THE LOVELY CRAZY

I know what you are thinking, you are thinking “It’s Memorial Day weekend. Unofficial start of summer. Lots of BBQ’s now I have to make a potato salad!” (it’s a law right?) and “I want a pickle, dill to be specific”. Ok, maybe you weren’t thinking that, but I was. (I often think about pickles…)

Pickles. And potato salad. It only made sense to make a pickled potato salad. So make it I did. And oh boy oh boy, there is nothing better then a rich and creamy salad consisting of potatoes other then a rich and creamy and pickle tart salad of potatoes. I hit the nail right on the head with this one. The mr and I ate the entire salad all to ourselves and way to fast. Now it is gone and I didn’t get a chance to share with anyone. But it’s ok, cause this is definitely going into the summertime potato salad rotation.

Now you are thinking “creamy dill pickle potato salad.. this girl is a genius!” and to that, I say yes. I would have to agree with you on that. (hehe)

And to all who may not be a pickle fan, or need to make 2 potato salads, (it is always good to have a variety of potato dishes at any BBQ ) try this guacamole potato salad, another favorite.

The stuff. Potatoes of course and half a sweet onion, a cup or so of navy beans in the aquafaba ( bean water), left over pickle juice, fresh dill, dried dill, garlic, olive oil ,salt and a pepper. 

Yes there is a lemon pictured, but I was actually using that to squeeze into my water so yeah, not needed in the potato salad but you should grab a lemon and a big tall glass of water and drink it. Keep yourself hydrated.

Get the potatoes going. Chop them up into small piece and place into a big pot. Cover with cold water and add in a good bit of salt. Stick the pot on the stove and boil those taters.

While potatoes are boiling, strain the aquafaba (bean water) from the beans.

And chop the onion into little pieces and stick into a big bowl along with the strained (and now rinsed) beans.  Pour in half the pickle juice and give it a good toss then set aside and let the pickle juice do it’s thing.

Now it’s the sauce time. Blend up aquafaba, garlic,  dried dill, a little pickle juice and pinch of salt. As your blending, pour in olive oil until the sauce becomes rich and creamy dill sauce (vegan mayo my friends)

The potatoes are boiled until fork tender and drained..

Toss the strained potatoes back into the pot and add in the bean/ onion mix and the rest of the pickle juice. Give it all a good toss and stick the pot into the fridge for about an hour until the potatoes are cool.

And now we assemble. The cooled off pickle juice infused potatoes, beans, and onions are stuck into a bowl (or just leave in the pot if you want) and slathered with the creamy dill sauce and mixed with as much fresh dill as you want and lots of freshly cracked pepper

And a pickle. If you have one, I highly, HIGHLY, recommend chopping one up and adding it… I mean it is a pickled potato salad after all.

So now you have a great,  fantastic, knock your socks off, salad to make for any of your weekend BBQ needs.

Your welcome.

Now have a great, extra long weekend!

-C

Serve 4-6

  • 5-6 red potatoes
  • 1 cup pickle juice (use a good pickle juice that you like the taste of)
  • A small sweet yellow onion (or half a big one)
  • 1 cup navy beans
  • 3-4 tablespoons aquafaba (bean water)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon dried dill
  • a handful of fresh dill
  • salt and pepper
  • pickles (optional)

Chop up the potatoes into mouth little chunks ans place into a pot . Rinse them and them cover about with about an extra inch of cold water, Ad d in a a good sprnkle of salt (like a tablespoon) and stick on the stove. Bring the pot to a rapid boil then turn heat down a bit to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.

While potatoes are boils, strain you beans away from the aquafaba, and keeping about 3-4 tablespoons of the liquid. Rinse the beans and place into a big bowl. Chop the onion into little pieces and add that in with the beans and about 1/2 of the pickle juice. Set aside

Now grab the strained bean juice, about a tablespoon of pickle juice, the garlic, and the dried dill,  Either with a hand blender or regular blender, start blending all that together while slowly pouring in olive oil (about 1/2 a cup ) until the sauce is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in fridge to hang until you need it.

