Salmon Dill Egg Salad

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon
3 oz Norwegian smoked salmon, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced dill
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Remove the yolks from the eggs. Place them in small bowl. Mash lightly then stir in the mayo, mustard, pepper, salmon and dill. Chop the whites (discarding some if desired). Stir them into the egg mixture. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container.

My thoughts:

I'm still on my quest for an egg salad I will love. For this one, I didn't actually put in all of the whites; I think I had about 3/4 of an eggs' worth left. I did this because I think part of my hesitation to love egg salad (despite loving deviled eggs) is that the egg white sort of remind me of the sneaky, potato-disguised ones I find in potato salad. It is so disappointing to bite into what you think is a potato only to end up with egg! Especially if you aren't expecting any eggs in the salad. You, of course, can leave in all your whites but I found leaving them out made for a creamier salad that I enjoyed. More like a deviled egg salad than a straight egg salad. I threw some salmon and dill in because I love them and that was a good choice too. Lots of flavor throughout.

Rye Kielbasa Frittata

Ingredients:
8 eggs, beaten
1 lb smoked kielbasa (I used wiejska which has garlic and marjoram), diced
1 small onion, diced
8 oz crimini mushrooms, diced
3/4 oz chives, chopped
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cubed rye bread
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper



Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. In a 12 inch cast iron skillet* heat oil and butter. Saute the kielbasa, onion and mushrooms until the onion is translucent. Whisk together the eggs, milk, chives and spices. Set aside. Add the bread cubes to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Pour in the egg mixture. Stir to evenly distribute the sausage, onions and garlic. Keep on medium heat and cook until just beginning to set. Bake about 10 minutes or until the top is just beginning to brown. Remove from pan and slice.

*or other oven-safe skillet

My thoughts:

One of the many good things about living in Baltimore is the abundance of Polish markets. I'm not just limited to national brand grocery store kielbasa (although a lot of the grocery stores here also sell locally made kielbasa). I can find kielbasa with the flavor profile I want for a dish. I'm partial to the garlic-y varieties so I used that. I also used up some leftover Polish rye bread I had. It was sort of an experiment but I really liked how it turned out. The bread stucked up some of the egg mixture so the texture was a little denser than a regular frittata but in an appealing, I don't need to serve bread with this sort of way. It added a lot of flavor to the dish as well. Not to mention the sturdiness meant the leftover were both tasty and easy to reheat the next day.

3 Fiber One Mix-ins: Cocoa Nib Raspberry, Toasted Whole Grains & Tropical,

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Fiber One 80 Calories Chocolate Squares
6 oz 0% plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon cocoa nibs
1/2 cup raspberries

Directions:
Layer the cereal, yogurt, nibs and berries in a parfait glass or bowl. Serve immediately.

Ingredients:
1 cup Fiber One Nutty Clusters and Almonds
2 tablespoons rolled Kamut (khorasan wheat flakes)
2 tablespoons old fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon milled flax seed

Directions:
Place Fiber One Nutty Clusters and Almonds in a mixing bowl. Set aside. In a small, dry skillet, heat the kamut and oats until lightly browned and toasted. Allow to cool. Add to the cereal and top with flax seeds. Toss to evenly distribute all ingredients. Store in an airtight jar or eat immediately.

Ingredients:
1 cup Fiber One Nutty Clusters and Almonds
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup dried pineapple chunks

Directions:
Toss Fiber One Nutty Clusters and Almonds together with macadamia nuts, coconut flakes and pineapple in a small bowl. Serve dry or with milk.

My thoughts:

Fiber One asked me to come up with 3 ways to jazz up their cereal. I went the route of adding some new flavors but also a lot of nutritional ingredients as well like cocoa nibs, kamut flakes, oats and flax. The perfect way to mix up breakfast or a snack! Check out other Fiber One ideas here on their Facebook page.

Lemon Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
6 mini cucumbers, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf

dressing:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup 10% Ättiksprit (Swedish white vinegar)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
1 1/2 tablespoons dill seed
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar


Directions:
Toss together the salad ingredients in a small nonreactive bowl or jar. Set aside. In a second bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until the salt and sugar dissolve. Pour over the salad and allow to sit at least 3 hours prior to serving.


Note: If you keep this too long in the fridge, you'll find it has turned into pickles! Which are also tasty, of course!

My thoughts:

I love cucumber salad in the warmer months because you can make it ahead of time and it is refreshing. Plus it reminds me of pickles, which is another big love of mine. I used some Swedish vinegar in the recipe, which is like regular white vinegar but much more acidic. It made the lemon rind very, very soft and completely infused the cucumber in only 3 hours. As for the flavor of the dish? Very bright, very lemon-y and crisp. Perfect for serving with any summery meal.

