Chef Monsta: I cook, therefore I blog » Sides

French Potato Salad

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:43:17 +0000

I feel like I have already been to at least a dozen barbecues this summer. While I am not complaining, (the opportunity to eat meat on a grill never leaves me dissatisfied) I have noticed some patterns. Coleslaw, macaroni salad, and potato salad keep showing up on my plate- all drenched in mayo. Here’s a version of a lighter non-mayo-ed potato salad with mustard vinaigrette, eggs and haricot vert.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling potatoes
4 eggs, hardboiled and halved
1/2 lb haricot vert
salt and pepper
water, for boiling

Vinaigrette:
2 anchovies
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Bring water to a boil; add potatoes. In another pot, hard boil 4 eggs.

Cook green beans for 5 minutes in boiled water. Rinse in ice-cold water.

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in food processor. Puree until smooth.

When potatoes cool down, mix with green beans and toss in dressing and hard boiled egg.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Bring this to a barbecue and impress your friends!

Sundried Tomato and Feta Hummus

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:04:09 +0000

This is a little twist on hummus, which I eat almost daily and never get sick of! But it is always good to mix it up. Five ingredients needed, and takes 2 minutes to puree in the food processor or blender.

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (rinsed)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
5 sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 c olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse sun-dried tomatoes, then chickpeas, then feta and liquids in a food processor. Blend on high until smooth.

Pretty good. Pretty, pretty good. <—funny stuff.

Kalamata Olive Tapenade

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:51:49 +0000

This tasty recipe for olive tapenade is vegetarian and vegan! You can sub in artichokes, mushroom, or sun-dried tomatoes, if olives ain’t yo thang.

1/2 lb pitted kalamata olives
1/2 lb pitted green olives
4 tablespoons capers
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 anchovies
1 sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
pepper

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper, to taste (not much salt is needed because olives are salty!). Serve on slices of toasted baguette.

Sweet Eggplant Salad

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:36:16 +0000

Japanese eggplant with miso is one of my favorite things to eat and I wonder: What other flavors could I add to sweeten this delicious vegetable? Adding honey, pomegranate seeds, mirin, and chopped mint was my rationale, and here was the result…

Sautee cubed eggplant in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Add honey, pomegranate seeds, mirin, and chopped mint.

Sautee on low flame for 20 minutes. Serve it at room temp or chilled. I’m sorry I don’t have a prettier picture to show you! I just wanted to get down to the business (eating).

Pigs in Blankets

admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:12:03 +0000

Since I was buying pyllo dough for my burekas, I thought it would be fun to use it in another way. Yes, pigs in blankets are not “original” but they are delish and a bonafide crowd pleaser. I simply spread jalapeno mustard on the phyllo before rolling the hotdogs in them. I baked em for 30 minutes on 400 degrees, and sliced them up cutely. Yum.