And once the potatoes are cooked, strain them then add them back to the pot along with the bean/onion mixture and the rest of the pickle juice. Toss around to coat evenly and place into the fridge to cool. After about a half hour its a good idea to give it a toss to make sure the juice is getting to all the potatoes.

Once potatoes are cooled, dump into a serving bowl. (or just keep in pot) It’s ok if there is a little remaining liquid.. it will get sucked up by the potatoes. Get the sauce from the fridge and pour it and toss it around to evenly coat all those yummy potatoes. Chop up fresh dill and toss that in too (as much fresh dill as you like.. more is better!) And lately, if you have a spare pickle or two, chop it up and add it on in (or place in a bowl on the side for people add in themselves)

I added the pickle. You should add the pickle. It is so good with the pickle

Like any potato salad, serve with your favorite foods and keep in the fridge when not being eaten.

Tuesday tater tot time!

Sometimes you just want a tater tot. So what are you to do about it? Well I fought off the feeling for far too long (why? I do not know) and finally gave in got my shit together, got some potatoes, and made the tots. And then I was happy.

What was taking me so long?  Tater tots are freaking good.

These are nothing like those tots that were served in the lunch room cafeteria that we all know and loved. No these are sooooo much better, and probably (definitely ) way way healthier too cause they are baked, not fried. And to make’em even better, after making the tater tot tower you’re ready to eat, you can eat them up with whatever dippy type thing you can think of. Sure you could go with straight up ketchup (me, not a fan) or you could go nuts and make a big bowl of guacamole, grab the mustard and the hot sauce, and do that. Tater tots go so well with all sorts of stuff. (I was even thinking peanut butter but stopped myself for the time being)

. Next time I make them, I am so going to make a tater tot castle!

Tots away!

The stuff. Potatoes (duh), an onion, garlic powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

First thing to do is boil the potatoes…just a bit. Cut each potato into 4 wedges and stick into a big pot full of cold water, salted water. Stick pot on the stove ans bring to a boil, then turn heat down a little and continue to cook the potatoes until they are just barely for tender. Strain from the water and set aside to cool.

Once the potatoes have cooled off enough where you can handle them, grab a grate and grate them all up, along with the onion. ME, trying to use the least amount of dishes possible, I just grated it all onto the baking sheet that I was using to bake the tots off…. Worked like a charm. And once your taters and onion are grated, sprinkle in the garlic powder, a good amount of salt ans pepper ans drizzle it all with a little bit of olive oil. Mix it all around (I used my hands but a fork would work) and if you are using the baking sheet , just push the mound to one side.

And start forming the taters into tots…. Just grab a handful and squeeze it together into a tot shape.

Note. Have a dish towel close by to wipe your hands when they get to starchy… the tots stick together better when made with dry hands.

Tots ready for the oven. Bakes for 30-35 minutes at 400.. Flip after about 20 minutes.

Golden brown, all crispy an tot like. Ready for your eating pleasure.

Plate them up, serve with your favorite condiments (try guacamole , mustard and hot sauce) and eat them. Eat them all.

-C

serves 3

  • 2 big russet potatoes
  • 1 sweet yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon or so garlic powder
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters and place into a pot of cold, salted water, making sure the potatoes are completely submerged.  Bring the potatoes to a boil then turn heat to medium and keep boiling until the potatoes are just barely fork tender., like 8-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool.

Preheat oven to 400

Once cooled, grate the potato, along with the onion into a bowl or onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, add a good amount of salt ans pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss around until its evenly coated then start forming the mixture into tots. Place the tots on a baking sheet and once all the tots are formed ans ready to go, stick into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, remove, flip them over, then continue to bake for another 10-15 until they are all nice and golden brown.

Remove from oven, grab your favorite condiments and eat right away.

Yesterday was kind of a shit show as far as the weather was concerned.  I woke up early to a lovely light blanket of snow, the temperature hovering around 32 degrees. The air was nice and crisp, the sky was a light grayish blue. The neighborhood was quite. I walked the pup and then took off for the morning. It was so nice.

How that changed fast. Walking home a few hours later I was a hot , drenched, cold and damp mess. All that snow turned into slush and gigantic puddles and it was raining a good steady soaking rain. And I had to walk my butt home. So that was great.

But you know what these weather make me think of… Spring!!!! Yes, warmer, slushy, mushy weather. Mud all over the house and a wet smelly dog All the things that should not be happening right now but are. And now I have the springtime feels hard.

With things all springy, I was thinking of spring veggies and just wanting something bright and pretty and tasty. Peas! Peas are a good spring veggie, and where there is peas, there carrots. (or should be)  But not plain, run of the mill peas and carrots. First off I got the prettiest colorful purple, white, and orange carrots because I needed some color. Right there that made me super happy, Then instead of just steaming them with some peas, I did roast those carrots to bring out all the sweet juicy flavors. Then those pea. Not really in season yet, so I went with frozen (I love frozen peas)  and made the brightest, most amazing creamy pea sauce infused with garlic lemon, and dill. (all spring time flavors)

The results… I love roasted carrots so no surprise there but the creamy peas…KA-POW amazing!!!! My mouth has never been so happy to eat peas. and it really loves peas. Fresh, clean, tangy…I made, I ate, I though about them all night. And of spring and all the peas and carrots I am going to plant…and eat.

The stuff. The prettiest bright and colorful carrots and some green as can be frozen peas. Dill, garlic, and lemon to add to the peas and some olive oil, salt and pepper to roast up the carrots.

Chop up the carrots and tossed with salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil. And onto a baking sheet and into the oven to roast.

Dump those peas into a pot with water, garlic, and the dill. Stick the pot on the stove ans bring to a boil for a few minutes then remove from the heat.

You see that? It’s amazing . Its gets blended until smooth and seasoned with salt, pepper, and the juice if half a lemon.  Give it a taste but don’t eat it all. (I almost ate it all) and pour into a nice little cup or jar and wait for the carrots.

Oh roasted lovely colored carrots.. So good all on your own.

But slathered with this pea sauce…. Always and forever. I am in love.. could eat all day every day.

I wish my stomach was big enough to eat all the peas and carrots….. All!

Lots of spring thoughts… It’s going to be official soon.

Have a great day. Stay dry!

-C

serves 2-3

  • 1 lb carrots (I used a variety of colored carrots but plain old orange carrots are always fantastic too!)
  • 2 cups frozen peas
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1-2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoon dill
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

preheat oven to 450

Cut carrots into quarter and in half (can cut in any size and shape you want)  Place the carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with a wee bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss it all around. Stick the carrots into the oven to roast.

Now grab those peas and stick them into a pot with the water, the dill, and the garlic. Stick on the stove and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Either with a hand held blender or a regular blender…. blend until smooth. Add in the juice of half a lemon, season with salt and pepper, and then try not to eat it all before the carrots are roasted.

Once carrots are tender and browned and yummy looking (about 30 minutes) remove from oven and slather on the pea sauce.

Eat right away….. Make more tomorrow.

You know how some people are brussels sprouts people and some are not. I am a for sure a spouts person. 

I can even remember my first introduction to the cabbage like veggie.  It was about 15 years ago and honestly, up to that point in my life, I had never even seen, let alone eaten brussels sprouts  (Growing up, my family pretty much ate only peas, beans, and corn). So one night at my friends and the mr’s house (this was before we were dating) I stayed for dinner and there was as big bowl of steamed brussels sprouts on the table. First thing I noticed was that they kinds smelled like fart, but I wan’t exactly sure if the sprouts were the culprit (they were) Second thing I noticed was that everyone at dinner seemed to be really excited, or at least not offended by the sprouts. It was kind of weird because I had a preconceived notion that brussels sprouts were nasty and nobody actually enjoys wearing them. But up close and personal with the things, they didn’t seem so bad.  So not wanting to seem rude, plus I was pretty curious,(and hungry) I grab a few. And then I ate them (minus the mayo that everyone was dipping them in)  And then I knew. I was hooked.  Brussels sprouts for life!