Bacon Braised Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 strips crisp thick cut bacon, diced
1 large onion, halved the thinly sliced
2 lb mixed Betty Crocker Fresh Baby Red and Yellow Potatoes
3 sprigs' worth of thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups chicken stock
1 oz crumbled Gorgonzola

Directions:
Saute the bacon in high-walled, lidded pot until crisp. Drain the bacon grease from the pot.

In a single layer, arrange all of the potatoes and onions into the bottom of the pot.  Cook for 1-2 minutes without stirring. Add the thyme, pepper, salt and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and partially cover with a lid. Continue to boil for 20 minutes or until the broth has evaporated to the point of only reaching the halfway point of the potatoes.


Carefully use the back of a spoon to gently crack the skin of each of the potatoes. Raise the heat slightly and continue to cook until all of the broth has evaporated and the potatoes  have browned on the underside, about 10 minutes. Flip the potatoes and cook the other side for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:

When the folks at Betty Crocker asked me to come up with a recipe showcasing the versatility of potatoes, I knew the method I wanted to use. It is very simple but not one I see very often. You are basically braising the potatoes in just a bit of liquid then cracking their skins and allowing them to caramelize. It is based on an old French method but I jazzed it up (and honestly, gilded the lily) by adding bacon, onions and just a sprinkle of cheese at the end. The The potatoes are positively dripping with flavor and the onions caramelize with virtually no effort on your part and the whole dish is just a the most savory, smoky, decadent way to serve potatoes. I like using baby potatoes, I most often use the yellow-fleshed varieties or the mixed bag of red white and blue if I can find* them but fingerlings work well too. Don't use cut up or whole large potatoes because the texture will not be correct and all of the yummy crispness will be missing.


*blue potatoes have been oddly absent from the stores lately, even in potato chip form. Blue potato blight?

Sabich

Ingredients:
2 Italian eggplants, thinly sliced
6 pitas, halved
6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/3 cup hummus


for the Israeli salad:
2 tomatoes, cubed
1 English cucumber, cubed
1 small onion, cubed
3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
juice and zest of one lemon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Toss together the ingredients of the salad. Set aside.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Pan fry the eggplant slices until just golden. Drain on paper towel-lined plates. Assemble the sandwiches by spreading some hummus in each half of each pita pocket and filling with eggs, eggplant and salad. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:

I've been on an international sandwich kick so when I came across the Israeli sandwich, sabich, I had to re-create it at home. It contains hard-boiled eggs and eggplants, which I love, plus hummus and Israeli Salad, which include two more of my favorites, tomatoes and cucumbers. You don't have to go all out and make the pita yourself (although they are very good, so if you have the time, do it!) as I did and if you don't, the sandwich comes together quite quickly. While the eggplant is lightly fried, it isn't battered which cuts down on the cooking time quite a bit. Like any sandwich there are a few variations, some use huevos haminados instead of plain hard-boiled eggs, some add pickles or amba, some add potatoes or other vegetables or sauces. There are even "sabich inspired" sandwiches on rye, whole wheat bread or even a croissant(!). But the sabich at the most basic form is what I've shared here; eggplant, hard-boiled eggs, and salad all stuffed in a pita. I do think grilling the eggplant instead of frying it would be a fun twist and if it wasn't raining today, I think I would have made both the eggplant (brushed with oil) and the pita on the grill. Sabich makes a great sandwich to pack for lunches as well as the eggplant does not have to be served warm. I would pack the salad separately and add it right before serving to avoid sog. I served mine with some cauliflower pickles on the side to add a bit of punch.

Spring Chicken Pasta Salad with Lemon-Thyme Dressing

Ingredients:
4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
10 oz cooked mafalda pasta
3/4 cup chopped red onion
2 stalks celery, diced
1 1/2 cups bite-sized asparagus, steamed (about 12 stalks)
2 (loose) cups watercress
10 cornichons, sliced into coins
zest of 1 lemon


dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon
3 sprigs' worth fresh thyme
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Directions:
In a large bowl, toss together the salad ingredients. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Drizzle over the salad and stir to evenly distribute all ingredients.

Tip: Steam the asparagus by adding it to the boiling pasta for the last couple of minutes of cooking.

My thoughts:

In the fall, I made an autumnal chicken pasta salad and realized I had made summer and winter versions previously. So when I realized we didn't have anything for lunch this week, I thought I'd make a spring version. The appearance of tulips, daffodils, dogwoods and asparagus always signal the end of winter and the promise of warm weather to come. So I try and use asparagus in as many ways as I can!

I love hearty pasta salads for lunches and picnics because then I don't have to worry about packing bread or crackers, I can just grab the pasta salad and some fruit and go!