Easy Mayonnaise-less Potato Salad

I watched Rachael cook this the other night on 30 Minute Meals...a far less labor intensive salad!

2 to 2 1/2-pounds small red skin potatoes, quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 radishes, sliced

2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped (80/20...I skipped this.)

1/2 medium red onion,

chopped 3 to 4 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk,

chopped 1 cup watercress tops or flat leaf parsley leaves coarsely chopped
Cover potatoes with cold water, bring to a boil and salt the water. Boil potatoes until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, combine the honey, Dijon, and vinegar in a bowl then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. To the bowl add radishes, capers, onions, celery, watercress or parsley and hot potatoes. Using a wooden spoon break up the potatoes into large chunks. Toss the potato salad adjust salt and pepper then serve.

Great summer scallop recipe

I think Ina Garten is a "summer cook". These scallops were very tasty and my non-seafood eating husband commented how great the dish smelled!

1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops

Kosher salt and freshly

ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging (I recommend Wegmans basting flour.)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)

1 garlic clove, minced --forgot this

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 lemon, cut in 1/2
If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

My loyalty to Ann...

I am a faithful Ann Taylor shopper for a couple of reasons.... 1. I don't have a lot of time to deal with the maze of racks at Macy's. 2. Ann Taylor clothes fit me extremely well 3. I like their style of clothes...go figure I work for an insurance company.

Anyway, their Taylored for Success is a great way to get some discounts once you register. I believe I received a 20% of coupon for anything over $200 which is not hard to do at Ann Taylor.

Alton's Guacamole

I talk a lot about Rachael Ray, but I also love Mr. Alton Brown. Last night was the perfect night for some Corona's, guacamole and some super easy enchiladas. (I did not have the Roma's but I did have some strawberry tomatoes and they worked fine...you know 80/20:)

Guacamole
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

P.S. This is good but nothing beats the guacamole and mojitos at Cafe Atlantico (see pic) in DC! Not sure what the secret is??????

An 80/20 recipe...

I was able to "loan" my house to a friend to host her graduation party last week. I wanted to contribute some type of food item, but wasn't very prepared considering it was during the work-week/4th of July kickoff. So, I found this recipe for a dip...I did not have the parsley or the dill but it was still good! I really do believe in the 80/20 rule!

Feta Herb Dip

15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Place beans, yogurt, feta, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add herbs; puree until incorporated. Chill until ready to serve

Excellent Summer Chili Recipe

Surprise, surprise...it's from Rachael Ray.

The first time I made this, I did not add the beans.... either way a great way to have chili in the summer!

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ears corn
2 cups elbow pasta
1 red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 pound lean ground beef
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1. In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and cilantro; whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn until just tender, about 3 minutes; transfer to a cutting board. Return the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Cut the corn kernels from the cob and add to the pasta.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and chili powder and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain well.

4. Add the beef mixture to the pasta; season with salt and pepper. Add the kidney beans, tomatoes, sliced onion and vinaigrette and toss to dress. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the cheese.

Cool Cucumber Soup with lots of dill

My husband is so funny...He sees something on FoodNetwork that he likes and literally gets in the car and picks up the ingredients. Anyway, we were watching Ellie Krieger on FoodNetwork and saw this intriguing soup.... very easy to make and healthy as well! Also, I happen to LOVE dill!

cOOl Cucumber Soup
3 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1 English cucumber (about 1 pound), cut into chunks
1 scallion, white and green parts, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato (about 5 ounces), seeded and diced
2 teaspoons olive oil
In a blender, combine the yogurt, cucumber, scallion and dill. Pulse until pureed. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual bowls. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons of diced tomato, drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and garnish with a dill sprig.