Fresh Corn & Potato Salad

While there's a lot to love about summer produce, there may be no greater joy than freshly harvested sweet corn, so tender that the kernels can be eaten raw. No need for blanching here! This salad showcases this wonderful crop in a citrusy lime-based dressing. It's perfect picnic material, though eating it left-over for lunch in your office kitchen is good too.

Fresh Corn & Potato Salad

From Southern Living

• 1 pound baby red potatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
• Large red bell pepper, diced
• Avocado, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions

Bring potatoes and salted cold water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven; boil 10 minutes or just until tender. Drain and let cool 15 minutes.

Whisk together cilantro and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add warm potatoes, corn, and remaining 3 ingredients; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

New Potato and Chive Frittata

Shalom, everybody! I hope that Passover is treating you well so far, and that your leavened bread cravings are few and far between. I'm not Jewish, but the boyfriend is, so in our apartment we are chametz-free until next Tuesday evening. Let me tell you, it is difficult to be a vegetarian during Passover. Not only is bread forbidden, other no-no's include all grains, legumes, and corn. That doesn't leave much to work with when meat isn't an option. But we've been doing all right and managed to host a lovely seder on Monday evening anyway.

Walter was excited about the seder

Today's recipe was a casual mid-Passover meal we had last night. Made simply from potatoes, eggs, chives, salt, and pepper, this frittata still manages to be delicious. (I meant to include some asparagus in it, and I'm still putting that as an option in the recipe, but my asparagus went bad in the fridge so I had to leave it out last night, as you can see in the picture.)

This frittata is a total snap to prepare (once you've got your potatoes sliced up). And it goes great with matzo!

New Potato and Chive Frittata

• 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, washed and sliced thinly
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
• 8 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Place the potatoes in a steamer basket and steam for 3 minutes. Add the asparagus, if using, and steam an additional minute. (Just steam the potatoes for 4 minutes straight if not including asparagus.) Remove from heat.

Preheat your broiler. Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Add the potatoes (and asparagus) to the skillet and cook a few minutes or until the potatoes are just starting to turn golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the chives onto the potatoes. Add the eggs to the skillet, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are mostly set. Uncover the skillet and place it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until the top is just beginning to brown. Cut into 4 wedges and serve.

Fingerling-Leek Hash with Swiss Chard and Eggs

It's no secret that my favorite meal of the week is brunch. Breakfast food is pretty much the best, and brunch is a legitimate excuse to eat it after you've slept in and enjoyed a lazy morning. But sometimes you've got a busy Sunday planned, and there's just no time for a leisurely brunch. Yesterday was one of those days. I was having a productivity day: morning errands (farmers market, Trader Joe's, buying a printer), followed by a thorough apartment-cleaning, laundry, some afternoon friend time, and lots of basketball watching (even though my brackets are totally busted at this point).

So I missed brunch, but there was a consolation prize in sight: this breakfast-inspired dinner. A lovely springtime potato-leek hash with my favorite seasoning (smoked paprika, yay!) and fried eggs. Perfect with toast, and perfectly acceptable to be eaten in your pajamas at 8pm.

Fingerling-Leek Hash with Swiss Chard and Eggs
From Cooking Light

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups sliced leeks (about 2 large)
• 12 ounces fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise (about 4 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 4 cups thinly sliced trimmed Swiss chard (about 1 bunch)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Gruyere cheese
• Toast, for serving (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan. Add leek; cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add potatoes and garlic; cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chard; cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Using a spoon, push potato mixture aside to make 4 egg-size spaces. Crack 1 egg into each space; sprinkle remaining paprika, salt, and pepper over eggs. Cover and cook 3 minutes; sprinkle cheese over potato mixture. Cover again and cook 2 more minutes or until egg yolks are lightly set. Serve with toast.

Ricotta and Roasted Tomato Baked Potato

I've been on a fair number of diets over the years, most notably the Atkins Diet (back in my carnivore days) and the South Beach Diet (easier on vegetarians, though not by a whole lot). The first lesson I learned from them is that carbs are downright evil, and no carb more so than the sinister baked potato.

Well, the second lesson I learned from them is that those diets don't really work, at least not in the long run. Nobody can resist those evil carbs for long without going completely bonkers. Plus, a calorie is a calorie, whether it comes from carbs or protein or fat, and you can lose weight and eat heathily while eating carbohydrates, as long as your diet is balanced.

Anyway, I'm glad that those silly diets are far behind me and that I can enjoy delicious (but still healthy!) meals like this one. I grabbed this idea from Real Simple, and it's so easy and yummy. If I were still a meat eater, I probably would have this with a grilled steak or something, but since I love cows I just paired it with a nice, light green salad.

