumpkin seeds.

a successful experiment

After being at the gym, I wanted a nice healthy lunch and I wanted my favorite dressing on my salad. Alas, my fridge didn't have any Annie's Goddess Salad Dressing and I didn't feel like a bike ride in the pouring rain to the store and back for some of Annie's goodness. The website lists the ingredients being: expeller-pressed canola oil, water, tahini, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, garlic, toasted sesame seeds, parsley, chives, and xanthan gum. I don't know about the xantham gum, but I had many of the same ingredients in my own cupboard and decided to come up with my own look-a-like blend. The results were surprisingly similar and I'll definitely keep this recipe on hand for all my salad needs & wants. Tangy, fresh and I don't need a cold, wet bike ride to get the salad dressing I want! Perfect.

i'm the goddess salad dressing
4 T tahini
4 T olive oil
6 T water
juice of 1 lemon
2 T soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 t chopped fresh ginger
6 drops of toasted sesame oil
dash of salt

Mix all ingredients in blender. Blend until combined. Pour over salad.