Potato Salad

Potato Salad is a staple at any cookout. Every year I try different potato salad recipe that I find online. And this year, during our 4th of July celebration I tried this very easy and tasty recipe I saw at Food Kraft's website. It complimented my grilled back ribs and chicken bbq very well. It's also my first time to use celery seeds and I must admit it made this dish really refreshing.

POTATO SALAD

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 cups cubed potatoes, cooked
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/3 cup dill pickle relish

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients, mix lightly
3. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.

Yield - 8 servings

Tri-Color Ruffles Salad

Here's a very easy macaroni salad recipe that you can make for dinner. You can use any pasta available in your pantry like elbow macaroni. I used tri-color ruffles pasta just to add more color to the dish and for presentation.

TRI-COLOR RUFFLES SALAD

INGREDIENTS
1 package Tri-Color Ruffles noodles
3 Roma tomatoes, remove seeds
1 small red onion
1/4 cup sweet relish
1 cup chopped black olives
6 hard boiled eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil pasta until soft, drain, rinse and let cool in refrigerator, while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Dice tomatoes; cut onions finely; and cube eggs. Mix together all ingredients. It is best if made the day before.

HOW TO HARD-BOIL EGGS:
1. Place the eggs gently in a pot and cover with tap water completely with about 1 inch of water over them.
2. Add enough salt to make it easier to peel later.
3. Bring the water to a boiling point on high heat. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat; don't remove the lid; leave the eggs in hot water and start the timer for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes, remove the eggs from hot water and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

KITCHEN TIP #8
Don't let the eggs linger in hot water for a long time,
otherwise the yoke will turn slight greenish color and will smell like sulfur.

Cucumber, Asian Pear, and Watermelon Salad with Ricotta Salata

As the name of the recipe implies, it calls for Ricotta salata, a crumbly, salty cheese, but I substituted feta cheese instead. This salad is a welcome treat to the usual mixed green salad that I always prepare. I got this recipe from my Cooking Light magazine subscription.

CUCUMBER, ASIAN PEAR & WATERMELON SALAD
with RICOTTA SALATA

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled seedless cucumber
2 cups (1-inch) cubed seedless watermelon
2 cups halved red grapes
3/4 cup peeled, cubed Asian pear (about 1 pear)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled ricotta salata cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Combine sour cream, honey, rind, juice, and pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Pour sour cream mixture over fruit mixture; toss well to coat.
4. Sprinkle with cheese.

YIELD:
Makes 8 servings.

Cheddar Broccoli Salad

This is a recipe I got from a girlfriend. I normally eat broccoli steamed or stir-fried or as an appetizer in a fresh veggie platter. Here's another way of eating it - just raw in a salad. The original recipe calls for 12 strips of crisp bacon crumbled on top but I replaced it with almond sliver and dried sweet cranberry for a healthier twist.

INGREDIENTS:
6 Cups fresh broccoli florets
1 ½ cups (6oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
¾ cup sugar 3 tbsp red wine vinegar or cider
2 tbsp roasted almond sliver
2 tbsp dried sweet cranberry

PROCEDURE:
1. In a large salad bowl, combine broccoli, cheese & onion.
2. In a separate bowl mix together the mayonnaise, sugar & vinegar. Pour over broccoli mixture & toss to coat.
3. Refrigerate for at least 4 hrs.
4. Just before serving, stir in dried cranberry and almonds.

Grilled Salmon Salad

Last night we had a very light dinner of grilled salmon salad. I usually partner the salmon with steamed veggies and mashed potato, but for a change we just mixed it with greens.

GRILLED SALMON SALAD



INGREDIENTS
Grilled Salmon
2 hearts of Romaine
Artichoke hearts marinated in oil
Kalamata Olives
Raddish

MARINADE OF SALMON
Lemon juice
Lite Soy Sauce
Garlic Powder with Parsley
Ginger Powder
Ground White Pepper

PROCEDURE:
1. Mix the marinade ingredients together, I just eyeball them depending on the amount of the salmon. Marinate the salmon for an hour and grill 2 minutes on each side. Cube.
2. Drain the artichoke and kalamata olives and slice the raddishes.
3. On a bed of lettuce, put all the ingredients and serve with your choice of dressing. My husband prefers Italian dressing while I normally use Thousand Island Dressing.

Anytime Chicken

I prefer chicken over other meats and I stock up my freezer with it. I get a pack of 6 individually wrapped portions of boneless thighs or breasts from Costco which costs from $12 to $16 a pack depending on weight. It's very economical to buy in huge quantity and just freeze them away for use anytime.

Chicken is a very versatile meat and I can concoct a variety of quick and easy dishes out of it. Few nights back I made Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce. I got this recipe from Food Network by one of my fave chefs Tyler Florence. Its very simple, very easy and all ingredients are the usual things I normally have in my pantry and fridge. I just injected a few twist to make my life easier - like instead of grilling it I just broiled it (after brushing with canola oil) in the oven on high for 10 minutes on each side or until done. I also used a store bought peanut sauce for more convenience, but you can make your own if you have more time to spare.

CHICKEN SATAY WITH PEANUT SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into strips (Tyler used breasts)

20 wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes

Vegetable oil, for grilling

Peanut Sauce:
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons red chili paste, such as sambal
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 limes, juiced

PROCEDURE:

1. Combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in a shallow mixing bowl, stir to combine.
2. Place the chicken strips in the yogurt marinade and gently toss until well coated. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at up to 2 hours.
3. Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers working the skewer in and out of the meat, down the middle of the piece, so that it stays in place during grilling.
4. Place a grill pan over medium heat and brush it with oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Grill the chicken satays for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until nicely seared and cooked through.

= = = = =

The morning after I cut the leftover chicken into strips and put it in my husband's salad to take to work.

SPINACH SALAD WITH LEFTOVER CHICKEN SATAY

INGREDIENTS:
Baby Spinach
Romaine Lettuce
Radish
Feta Cheese
Toasted Almonds
Italian dressing on the side

Easy Salad For Lunch

We eat out a lot on weekends, so during the week I try my best to prepare healthy dishes to offset the fatty intake of the past weekend. My husband usually takes sandwiches and salad, or fresh fruits, yogurt and cottage cheese to work. I make his lunch time exciting by coming up with different twist on the salad.

Spinach and Romaine Lettuce Salad
with Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts

INGREDIENTS
A handful of baby spinach
Half heart of Romaine lettuce, cut in ribbons
1 ripe vine tomato, slice in wedges
3 to 4 hearts of artichoke from the can, sliced
Toasted almonds

Pesto Dressing
Mix one is to one of store bought Basil pesto and red wine vinegar

PROCEDURE:
1. Mix all the ingredients and drizzle with the dressing

Tomatoes and Mozzarella Salad

I used to have herb garden in pots and and my most favorite that I always use is Basil. I always harvest Basil to include in my pasta and salad dishes. Now that warm and sunny weather is here once again, its about time to plant some herbs again. I have a very easy recipe of salad here that you will surely enjoy in the warm weather.

TOMATOES & MOZZARELLA SALAD (CAPRESE)

INGREDIENTS
2 to 3 ripe vine tomatoes
2 balls fresh mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
juice of one lemon (optional)

PROCEDURE:
1. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella about the same size
2. Drizzle with olive oil
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. For a twist - Mix lemon and oil with salt and pepper to make a vinaigrette
5. Pour on the tomatoes