Royal Potato Salad

My current favorite cookbook is Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.  His collection of recipes, some of which are from his New Vegetarian column in The Guardian, are all amazingly fresh and vibrant.  With heavy influences from Asia and the Middle East, all of his recipes offer an exciting combination of flavors - even meat lovers, like Cy, won't be disappointed ;)

This Royal potato salad is definitely not your typical full-of-mayo potato salad.  It bursts with flavor from all the fresh herbs like parsley, basil, and mint. It's easy to make ahead and keep in the fridge for a quick lunch, great as a side for dinner, and perfect for a nice outdoor picnic.  

ROYAL POTATO SALAD

adapted from the cookbook Plenty

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1.5lbs...Potatoes *you can use Royal, or really any kind that's preferably firm

1cup.....Petite Peas *frozen works fine here

12-15....Quail Eggs

1cup.....Basil leaves

1/2cup...Parsley leaves

1/3cup...Pine Nuts *you can replace pine nuts with any kind of nut really (almond, walnuts, etc)

1/2cup...Shredded Parmesan cheese

2............Garlic cloves, crushed

1cup......Olive oil

1/2tsp....White wine vinegar

A bunch of Mint leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

1.  Place quail eggs in a pot with plenty of water and bring to a boil.  Cook for approx. 1-2min depending on how runny or cooked you want to yolks.  Flash with cold water and peel the shell carefully.

2.  Flash boil the peas for approx. 30seconds in boiling water.  Drain and put aside.

3.  Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces and cook in a pot of boiling water for approximately 15min.  or until you can just pierce with a fork (you don't want potatoes to be too soft) T

4.  While the potatoes are cooking, make pesto with the basil, parsley, and pine nuts, parmesan, and olive oil.  Add everything in a food processor and blend until you get a runny pesto.  

5.  Carefully mix the pesto, the vinegar, the shredded mint, and peas with the potatoes in a bowl.  Then carefully fold in the quail eggs (cut in halves).  Add salt and pepper - taste to adjust.  

Cy's Broccoli Salad

We often make a big batch of Cy's favorite Broccoli Salad to have during the week.  I think this has pretty much become his trademark salad and he often makes it for potlucks and dinners.  It's simple, healthy, and makes a great lunch during the week...another one of those versatile recipes that can be altered with what you have on hand.

I've always liked broccoli, but I've tended to dismiss it as an "ordinary" vegetable.  Nothing as exciting as say an artichoke?   But did you know that Broccoli has amazing beneficial qualities for your health?  

Like other cruciferous veggies, when you chew broccoli, isothiocyanates are produced.  This byproduct can help eliminate carcinogens in your body before they can cause genetic damage.  Not only this, Broccoli also produces sulforaphane, which has been shown to help repair damage to your blood vessels caused by hypoglycemia...so important for diabetics!  I'm sorry the nerdy science major in me tends to get very excited over information like this...if you want to read more, check out this article.

It's best not to overcook broccoli and lose it's amazing nutritional value, so this salad is the perfect way to get your dose of broccoli. 

Cy's Broccoli Salad

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Broccoli...2-3 small bunches

Grape Tomatoes....1 cup

Basil...a handful

Chopped Nuts...1/2 cup  **I used pecans, but you can use almonds, walnuts, whatever floats your boat!

Dijon Mustard...1 tsp

Honey...1 tbsp

Olive Oil...1/4 cup

White Wine Vinegar...4 tbsp

Lemon Juice...4 tbsp

Salt & Pepper...to taste

Directions:

1.   Toast Nuts.

2.   Mix Mustard, Honey, Vinegar, and Lemon Juice.  Stream in Oil, whisking constantly. 

3.   Add Salt & Pepper to taste.  Set dressing aside.

4.   Wash and chop Broccoli (including stems) into small bite size pieces.

5.  Halve grape or cherry tomatoes.

6.  Chiffonade (fancy way of saying chop) the basil. 

7.  Toss broccoli, basil, nuts, and tomato mix into the bowl with the dressing.  Toss and let sit in the fridge for at least   30min.

Made some Pork Katsu Curry with shredded lettuce - less carbs than rice;)