Potato Salad

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potato-salad-recipe1.html

Ingredients:

4 pounds red potatoes
4 jumbo eggs (or 5 large eggs), hard boiled
2 1/2 cups mayonnaise (I use Wegman's brand)
4 green onions, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon yellow or dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (or black pepper)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Add red potatoes to a large stock pot. Cover potatoes with 1.5 inches of water. Generously salt the water.
Bring to a boil. Simmer the potatoes (whole) until they can be pierced through easily with a knife - about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

While potatoes are boiling, make the hard boiled eggs. Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with 1.5 inches of water. Bring to a boil - as soon as the water comes to a boil, take the pan off the heat and cover it. Let cook for 12 minutes (14 if using jumbo eggs) and then drain and place the eggs in an ice bath.

Chop the potatoes into chunks (you can optionally peel them first). Peel the eggs and chop them.

Add the potatoes, eggs, mayo, green onion, celery, mustard, pepper and salt to a large bowl (I used my 4 quart large pyrex bowl and even there it was difficult to stir). Stir until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Spinach and Potato Curry

Recipe from:

http://www.coffeeandcrumpets.com/spinach-and-potato-curry-palak-aloo/

INGREDIENTS:

1lb/16oz/455g fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped ( I used 12 oz baby spinach because that's all I could find)
2 large potatoes, medium dice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green chili (I used a serrano chili)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (optional- I did not use)
1 1/2 to 2 cups/470ml water, enough to cover potatoes to cook
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup/60ml oil, coconut, avocado or other neutral flavoured (I used olive oil)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat and brown the onions.
Once the onions are lightly browned, add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for a minute until fragrant.
Add the potatoes and toss in the oil and onions.
Add the turmeric powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder and cayenne powder.
Mix through into the potatoes.
Allow the potatoes to sauté for about 5 minutes.
Add enough water to cover the potatoes, cover and let potatoes cook, about 10-15 minutes.
Once the potatoes are just tender, making sure there isn't too much water, add the spinach leaves and cover to allow spinach to wilt.
The spinach leaves will release some water so you don't want too much water in the pan before adding the spinach, about a cup and half of water is acceptable.
Once the spinach has cooked down and beginning to get tender, uncover and evaporate some, of the water.
Add the green chili and the fenugreek leaves, if using.
Check for salt and adjust.
If you like the curry drier, then add the spinach leaves when there is barely any water left after the potatoes are done.
Serve as a side with rice or bread.

Aloo Chole

Recipe adapted from: http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2005/11/22/chole-with-potatoesaloo-chole/

Ingredients:

1 1-lb bag of dried chickpeas
(cooked according to package directions - this usually involves soaking in water overnight and then boiling)
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp ready-made chana masala powder (any brand)
3 tsp - garlic-ginger-cilantro paste
1 tsp each - red chilli powder, salt and turmeric
1/4 tsp each - mustard seeds and cumin seeds
cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat one teaspoon of peanut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add and toast mustard seeds and cumin, wait till they start to dance; then add ginger-garlic-cilantro paste and onions, saute for few minutes until onions soften.

Grab a few handfuls of cooked chickpeas and mash them until they are a smooth paste.
Add the ingredients - potatoes, tomatoes, chickpea paste, chana masala powder, red chilli powder, salt and turmeric, along with 2 cups of water (you can add up to 1 cup more if needed). Cook them covered for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are slightly tender.

At this stage, stir in chickpeas. Turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the curry thickens.

I served this with rice and naan.

Potato and Turnip Gratin

Recipe is from: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/potato-and-turnip-gratin

Ingredients:
1 pound russet potatoes
1 pound turnip(s)

2 cups whipping cream
1 cup half and half
2 shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp thyme (dried is fine but fresh is better)
1 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel and slice the potatoes and turnips into 1/6 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices in a glass 13x9 baking dish; slightly overlapping the slices.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat. Pour the cream mixture over the potato and turnip in the baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes and turnips are tender and the top is golden brown.

Potato and turnip slices arranged in dish

After pouring cream mixture; before baking

After baking

Vegetarian Beef-less Stew

I followed this recipe almost exactly: http://www.gardein.com/recipe_detail.php?r=84

Ingredients:
1 package Gardein beefless tips

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
10 oz pearl onions, peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, ½ inch diced
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
3 tbsp flour
3 cups vegan "beef" broth (try better than bouillon brand) or roasted vegetable stock
1 cup dry red wine such as cabernet sauvignon
2 medium potatoes, ½ inch diced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat, add beefless tips and brown on all sides. Remove from saucepan and set aside. I recommend chopping the beef tips in half so the chunks aren't as large in the stew.

Peel the pearl onions. I found this link helpful: http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/02/knife-skills-how-to-peel-pearl-onions.html . Basically, cut the top and bottom off of each onion. Score the top of the onion (see the video) so the skin will be easier to remove. Add them to boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes and remove. The skins should come off easily.

Add pearl onions, garlic and celery to saucepan and cook for 3 minutes. Add carrots, thyme, and rosemary and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, then slowly add broth and wine while stirring.Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add beefless tips back in and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Thai Green Curry Lentil and Potato Stew

adapted from a recipe from the trader joes vegetarian cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Love-Trader-Joes-Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1612431097/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)

(Note: The original recipe called for 1/2 package of lentils, so I doubled it in order to use the whole package since I didn't have a plan for the rest and didn't want to waste them)

Ingredients:
2 small yellow onions
olive oil
1-2 tsp minced garlic (jarred)
1 package trader joe's cooked lentils
2 medium sized potatoes
2 jars trader joe's thai green curry simmer sauce
4 medium sized tomatoes

for serving:
Trader joe's frozen thai jasmine rice (comes in a box with 3 individual bags of rice)

Directions:
Chop onions. In a large pan, cook onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until onions start becoming translucent. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Microwave the potatoes until they are starting to get soft (this is necessary or else you will be simmering FOR EVER). Add potatoes, lentils, and simmer sauce to the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft enough to eat. While simmering, chop tomatoes (remove the seeds). Add tomatoes to the pan and simmer (covered) for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice.