This might be my favorite potato salad recipe this week for the color alone. Purple potatoes, ruby beets, and green parsley make for a salad that’s both delicious and gorgeous!  

Purple potatoes are making their way into most grocery stores, either sold by themselves or in combination with other potatoes. Depending on your location, you can probably snag some at the farmers market as well. Either way, they make for an unexpected pop of color that livens up any picnic.

Purple potatoes also contain the antioxidant anthocyanin, which gives the potato it’s deep color, the same antioxidant praised in blueberries. Antioxidants help protect body cells against free radical damage that can increase chronic disease risk. Purple potatoes have also been shown to reduce blood pressure, thanks to their high levels of potassium.

If you don’t need anymore convincing, then try this salad out for yourself.

Purple Potato Eater Salad

Ingredients:
3 lbs. purple potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups beets, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 red onion, minced
3 tbsp. minced parsley

Dressing:
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper

In a food processor/blender/or hand, whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.

Combine cut potatoes and beets into a bowl, toss with 1-2Tbsp. of olive oil and pinch salt/pepper. Toss to coat potatoes and spread onto a baking sheet. Roast at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes until potatoes and beets are tender. Cooking times will depend on how large you cut your potato chunks.

Remove potatoes from oven and cool ~5-10 minutes. Toss potatoes with the dressing and onion. To serve warm: add fresh parsley and salt/pepper to taste. To serve cool: place in fridge and chill for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Top with fresh parsley and salt/pepper if needed just before serving.

Enjoy!

Disclosure Statement: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the United States Potato Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

To celebrate summer solstice last Wednesday, I made a “to-do” list of summer activities I want to accomplish before September rolls around. As my peak work time happens between September-April, I try to relish in the lazy days of summer as much as I can. Luckily, this is very easy to do as I live within an few hours drive of the coast, Tahoe, or Yosemite. Besides my outdoor adventures I want to finish: kayaking, stand-up paddle-boarding, new hikes, and camping, I am also looking forward to hosting a few cookouts. Nothing says summer more than backyard bbqs complete with refreshing drinks, farmers market produce, and my favorite: potato salad.

This weeks posts will be all about celebrating the BBQ staple, the potato salad. All three upcoming recipes are delicious and forgo the worst part about tater salad, lots of calories and fat.

I love potatoes and often feel like they get a bad rap nutritionally. Sure, french fries and loaded baked potatoes aren’t doing anything for your waistline but thats not the potatoes fault! Skip the heavy toppings and a medium potato contains just 110 calories, more potassium than a banana and 1/2 the daily recommended value of vitamin C.

This salad highlights the other stars of summer, fresh herbs like basil and cilantro. It’s no secret that I love cooking Thai influenced food so this potato salad seemed like a natural fit. Serve this warm or at room temperature.

Try to find Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe, their waxier flesh holds up well to chopping and to tossing with dressing. Keep the skin on for more fiber!

Spicy Thai Potato Salad

1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup cilantro
5 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. Asian chili sauce (like sambel oelek)
2 tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 thai chili, chopped
salt/pepper
1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes

Wash and dry the potatoes thoroughly, removing any grit from the skin. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces and place into the salted water. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender enough to bite through.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. Combine all ingredients from basil to chili pepper in a food processor and pulse until combined and finely chopped. With the blade running, drizzle in the oil and let whisk until combined. Season with salt/pepper.

When the potatoes are done, drain and toss with dressing. Enjoy warm!

Two more potato salad recipes coming this week, look for my next one on Monday.

Disclosure:  By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the United States Potato Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Check out other potato salad favorites from The Recipe Redux

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I think Northern California bypassed Spring and went straight to summer. Most of March was rainy and windy until recently when temperatures hit 90 for most of the week. Don’t get me wrong, the gorgeous weather is one of my main reasons for living in Sacramento, but I do miss the drawn-out seasons on the east coast.

Belonging to our awesome CSA  helps us eat more in line with the growing seasons. I strive to eat seasonally as much as a I can, a task that isn’t easy when all types of produce are available year-round. However, I find that I appreciate foods more eating this way and the taste cannot be beat. Especially when it comes to fresh spring and summer crops: corn, berries, greens, tomatoes. They just don’t have the same taste when eaten at other times of the year.

This month’s Recipe Redux is all about the first shoots of Spring! Think ramps, garlic scapes, pea shoots, asparagus and more. My recipe focuses on my favorite spring items: spring onions, green garlic, and garlic chives. This soup really does taste like spring! Unlike heartier winter soups, this comes together very quickly, perfect for weeknight dinners.

Red Spring Onions (closest): similar to scallions they have a  milder flavor than larger onions. I love them in soups and stir fries as they don’t overpower the other ingredients.

Green Garlic (middle):  milder flavor and less bitter bite than bulb garlic. This garlic also becomes slightly sweet when cooked and can be eaten raw.

Garlic Chives: You know this Italian loves her garlic! Chives with a delicate garlic flavor.

Spring Green Soup

1 bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
2 heads green garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
8 cups good quality vegetable broth
1″ piece ginger, finely chopped or grated
4 oz. buckwheat Soba noodles
1/2 cup garlic chives, thinly chopped
Salt/Pepper to season

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the spring onion, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger, green garlic and continue to cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 more minutes.

Stir in the rice wine vinegar and add the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the buckwheat noodles, cooking until tender. Add the spinach, stirring a few times until the spinach turns bright green and has wilted slightly- about 2 minutes. Stir in chives and salt/pepper to taste.

Enjoy! What are your favorite Spring shoots?



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I am not much of a baker. I really hate measuring and since this is non-negotiable in baking, I tend to steer towards cooking instead. I love that cooking is pure imagination. If I add too much or too little of an ingredient, I can easily change it up without destroying the overall product. This is not the case in baking. One screw up or missing ingredient and you might have ruined the whole dish.

I have been forcing myself to do more baking and was excited to learn that this month’s Recipe Redux topic was ‘Stick with Maple-Honey Sweetness’. Using either maple syrup or honey in recipes. Real maple syrup is undeniable in recipes, adding a subtle, natural sweetness to savory dishes and moistness to baked ones. I had a few recipes in mind involving butternut squash and maple syrup but decided to go with a baked good instead.

I recently saw Carrot Cake muffins from the Fat Free Vegan blog and was inspired to come up with my own recipe. I love carrot cake and rarely eat muffins. Honestly, I don’t get muffins. I don’t think they are filling enough for a meal and are often too sweet and too large. That being said,  I was determined to make a muffin that didn’t act like a cupcake. The oat crumble on top is a indulgent treat, so feel free to omit it.

Carrot Cake Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour or Spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground clover
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground flax seed

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup freshly grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Crumble Topping
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prep a muffin tin with liners.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients except carrots, raisins, walnuts.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together. Add the carrots, walnuts and raisins. Gently stir until just combined.

Spoon the batter 2/3 of the way up into the muffin liners.

Make the crumble:
Combine the flour, oats, and brown sugar. Melt the butter and add the maple syrup. Stir in the butter and maple syrup and mix with a fork. Using your fingers, gently crumble the mixture to the top of the muffin.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 22 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 regular size muffins, 6 large muffins. If you decide to make large muffins, reduce the heat to 375 and cook an additional 6-7 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

Make sure to check out the rest of the Redux recipes this month, all guaranteed to be healthy and delicious!

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