Food: Sweet and Tangy Three Bean Salad

I love vinegar. And if you're wondering to what extent, let me tell you it's not uncommon for me to douse fish and chips in so much liquid the fish appear to be swimming once again or to eat so much salt and vinegar flavored popcorn my tongue hurts. I prefer vinegar over any sort of salad dressing and think it's great on any and all potato-based dishes (potato chips and perogies included) or crisp veggies (lettuce, cukes, okra). And I get super-excited when restaurants cater to my cravings. For example, a favorite Detroit-area restaurant of mine serves the national dish of Cuba (Ajiaco) with a container of vinegar on the side to pour into the stew. Despite all of these ways I use this tangy condiment, my favorite usage is in the age-old culinary method of pickling.

I have always been a fan of pickles and serving them in new ways (Jonathan introduced me to grilled cheese with pickles not too long ago and I wondered why I had never thought to try it before). And as I've mentioned in past postings, my mom does a lot of canning every year, often making a couple batches of pickled veggies, green beans being one variety. Her green beans I fancy even more than traditional cucumber-based dills since they're firm, crunchy and tangy with a touch of a kick. So when I found this salad in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I was instantly reminded of my mother's canned, hot beans and thought this seemed like a dressed-up, refrigerator-version.

I first mentioned this side dish a couple of postings ago (I served it with Swordfish Milanese). As in any refrigerator pickle recipe, it's important to make this a day ahead as the flavors really concentrate overnight. The fresh green beans will lose some of their bright green color the longer they're in the fridge but don't worry, they will keep their crunch and absorb a ton of flavor.



Sweet and Tangy Three Bean Salad
Adapted from: Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients

• 8 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed
• 3/4 cups cider vinegar
• 2/3 cups bloody mary mix (I prefer Mr & Mrs T's Premium Blend)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tsp. stone-ground mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14.5-oz. can cut wax beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 baby carrots, sliced

Directions

1. In large saucepan cook green beans in boiling lightly salted water for 10 minutes or just until tender; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. In extra-large bowl combine vinegar, bloody mary mix, oil, sugar, Worcestershire, mustard and garlic. Stir in canned beans and carrot. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Food: Quick Grilled Chicken and Caesar Potato Salad

When I think of summer barbeques and picnics, two of the items that instantly come to mind are potato salad and grilled chicken. A couple of weekends ago I made this really quick meal for dinner, inspired by the Caesar Potato salad recipe featured in June's Bon Appetit. I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me to try a Caesar dressing on potatoes before, but this was great! Not only was it a non-mayo potato salad (which makes it more transportable for sticky, summer days), it's all fancied up for a celebration (or in this case a casual dinner) with colored baby potatoes, radishes, and crunchy sugar snap peas. It'd make a fantastic, showy, 4th of July side dish - especially if you mixed in some purple potatoes. I'm looking forward to making it again very soon.

Sorry...another blurry iPhone picture....

Smoky Grilled Chicken MM

Ingredients

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Tb Smoked Paprika
• 3 Tb Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

• Pre-heat your grill to medium heat
• In a small bowl, mix together smoked paprika, olive oil, salt and pepper
• After trimming any excess fat off the chicken, lay the breasts on a counter between two sheets of waxed paper and pound them flat to ensure they are all of uniform thickness.
• Brush both sides of the chicken them with the oil/paprika mixture
• Grill 8 to 12 minutes on Direct Medium, turning chicken mid-way through
  

Caesar Potato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas
From Bon Appetit (June 2009)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds unpeeled assorted fingerling potatoes or baby potatoes (such as white-skinned, red-skinned, and purple), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 8 oz trimmed sugar snap peas
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  

Directions

• Steam potatoes on steamer rack set in large pot over boiling water until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and steam until peas are crisp-tender and potatoes are just tender, about 1 minute longer. Transfer vegetables to large bowl. Cool slightly.
• Add radishes and onion.
• Whisk next 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Whisk in Parmesan. Season dressing with salt and generous amount of pepper. Add dressing to potato mixture; toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.