Now here is the thing. Those first sprouts that I had, they came from a bag in the frozen food section a the grocery store. (I know cause my friend had made them) And not that I don’t like me some frozen veggies (I eat frozen veggies on the reg) but there is nothing like a fresh stock of brussles sprouts. Slightly sweet, leafy, tender and crisp… They don’t even need to be cooked, which, if you are not a fan of the slight aroma that comes from cooked sprouts (kinda like fart) is great cause they don’t really smell! Fresh sprouts are were it’s at.

So if you are one of the cool ones (a brussels sprouts person) this salad is for you. And if you think you don’t like them, well my suggestion is.. Try them again cause you probably will. And watch. They will probably turn into the new green superfood, so you are going to have to like them eventually anyway so you might as well get used to them now!

The stuff. Brussel Sprouts, toasted walnuts and an onion. Also have some brown mustard, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, and some salt and pepper.

Take those lovely sprouts and slice them all as thin as you can.. and do the same to the onion. Then stick it all into a bowl, sprinkle with salt and give it a toss. Set aside.

Grab a big skillet and dump in the maple, mustard and vinegar. Stick it on the stove on medium high heat, constantly mixing.

Keep mixing, and after a few minutes, the stuff has started to thicken and brown a bit… and smells so good!

Now grab the bowl of chopped sprouts and dump the contents into the skillet. Add in a splash of water just to loosen up the sauce. Give it all a good mix, making sure that everything is evenly coated. Now let skillet sit on the heat for just another minutes or two.

After a few minutes hanging in the hot skillet, remove from heat and dump the sprouts into a big bowl.

Top with the toasted walnuts, and garb yourself a fork. OR stick it in the fridge and save it for later (taste Fantasitc freshly made.. even better after a few hours.. so eat whenever. Your call)

To all the brussels spouts people out there.. WE ARE AWESOME!

TGIF!!

-C

Makes enough for 2 people as a side, or a nice lovely salad for 1

  •  1 1/2 -2 lbs  fresh brussels sprouts(removed from the stalk)
  • 1 small onion (red or white works)
  • handful of toasted walnuts (if not toasted.. sticking a dry skillet, high heat for a few minutes to toast)
  • 1/4 cup brown mustard
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2-3 tablespoon red white vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • splash of water

Rinse sprouts and remove any of the gross leaves then slice them as thinly as you can. Grab the onion and slice that as thinly as you can too. Toss into a bowl, sprinkle with a little salt, and toss everything together. 

In a large skillet, mix together the maple, mustard, and vinegar. Place on medium high heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken and brown a bit. Grab bowl of sprouts and toss them into the skillet, mixing everything together until the sprouts are all coated. Give the skillet a little splash of water. and let cook for another minutes or two, just so the sprouts are not completely raw (you can cook them longer if you like) Remove from heat and dump back into bowl. Toss on the walnuts and give it all a good stir. Serve immediately , or let it sit and serve later (tastes even better after a few hours!)

Three things… One. I have a ton of beets, but that is because I have been taking mostly beets at the farm share pickup (I am scared I will run out so I hoard them) Two.  See that roasting pan? I got it a couple weekends ago  at a barn sale for 75 cents. Isn’t it awesome! (it is so awesome) So I really wanted to roast something in it. And three. Roasting means the oven is on and it has been chilly chilly at night (LOVE IT) but I am not willing to turn the heater on in my house until at least the first  of November. Until then, we will just roast all of our food for warmth.

But really, there is no better reason then that beets are tasty and potatoes are tasty. Together, they are super duper tasty. The combination, with the lemon and rosemary giving the dish  a fresh and vibrant boast,  satisfies that person who says he doesn’t like beets (the mr, but he eats them so yeah.) and me, who would rather just eat all beets (I ate some of the potatoes)  

Yup, rosemary lemon beets and potatoes.  A simple dish that screams fall, warm comfort food, and just happens to be really pretty too. (especially served in my awesome roasting pan)

The stuff. A couple of beets and a couple of potatoes. Some fresh rosemary (can use dried), a lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil. 

