German Style Potato Salad

Ever since I can remember, my Grandpa has been making this potato salad for every family get together. Obviously, he's German. ;-) It is a hot potato salad. I've posted this recipe as Grandpa has passed it down. You might want to scale it down to serve less than a huge family gathering.

German Style Potato Salad

5lbs. potatoes
1/3lb bacon, cut up
2/3 T. flour
1 c. water
1 c. vinegar
1/2 T. salt
1 c. sugar

Boil potatoes in skins. Peel and slice into a bowl.
Pour over potatoes: sugar, onion.
Brown bacon bits. Add flour, water, vinegar and salt.
Mix together.

The longer potatoes sit in the sauce, the more flavorful the dish. It is intended to be served hot, but I think it tasts just as good cold. Enjoy!

Best Salad

This is the best salad I've ever had--I ate it at a restaurant earlier this week. I was so excited to find it on the internet and can't wait to try it at home. I love chopped salads, in general. But this is the BEST.

Morton's Chopped Salad

Dijon Vinaigrette recipe (goes with it)

Summer Salads

Here are some recent salads I've tried:

Citrus Fennel Salad

4 C thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 2 bulbs)
2 C orange sections (about 3 peeled oranges)
1 C lemon sections (about 2 peeled lemons)
1/2 C thinly sliced red onion
2 T chopped mint (fresh is best)
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 T chopped fennel fronds
1 T virgin olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/3 t fresh ground pepper (opt.)

Combine ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Chill 1 hour. Makes 6-8 servings.

Strawberry, Cucumber, & Basil Salad

4 C hulled strawberries, quartered (about 2 pints)
2 T thinly sliced fresh basil
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 t sugar
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 fresh ground black pepper (opt.)

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Combine cucumbers and juice and toss to coat. Add this and salt and pepper to strawberry mixture and stir to combine. Serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Chicken-Black Bean Salad

This is one of the few salads I've ever had in a restaurant that was tasty enough and cheap enough to make a regular staple at home. It's my favorite summer dinner and is easy enough to make even during the first trimester!

2 c. chopped cooked chicken. (If it was cooked with taco seasonings to begin with, all the better. If not, you might want to mix up extra dressing and marinate it for a few hours.)
1 head shredded leaf or Romaine lettuce
1 can black beans, drained
1-2 cups frozen corn, rinsed (you could used canned, but I like the frozen texture better.)
8 medium (Roma) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves
Any other veggies that sound good; cucumber and cauliflower would be tasty.

Dressing:
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 t. granulated garlic
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. thyme
1 t. chili powder

I like to have an equal mix of salsa and plain yogurt to serve with it, either to go on the salad or for chips. It feeds the two of us with a little bit left over, so it would probably feed four people of normal appetite.

Spring ahead with a light salad

It's getting warmer here and I thought a nice light salad might be a good recipe to post. I can't wait to try this one...

Salmon-Asparagus Salad

1 lb. fresh asparagus, diagonally cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 lb. salmon fillets
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. red pepper
6 cups mixed salad greens
3 plum tomatoes sliced
1 cub shredded carrots
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
14 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup bottled vinaigrette dressing (or homemade)

Arrange asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water; cover and steam 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle salmon with salt and peppers. Grill, covered with grill lid, over high heat 10 to 12 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes with a fork. Flake salmon into chunks and plate over mixed greens. Toss with tomatoes, carrots, goat cheese, pine nuts; drizzle with vinaigrette.

Serves 6
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min

* Option: Use pre-grilled or smoked salmon to save prep time.
* Optional Subsitute feta for goat cheese

Tortellini Salad

While rummaging through my cookbooks for an idea for what to take to our church dinner yesterday I rediscovered this recipe. It is very simple to fix. I know this is the wrong time of year to mention this, but I especially like this as a simple dinner on a hot summer day.

Tortellini Salad

1 pkg. (8 oz. usually) frozen cheese tortellini
1 cucumber, chopped
2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped
several green onions, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Italian dressing

Note: I take the veggie amounts as a guideline and sort of eyeball it until I think I have enough to balance out the pasta. You could be creative and add other veggies as well.

Cook cheese tortellini according to directions on the package. When finished cooking rinse with cold water. In separate bowl, toss veggies and dressing. Add tortellini last. Gently mix. Serve immediately or chilled.

~Alison

Two-Potato Salad

This one is easy and a nice change from greasy mayonaise-saturated potato salad.

1-1/2 lbs small red potatoes, halved
1-1/2 lbs peeled sweet potatoes or yams, cut into 1-in pieces
3 T white vinegar
3/4 C creme fraiche (or sour cream, which is what I normally use)
1/4 C chopped fresh chives (or green onions, which are much cheaper)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until tender. Drain. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar; toss gently to coat. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine creme fraiche (or sour cream) and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Add to potatoes, tossing gently to coat. Makes 6-8 servings.

Creative Salads

I learned from a friend that a salad is like a stew with uncooked foods--whatever you have goes in it. So my salads are generally different. But one of my favorite combinations is:

Mixed greens (one kind of lettuce is so-o-o-o boring)
Berries (strawberries in the summer, then raspberries, and now blueberries)
Nuts (almonds or walnuts work best) or seeds (sesame is my favorite but sunflower works)
Feta or soft goat cheese if you have it, but not necessary
A fruity viniagrette dressy--my favorite is bottled Raspberry Walnut viniagrette, but you can make your own with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.