Solid Potato Salad

This song is a real earworm. For some reason it just sticks. Like glue. So all the time, I'm singing about potato salad. Singing about potatoes is probably a bit odd. It's a good thing that most people already think I'm a bit strange.

Solid (Roasted) Potato Salad

2 lbs potatoes, medium dice
3 tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Parmesan & Garlic Olive Oil
Garlic Sea Salt
1/4 red onion, small dice
2-4 stalks celery, small dice
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp White Honey Ginger Balsamic
     or White Jalapeno Lime Balsamic
3 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 small bunch cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped

Preheat the oven to 400°. Toss the potatoes with the oil and salt until well coated and spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the balsamic, mayonnaise and mustard together. When the potatoes are cool enough, toss with the dressing and stir in the celery, onion and cilantro. Top with a sprinkle of the Garlic Salt if desired.

Your song.

Ella Mae Morse: Solid Potato Salad

Sesame Pork with Leeks

So I've had this bunch of leeks in my fridge for about a week. They were starting to look sad and shrivel-y so I really had to use them quickly. Then yesterday when I went shopping, pork loin was on sale! A match made in heaven. I got right home and cooking!

If you have no leeks, add in extra onions. Red onion, yellow onion, green onion bunches... leeks are related. It's all good. If you have no pork....also works with chicken.

Sesame Pork with Leeks

1 pork loin, 2 lb
1 large bunch of leeks
     or a little bit of leeks and a small onion
1 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 tbsp, plus 1 tbsp White Honey Ginger Balsamic
Sesame Seeds
2 chilies, seeded and diced
1 bunch parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the pork roast in a non-stick pan and rub down with 2 tbsp Honey Ginger Balsamic and garlic paste. Roast, uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Let cool.

Slice the leeks thinly white parts and non woody green bits, and the onion if you are using. Heat a large pan to medium heat and add in the leeks and the Toasted Sesame Oil. Saute slowly until the leeks are soft and fragrant stirring occasionally.

Dice the pork roast and add it to the pan. Raise the heat to medium high and saute, stirring often. Add in the chilies and the parsley. Cook until everything is warmed through and the parsley is well wilted.

Now add the remaining tablespoon of White Honey Ginger Balsamic and serve. Top with sesame seeds.

White Honey Ginger Sweet Potatoes

White Honey Ginger Sweet Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, scrubbed
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup White Honey Ginger Balsamic
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Fill a large pan halfway with water. Add a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and boil 10-15 minutes. A knife should be able easily inserted into the center. Drain and cool slightly. Peel and dice.

In a large pan, melt the butter and add the Balsamic. Cook for one minute. Stir in the water and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sweet potatoes  and walnuts, toss well to coat. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Transfer to a lightly buttered baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Stirring about halfway through. Remove the foil and cook an additional 15 minutes. The sauce should thicken and become more like a glaze.

Serve.

White Honey Ginger Chicken

 A friend is growing yellow and green bell peppers and his wife is sick of eating them. So I got a nice big bag. I paired them with chicken and onions and called it dinner!

White Honey Ginger Chicken

1 pkg chicken breasts, diced
2 large yellow bell peppers, rough chopped
1 large green bell pepper, rough chopped
1 vidalia onion, chopped
4 tbsp - 1/4 cup White Honey Ginger Balsamic
4-5 Sun-Dried Tomatoes, sliced
Pepper, to taste
Thai Ginger Sea Salt
2 tbsp olive oil (I used Persian Lime)

Add the olive oil to a pan and heat to medium. Add your onion and saute 3-5 minutes or until it is nice and translucent. Add your chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of black pepper.

Cook for four or five minutes a side. There should be some color, but not too much.

Add your peppers and the White Honey Ginger Balsamic. Start with a few tablespoons and work your way up to more. This depends on how much sauce you want at the end. Cover and cook for an additional five minutes.

Serve with Thai Ginger Sea Salt.

Sweet Lemon Chicken

I was looking for a baked chicken recipe for these chicken thighs I had to use up. I wanted to do something different so I went through my spice cabinets. The cinnamon sugar decided to fall out, and sometimes, it really is that easy.

This is my recipe for Sweet Lemon Chicken. Enjoy!

Sweet Lemon Chicken

Serves 4

For the Chicken:

8 Chicken Thighs (I always choose boneless for baking)

3 Tbsp White Honey Ginger Balsamic

2 Tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil + 1Tbsp for drizzling

2 Tbsp Cinnamon Sugar

1 Tbsp good Curry Powder

2 Tbsp Butter - melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with the Meyer Lemon Oil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer. Brush with the melted butter.

Mix the cinnamon sugar and curry together in a small bowl. Rub or sprinkle the mixture on the chicken. 

Bake 30 minutes. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp of Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and return to the over for another 20 minutes. 

Serve warm with Lemon Snow Peas.

Lemon Snow Peas
Serves 4

1/2 pound Snow Peas
3 Tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

Trim the ends from your snow peas. Some are woodier than others.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the peas and cook no more than 3-5 minutes. Peas should be very crisp.

Serve!