Preheat the oven to 450 and chop up the potato and beets into chunks that will fit in your mouth and dump the chunks into a bowl. 

Mince up the rosemary.. unless you don’t mind eating long, kind sharp pieces

Drizzle a bit of olive oil, add in the zest of the lemon, add a good few pinches of salt and pepper and toss in the rosemary and give it a good mix.

Dump onto a baking sheet or in a roasting pan (seriously, this roasting pan is SO PRETTY) Cut the lemon in half and squeeze on half of the lemon juice on the veggies. 

And into the oven it goes. 

All roasted up and ready to go.

 Those colors.. the smell. So good!

Happy weekend people! 

-C

Serves 2-3 as a side 

  • 2-3 large beets
  • 2-3 large white or red potatoes 
  • a few sprigs of fresh rosemary( about 2 tablespoons.. can used dried, just decrease quantity a little)
  • 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil

Preheat oven to 450

Wash beets and potatoes well then dice them up into mouth sized pieces and toss into a bowl. Drizzle with  enough olive oil to coat the stuff, zest the lemon and add the zest to the bowl, and  cut lemon in half and squeeze half of the lemon juice in.  Oh, and mince up the rosemary and toss that in too. Season with salt and pepper to taste (potatoes like salt) toss it all around until everything is all coated and dump onto a baking sheet or into a roasting pan and stick into the oven for about 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy tender.

Remove, squeeze the remaining half of lemon on top and serve!

Finally, it’s safe to turn the oven back on. No more heatwave (PLEASE NO MORE!!!) Last week was such a bust of life, I still feel like I am recovering. But let’s not talk about anymore. Lets talk about this cauliflower situation that was a highlight of my week.

I have been meaning to do this for a while now. And I have attempted, I’ll have the intention, get the cauliflower and peppers,  then somehow forget that I was going to cook it and just feed it to the mr raw, or he will just start eating at it and then the head is not intact anymore (He loves raw cauliflower). And sure, you don’t need to have a whole head of cauliflower to roast it and enjoy it, but come on, doesn’t it look super badass and pretty whole? And you can slices of it like you would a cake, a really yummy veggie cake. So yeah, it should be a whole head. Anyways, besides being pretty, this thing was freaking amazing. I love cauliflower, roasted cauliflower even more. Add to it some slightly sweet and cheesy pepper sauce, holy ho…I almost ate the entire thing myself. It was everything and more how I wanted it to turn out and am now forever going eat my cauliflower exactly like this (but probably not always). And the sauce…. I am going to make giant jars of it and stick it on everything. So good.

Now lets get to it.

The stuff. A whole head of cauliflower, a couple colorful peppers, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil. 

Start with the cauliflower, Trim away any big leaves from the bottom and stick the whole head into a oven safe pot big enough to hold it.. Add in a little water and stick on the stove top on medium heat to cook for a few minutes, just to give it a little head start.

And preheat the oven

Pre roasted, slightly streamed cauliflower goes into the oven until a nice golden brown and all pretty like.

While the cauliflower is roasting, roasted the peppers too.I place mine whole onto a lightly oiled cast iron pan* and stick into the oven.

Once the peppers are starting to char and have become soft and tender, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes or long enough for you to handle them. When cooled enough, remove the stem, seeds and any of the skin that is coming off.

*Last year I used the same cast iron pan over and over to rasot peppes and never cleaned it, or bothered to oil it. By the end of the summer, there was a 1/2 inch thick layer of hard as rock caramelized pepper juice that I had to chip it away with a chisel… so yeah. be careful of pepper juice.

Toss the roasted peppers into a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a splsh of oil and s little salt and pepper.  

And taste.. and try not to eat it all right now (It is so f ing good) 

And take that sweet, so delocouis sauce and smother all over the roasted cauliflower.

If you want, stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to crust up a little bit, but not a necessary.You can call it here and go to town.

I stuck in back in the oven for a few minutes… But again, not necessary.

And now you have this giant, amazing, head of delicious cauliflower, waiting to be eaten. I recommend removing the head and sticking it on a cutting board, you know, for easier cutting, and also it looks pretty badass. 

Cut into chunks and serve right away.  

Goodness gracious was this thing so freaking good!

Have a fantastic day!

-C

  • 1 fresh head of cauliflower
  • 2 red(yellow or orange work too) peppers
  • 2 -3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (the more the cheesier)
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic
  • juice of a lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil

Take whole head of cauliflower and trim any big leaves or stem off bottom. Stick into a big oven safe pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Place a lid on pot and stick on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until water has evaporated. and cauliflower is slightly tender.

Preheat oven to 425.

After the brief cook on the stove top, remove lid, drizzle cauliflower with a tiny bit of oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stick into oven without the lid.

Now that the oven is on, toss peppers into oven, either on a baking sheet, pan, or on the rack if you have the space and cook until all roasted and soft (should take about 15 minutes). Remove when cooked and let cool off for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stem and any of the skin that want to come off and stick into a food processor. Add in the garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the head of cauliflower is cooked and browned, remove from oven and dump/ smear with the red pepper sauce. If you want, place back into oven for a few more minutes, or not. Good both ways.

Remove from pot and cut into big ass chunks. Garnish with something green and eat until you can’t eat anymore.

If by chance you have any left overs (which I highly doubt) try blending it up as soup. It is freaking fantastic!

IF you like potatoes and guacamole (probably even if you think you don’t like potatoes or guacamole) then oh boy, do I have a treat for you. 

Guacamole Potato Salad.. Only the best potatoes salad you will ever put in your mouth.  

I tried to make this a few weeks back and ended up not getting to my potatoes in time to use, so I had to put the salad on hold. But this weekend I was ready. The grill was prepped, the corn was husked, and the poatoes were boiled. Then it happened, I made the best potato salad ever. It changed the way I feel about potato salad. (I have never really been a huge fan) Sure, I love potatoes, but in the past I have experiences to many overly dressed, really heavy, and overall, some pretty crappy paotao salads. This salad, well it is the exact opposite. This salad is all summer. Bright and light, so full of flavor, but not overly heavy and gross. I mean, its potatoes covered in guacamole… How can that not be amazing. I am now a potato salad fan (for life!). 

So my suggestion for you. Have a cook out, invite your friends, grill up some veggies or whatever and make a humongous batch (you will need a humongous batch) of this potato salad. Sit back and watch (while you are eating) and see peoples faces light up with joy and happiness. You will be number one. The hostess with thte mostest. People will fall at your feet… 

or not. (But probably)

So here, take a look, and make.. Your day, week, life will be better for this.

The stuff; Potatoes, avocados, mini onions, and tomatoes. Pickled Jalapeños (with juice) garlic, and the juice from a lemon And lastly,a big bunch of cilantro, and salt. 

First things first, boil the potatoes. Stick in a pot of cold water with a palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a medium heat and stick a lid on the pot. Cook until fork pierces easily through  then strain from water and let cool. When cooled, but still slightly warm, dice them up into mouth sized pieced. Place potatoes back into pot and drizzle a few glugs of the pickled jalapeño juice over them. Place in fridge to complete cool.

While the potatoes are cooling down, mix up the quad dressing. In a large bowl, take the avoado fruit and mash and smoosh  until relatively smooth and mix in minced garlic , lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt. 

Dice up the onion, jalapeños, tomatoes and add to the mashed avocado and mix that all up…and try not to eat it all before the potatoes get in.

add in lots of chopped up cilantro

Nothing compares.. 

Have a great day and get to planning you next cookout!

Later!