Ricotta and Roasted Tomato Baked Potato
From Real Simple

• 4 medium to large russet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta (more if you like)

Heat oven to 400 F. Rub the potatoes with the teaspoon of olive oil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, 65 to 75 minutes. On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with the tablespoon of olive oil, thyme, a teaspoon of kosher salt, and about a quarter teaspoon of black pepper. Fifteen minutes before the potatoes are done, add the tomatoes to the oven and roast them until they burst, 12 to 15 minutes. Split the potatoes and, dividing evenly, top with the ricotta and the tomato mixture.

Creamy Root Vegetable Stew

Finally! October has arrived, and there are a lot of reasons why it's my favorite month of the year. For example: cool weather, fall foliage, pumpkins, Halloween, scarves and tights, football, baseball... the list goes on and on. Oh, and fall food is in full swing -- at the farmer's market today, the bins were overflowing with gorgeous squashes, apples, onions, and tons of root veggies.

So for dinner tonight, I made a delicious root vegetable stew that's perfect for celebrating the start of my favorite 31 days. It's creamy, thick, filling, garlicky, herby, and just all-around wonderful on a cool night.

Creamy Root Vegetable Stew

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
• 2 1/2 cups diced Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 pound)
• 2 1/4 cups diced peeled rutabaga (about 3/4 pound)
• 2 cups diced peeled turnip (about 2/3 pound)
• 1 1/4 cups diced peeled parsnip (about 1/2 pound)
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Crusty bread, for serving

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and rosemary; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in potato and next 5 ingredients (through the 2 cups water). Bring to a simmer; cook, covered, 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Place 3 cups soup mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return to pan. Stir in cream, pepper, and salt. Serve with bread.

Two Potato and Beet Hash with Poached Eggs and Greens

During the week, dinner tends to be a slightly rushed affair. I'm just so tired when I get home from work, not to mention starving and slightly low-blood-sugar-cranky.

But on Sunday evenings, with errands out of the way and the obligatory dog park trip behind me, I like to spend a while cooking up something special. Something that takes a little more effort than I would put in on a weeknight. Something especially delicious.

Tonight, with football on TV in the background, I made this seriously awesome fall dinner. It made the entire apartment smell like fried onions and sage. The hash is autumn root vegetable goodness personified; the poached eggs' broken yolks create a rich, practically sinful sauce; and the fresh greens brighten up the plate and keep everything light and in balance. Yeah, this meal took a little more time, and a little more effort, but it was so worth it.

 Two Potato and Beet Hash with Poached Eggs and Greens

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 3/4 pound)
• 2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup cubed peeled cooked beets (about 1/2 pound)
• Salt and pepper
• 5 teaspoons red wine vinegar, divided
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 6 cups spring greens, frisee, curly endive, or other greens

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; saute for 5 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add potatoes, 2 teaspoons sage, and garlic; cook for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in beets and salt and pepper to taste; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer gently. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar. Break each egg into a custard cup or small ramekin, and pour gently into pan of water. Cook for 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon sage and a bit of salt and pepper evenly over the eggs.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoons vinegar, pinch of salt and pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whick. Add greens, toss to coat. Serve with hash and eggs.

Peruvian Quinoa-Vegetable Soup

I have the greatest memories of my trip to Peru with Joe. There's seldom a day that goes by when I don't think about something we did, whether it was the main event (hiking the Inca Trail) or something random but memorable (like paying a woman 2 soles at a train station so I could take a picture with her llama).

Our culinary adventures were equally memorable. We tried alpaca, guinea pig (hey, I wasn't a vegetarian yet), stuffed rocoto chiles, and those most delicious of cookies, alfajores. And some ceviche when we were in Lima. And lots of Inka Kola and pisco sours to wash it all down!

Dinner.

This Peruvian-inspired soup I made for dinner (borrowed from the lovely cookbook The 30-Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray) doesn't have any of that stuff in it, but it does have some traditionally Peruvian ingredients. Like quinoa, which has been an important staple in the Andes for 6,000 years. Even the use of soy sauce is authentically Peruvian, since a lot of the cuisine in that country was influenced by Chinese immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which led to a fusion cuisine called chifa.

The soup's not much to look at, but it's delicious, filling, and healthy, and it reminds me of a great trip I took. Not bad for such quick work.

Peruvian Quinoa-Vegetable Soup

• 7 cups water or vegetable stock (or a mix)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes (purple potatoes if you can find them)
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup sliced cabbage
• 1 seeded and minced jalapeno pepper
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Place the water and soy sauce in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa. Begin prepping the vegetables and place them in the pot as you go. Start with the potatoes, carrot, onion, garlic, cabbage, jalapeno, and tomatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the quinoa is cooked, about 20 minutes from when the quinoa was added. Add the cilantro, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Variations: You can saute the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for extra flavor before adding the water, quinoa, and remaining ingredients. For extra protein, you could also add 1 pound of extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes, after adding the veggies.