Best Ever Potato Salad

OK, so I'm not a potato salad lover. Not particularly crazy about anything too heavy on the mayo. Consequently, I can't make a decent mayo based potato salad. But this has no mayonnaise in it and it is delish. I added some turkey smoked sausage to make this a one dish meal, but this is a "winner, winner chicken dinner" (minus the poultry) with or without the sausage. I found this recipe in the June 2010 issue of Cooking Light. They call it Farmers' market Potato Salad...

1 c fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 lbs fingerling potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used New Potatoes)
2 1/2 T olive oil, divided
2 T chopped fresh tarragon (substituted 2 t. dried tarragon)
2 T cider vinegar
2 T whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/2 t hot pepper sauce
3/4 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3/4 c vertically sliced red onion
3/4 c diced zucchini (optional)
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 425.

Place corn and potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Place mixture in a large bowl. Combine tarragon and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, sitrring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle potato mixture with dressing; toss gently to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and zucchini to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini mixture and tomatoes to potato mixture; toss gently to comgine. Yield: 6 servings

Calories 198; Fat 6.6 g; Fiber 3.8 g

Garam Masala Grilled Chicken and Vegetables

I've made this recipe a couple of times. It sounds like it might be spicy, however it is primarily fragrant. The recipe came from the Kansas City Star.

Makes 4 servings
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 (6-ounce) cartons low-fat plain yogurt, divided
3 teaspoons garam masala, divided
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into quarters
1 medium red onion, sliced 1/2 -inch thick
1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2 -inch thick
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 (3-ounce) whole wheat naan or pita breads
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 -inch thickness and place in zip-top bag. Combine 1 carton yogurt and 2 teaspoons garam masala; blend well and spoon over chicken. Seal bag and massage to coat chicken pieces evenly. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Place vegetables in a zip-top bag; drizzle with oil, seal and shake to coat evenly. Sprinkle vegetables with 1/2 teaspoon garam masala; seal and shake to coat evenly.

Stir remaining garam masala into remaining yogurt; cover and refrigerate.

Spray grill grate with nonstick spray coating. Preheat grill to medium-high or allow coals to burn to white ash. Remove chicken from yogurt marinade; discard any remaining marinade. Place chicken and vegetables on grill. Grill over direct heat in a covered grill 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked, no longer pink inside and a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees and vegetables are tender, turning midway through to cook evenly. Remove chicken and vegetables to platter as they are done, cover and keep warm.

Spray both sides of naan with nonstick spray coating. Grill about 30 to 60 seconds per side, or until bread is warm.

Slice chicken breasts into thin strips about 2 inches long. Slice peppers into thin, vertical strips and slice zucchini in half and then into thin strips. Halve onion slices and separate into rings. For each serving place one slice warm naan on each plate. Dollop about 1 tablespoon reserved yogurt mixture on top of each bread. Top evenly with slices of chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and minced cilantro. Pass remaining yogurt mixture to dollop on top, as desired.

Per serving (about 3 ounces cooked chicken, 1 piece (3-ounce) naan and about 2/3 cup grilled vegetables per serving): 456 calories (12 percent from fat), 6 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 71 milligrams cholesterol, 60 grams carbohydrates, 42 grams protein, 339 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber.

Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/04/27/1904903/eating-for-life-garam-masala-grilled.html#ixzz0nXOZu7PY

Macaroni & Cheese with Tomatoes & Herbes de Provence

This sounds like a fantastic mac and cheese recipe. I found this one from Hungry Cravings http://www.hungrycravings.com/.
View the original post from Hungry Cravings

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing the baking dishes
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1 ounce grated Parmegiano-Reggiano
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 quart milk
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/8 teaspoon piment d'Espelette
12 ounces shredded medium cheddar
4 ounces shredded provolone
Kosher salt
1 pound short tubular pasta, such as macaroni, penne, or rigatoni
12 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter 6 individual baking dishes. Toss together the breadcrumbs and oil in a medium bowl, making sure that the breadcrumbs are evenly coated. Stir in the Herbes de Provence and Parmegiano.