-C

  • 3 lb. of potatoes of a small waxy variety (like red or new potatoes)
  • 1 1/2- 2 whole avocados
  • 2 small Roma tomatoes or q large
  • 2 mini onions with greens or 1 regular white onion
  • handful (or more) of pickled jalapeños and the juice
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • a bunch of fresh cilantro 
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • salt and pepper

Wash potatoes and stick in a big pot with cold water and a good palmful of salt.  Bring to a boil then turn heat downy to a a medium heat, stick a lid on it  and cook potatoes until a fork can pierce through.  Strain from water and let cool enough to handle. Once cooled, cut potatoes into mouth sized pieces, place back into bowl, and drizzle with a few teaspoons of pickled jalapeño juice. Stick the potatoes in the fridge and let completely cool. 

While those are getting cold, make the guacamole dressing. In a big bowl, place the avocados (pits and rind removed of course) and smash and smoosh until a smooth constancy. Add in a pinch of salt, mince the garlic and toss that in,  and add the juice of the lemon. Now dice up the garlic, onion, tomatoes and jalapenos and gentile fold it all in to the avocado mash.

Once the potatoes are cool, roughly chop the cilantro and  add  that and the potatoes into the guacamole and mix around until everthig is all coated. Top with some more cilantro.

Eat as a side, a meal, a snack, or dessert

a fork pierced nicely but a large wooden spoon works too.

Lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge.

Before we left for the weekend, I was was trying my hardest to empty the fridge out of all food with the intention of leaning it empty so I could leave it open to defrost while were were gone. Unfortunately I was not able to make it happen. What I did make happen was emptying it almost completely so that when we got home, we had pretty much no food in the house, except for a few things that probably should be eaten.  Plus one of the last things that I want to do after sitting in a car for 6 hours is go to the grocery store, or anywhere for that matter, so I was determined to make with what wet had in the fridge:

  • Carrots
  • half of a gigantic kohlrabi
  • soy milk
  • iced tea
  • bananas that needed to be frozen
  • strawberries

Perfect!  A few carrots and half of a gigantic kohlrabi.. plus at the hotel we were staying at, there were fruit bowls in he lobby full apples. Every time I went past the apples (which was a lot) I grab one or two, so I have a few apples (I actually have a lot of apples now). All the things I need for a super awesome salad slaw. Apples with their  nice sweet crispiness and kohlrabi with its cabbagey, crunchy earthiness, tossed together with some vinegar, some toasted walnuts and some carrots, I mean, so freaking good. And to make it a bit more of a meal, I made some lentils to go with it. But the best part was there was no need to leave the house!!

     The stuff… A huge hunk of a bigger then my head kohlrabi (or 2 normal bulbs). A carrot, an apple, toasted walnuts, red wine vinegar, and some salt.

Pretty simple stuff going on here. Just peel and julienne the kohlrabi, carrot and apple. (no need to peel the carrot or apple unless you want too) and stick it all into a bowl.  I used my mandolin, which is one of my favorite kitchen tools ever, but if you don’t have one, a box grater works too.Sprinkle with salt and a good glug glug of red wine vinegar. Chop up the walnuts (some big chunks and some very small pieces makes for good eating), toss it all together and, well that’s it. But wait…. let it sit for a few minutes before serving to really let the flavors draw out.And there we have it. Super fast, full of flavors and crunchy texture. A salad slaw after my own heart.

Serve it as it or add to a bed of greens, rice, or lentils… and make sure to save at least as little… cause its an awesome little pre-bed snack.

Happy Week!!

-C

Kohlrabi Apple Walnut Slaw

  • 2 medium sized Kohlrabis 
  • 1 medium apple   
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
  • red wine vinegar
  • salt

In a large bowl, julienne kohlrabi (after peeled) apple and carrot. Sprinkle with salt, add in vinegar. Rough chop walnuts and toss the whole bit together. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, if not longer before serving. (A great salad to make ahead of time)

Eat as is, or toss onto a bed of greens, plate of rice or a bowl of lentils.

Any left overs only end up tasting better the next day.