my favorite potato salad

 I love the word "salad"; it can cover a multitude of sins. Especially in the South, where salads usually involve something creamy--mayonnaise, cream cheese, even cool whip--they are often much less healthy than they sound. I won't say I'm above such mayo-laden delicacies as grape or broccoli salad, but sometimes I want something a little more complex and a little less heart-stopping. Earlier this summer my mom asked me to make some potato salad for dinner at the beach, and based on a recipe I liked and what we had in the fridge, I came up with the recipe below. It's creamy, yes, and I don't know that I would call it health food, but it's more than potatoes+mayo+celery, and it is absolutely delicious warm or cold.

my favorite potato salad
adapted from food52
serves 4-6

ingredients:
10 or so medium red-skinned potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut in half
Olive oil and kosher salt, for roasting
1/2 c Greek yogurt
1/4 c mayo
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion or 1/4 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
A few shakes Tabasco
1/2 tsp Creole seasoning

instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Toss potatoes with olive oil and kosher salt, and roast until cooked through and golden brown on the bottom (40-45 minutes). Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl to make the dressing. When potatoes are done and you're ready to serve the salad, cut them into bite-sized pieces and toss with the dressing. Don't do this until you're ready to serve the salad (warm or cold is fine), since the potatoes soak up the dressing pretty quickly.

P.S. - I made a much larger batch of this for a meal we served this week at The Nashville Food Project, alongside pulled pork, maque choux, and banana blueberry cake. It's not up yet, but in the next few days they will have the recipe for maque choux on their website feature Cook for a Crowd. Check it out!

a unique rice salad

 The idea of making a rice salad had never occurred to me until I read this post on America's Test Kitchen's new website. For some reason I disassociate rice from other grains, so while a barley or quinoa salad recipe wouldn't seem odd to me, rice salad did. Anyone else feel that way? No? Just me?

Regardless, I'm glad I came across the post, because the slightly adjusted version of the salad I made was absolutely delicious, and perfect for summer. The combination of flavors--sweet mango and coconut, cool mint, and sour lime--was refreshing and completely different from anything I've had before. I liked the whole thing so much that I made it again for a group of friends two days later.

I mostly stuck to ATK's recipe but substituted brown rice for white, added fresh mango, and adjusted the amounts of a few ingredients. I also omitted the shrimp and served mine with seared tuna. (Okay, so maybe I changed it a lot.) This version is perfect for a summer picnic or cookout, or if you just want to try something a little different. You won't be disappointed.

a unique rice salad
adapted from America's Test Kitchen
4 main-course servings or 8 side dish servings
per large serving:  380.4 cal, 18.2g fat, 48.9g carb, 8.1g fiber, 7.2g protein, 10+ weight watchers

ingredients:
1/2 c mango chutney
1/4 c fresh mango, mashed
2 tbsp lime juice, about one lime's worth
1/4 c olive or grapeseed oil
2 c cooked and cooled brown rice (I recommend this method of cooking
   brown rice--it turns out perfect every time!)
2 c fresh or frozen green peas (thawed if frozen)
4 scallions, minced
1/3 c chopped fresh mint
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c toasted coconut

instructions:
Whisk together mango chutney, fresh mango, lime juice, and oil to make dressing. Toss with rice, peas, scallions, and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top with toasted coconut.

an unseasonable salad

There was a time back in the dead of winter (which in Charleston translates to temperatures consistently in the fifties) when I ate brussels sprouts at least three times a week. I roasted them, sauteed them, put them on pizzas and in omelets. To my surprise I liked them raw as well as cooked, and a salad I found on food52 became a regular menu item for me. I talked about this salad A LOT, as anyone who spent more than 10 minutes with me during that period can attest.

But the bounty of spring and summer made me forget about the miniature cabbages that had served me so well in January and February. I moved on to salads of baby lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, and sweet corn. Brussels sprouts left my life as suddenly as they had appeared.

Then, this Sunday I saw a tiny basket of them at The Vegetable Bin, my favorite source for produce in Charleston. I took all of them. I made my winter salad again. I'm not ashamed to say I licked the bowl.

brussels sprouts salad
adapted from food52
4 small servings, or 2 large
per large serving:  238.5 cal, 16.3g fat, 21.1g carb, 4.1g fiber, 6.2g protein, 7+ weight watchers

This is a very flexible recipe. You can use whatever cheese you want, or omit it altogether for a vegan version. I've replaced the cheese with nutritional yeast with some success. The salad could also easily be turned into a light main dish by adding some protein; chickpeas work perfectly.

ingredients:
1/4 lb brussels sprouts (about 12 large),
   trimmed and sliced thinly
2 ribs celery, diced
2 c arugula, chopped
1/4 c dried cranberries
1/4 c crumbled feta
2 tbsp chopped toasted walnuts
juice of half a lemon (about 1 tbsp)
2 tsp oil of your choice (I used
   grapeseed)
salt and crushed red pepper, to taste

instructions:
It's a salad. Toss all ingredients together and serve!