Heat the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until it melts, bubbles, and the foam subsides. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it begins to smell toasty. Whisk in the milk, garlic, and piment d'Espelette. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until thick. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheddar and provolone, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the package directions. Drain the pasta when it is al dente. Immediately add the pasta to the cheese sauce and toss to combine. Divide among the baking dishes. Divide the tomatoes among the baking dishes, arranging them evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle evenly with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange the baking dishes on a baking tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. If the breadcrumb topping is still pale, broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Serves 6. The piment d'Espelette, a Basque chile powder, may be replaced with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Don’t bake the mac and cheese too long—overcooked cheese sauce becomes grainy. May be prepared a day or two in advance and kept covered with aluminum foil in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and bake just before serving.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

So, my first attempt with pita bread was less than successful. They were soft and tasted ok, but the color definitely left something to be desired. Here's a recipe using whole wheat that I'd like to try soon from Annie's Eats
http://annies-eats.com/

2¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. honey
1¼ cups warm water (105˚-115˚ F), divided
1½ cups bread flour, divided
1½ cups whole wheat flour, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer*, combine the yeast, honey and ½ cup of the water. Stir gently to blend. Whisk ¼ cup of the bread flour and ¼ cup of the whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the mixer stand, fitted with the dough hook. Add in the remaining ¾ cup of warm water, 1¼ cups bread flour, 1¼ cups whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise in a warm draft-free place, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Place an oven rack in the middle position. Place a baking stone in the oven (if using) and preheat to 500˚ F.

Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten one ball at a time into a disk, then stretch out into a 6½-7 inch circle. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet or other work surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Once all the rounds have been shaped, loosely cover with clean kitchen towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.

Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, onto the baking surface. (Note: These can be baked on a baking stone or directly on the oven racks. I use a pizza stone, but either method is fine.) Bake 2 minutes, until puffed and pale golden. Gently flip the pitas over using tongs and bake 1 minute more. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining pitas. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*As always, anything mixed in a stand mixer can be mixed by hand.

Greek Salad

Serves 6

1 cucumber, seeded, and cubed
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions

Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Spicy Chicken Shawarma

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
5 tablespoons plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
4 (6-inch) pitas, halved
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup prechopped red onion

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon juice, and 2 garlic cloves. Add chicken; toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring frequently.

While chicken cooks, combine remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons tahini mixture inside each pita half; divide chicken evenly among pita halves. Fill each pita half with 1 tablespoon cucumber, 1 tablespoon tomato, and 1 1/2 teaspoons onion.

When is a "Ken" Burger not a Burger

When it's Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork.

So, Ken (or Jerry - whichever you know him by) received this interesting box as we were leaving HK. Apparently he was known for eating McDonalds hamburgers. It's actually a little Bento lunch box. Check it out...

But the best thing is the paper container has a recipe for Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork printed inside the lid. The McDonalds style container was custom made for Ken. It seems his favorite lunch shifted from the hamburgers to the S&S Pork after a few trips to the Leo factory. He was such a fan that they always made sure it was on the lunch menu when he was in town.

So, here's to finally having all of the boxes unpacked from a move that happened 18 months ago. Cheers!

Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork

For the batter:
3/4 c flour
3/4 c cornstarch
1 1/2 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c cold water
1 1/2 t peanut oil

For the sauce:
3/4 c white vinegar
1/2 t salt
6 T tomato sauce
1 T dark or mushroom soy sauce
3/4 c sugar
1 T cornstarch

oil for deep-frying
3/4 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 T flour
2 t minced garlic
4 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 c bamboo shoots, cut into 3/4 by 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer, to about 350 to 375 degrees. While wok and oil are heating up, dust pork loin cubes with the flour, shaking off excess. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the four-coated pork pieces into the batter (stir briefly once again before you begin) and fry in the hot oil. The important thing is not to crowd the wok, so your pieces fry up nicely and don't stew. Turn them a few times until they're evently golden in color, cooking them for a total of 8 minutes or so. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain using a Chinese wire-mesh skimmer or other strainer. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest of the pork. Repeat until everything has been fried. Return all pork pieces into the hot oil and fry breifly, about 3 minutes, until everything is a nice golden brown. Strain again and keep warm in the oven.

Discard the oil in the wok except for a tablespoon. Working over high heat, add minced garlic and scallions, stir-frying for about 30 seconds. Add bamboo shoots and red pepper and continue to stir fry for a minut or so. Give the sauce mixture a quick stir and add to the peppers, bringing to a boil and stirring until thickened. Remove from heat. Transfer pork to serving platter and pour peppers and sauch over the pork. Serve hot with rice.