Four Bean Salad

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food, foodie, pot luck, recipe, relish, salad, side dish, vegan, vegetarian

For years, I thought that I didn’t like four bean salad. It turns out, I didn’t like any of the four bean salad I tried. It was usually too vinegary or had mushy green/wax beans. Fresh wax & green beans are imperative to making a tasty and refreshing four bean salad.

Four Bean Salad ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

Ingredients: wax beans, green beans, 1 can dark red kidney beans, 1 can garbanzo beans, 2 stalks of celery, 1 carrot, 2 green onions, 1/2 c. rice vinegar, 1/3 c. olive oil, 3 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, fresh ground Himalayan pink salt, fresh cracked four-color pepper

Directions: Chop celery, carrot, and green onions then set aside. Cut wax beans and green beans into 1″ pieces. Bring small pot of water to boil and blanch wax beans and green beans (for about 3 minutes). Drain and rinse kidney & garbanzo beans. Whisk together vinegar, oil, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper. Toss together all ingredients and chill before serving.

*Garnish with fresh shaved parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast if vegan).

XOXO,
Young Wifey

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Feta Dill Dip

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appetizer, dill, dip, feta, food, foodie, pot luck, recipe, snack

We’re 2/3 the way through 2014, and I have yet to post a recipe! Yikes! Since it’s quick and easy, I often make this tasty dip. Last weekend, I made it for a party, but went a little too crazy when adding the dill. 

Ingredients:
1 c. Feta, 1/2 c. milk (or 1/2 c. Greek yogurt), 1 Tbsp. dill weed, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 lemon, fresh cracked black pepper, parsley

Directions:
Zest and juice lemon and set aside. If you like your dip to be chunky, mix all remaining ingredients together. Blend it for a smooth dip. Mix in zest and lemon juice (to taste). Garnish & serve.

Garnishes:
kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, parsley, dill, capers, etc…

Serve With:
pita chips, pita wedges, cucumber slice, bell peppers, carrot sticks

DIP TIP: When taking the dip to a party, I transfer the dip into the original plastic feta container for easy transport.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Nanny Florida’s Classic Potato Salad

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barbecue, picnic, pot luck, potato, potato salad, salad, side dish, vegetarian

Here’s another side-dish from Nanny Florida’s recipe box. You can’t go wrong with a classic. Although Nanny Florida & Hubster never had the opportunity to meet, I’m sure she’d approve my addition of bacon crumbles for him. If you’re taking this dish to a pot-luck picnic/barbecue, I suggest serving the bacon crumbles on the side, so more people can enjoy the dish.

Nanny Florida’s Classic Potato Salad

Forgive me for the dark photos, it was a very cloudy day.

Nanny Florida’s Classic Potato Salad with Bacon Crumbles

Ingredients:
4 c. cooked, peeled and cubed potatoes, 1 c. slices celery, 1/2 c. chopped onion, 2 hard-boiled eggs (separated and chopped), 1 c. mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. Vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, turkey bacon crumbles (optional)

Directions:
Mix together potatoes, egg whites, onion & celery. To make dressing, mix together mayo, egg yolk, vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Do you prefer your potato salad with or without bacon?

Chopped Greek Salad

Tags

Greek, pot luck, salad, side dish, vegetarian

I made this refreshing salad twice this week, sometimes I can’t seem to get my fill. There are dozens of variations of this recipe, but here is mine. Enjoy!

Greek Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups garbanzo beans, 1/2 large red onion, 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1/2 roasted red pepper, 15 kalamata olives, 2 c. crumbled Feta cheese, 1 lemon, extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp. mince garlic, 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped dill, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Directions:
Zest & juice lemon. Dice onion, cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper and olives. Toss together all ingredients and serve chilled.

Variations:
Try tossing in one or more of these ingredients: orzo, fresh mint, lamb cubes, or chicken souvlaki.

*When entertaining, the Feta is left on the side and I allow guests to sprinkle their own. We have dairy allergy and a vegan in our family.

Do you have any food allergies in your family?

Radish Salad

Tags

BBQ, food, foodie, picnic, pot luck, recipe, side dish

Hubster loves radishes, and around here radishes are ready for harvesting. So, I’ve been playing around with radish salads… Summer means tasty food that requires little prep. This tangy and crisp salad is the perfect cool refreshing bite on a hot summer day.

Radish Salad

Ingredients:
10 large radishes, 1/2 c. shredded carrots, 4 scallions, 1/2 c. red wine vinegar, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Slice radishes and scallions, sprinkle with salt, and allow to sit for a few minutes. Toss together all ingredients. Allow salad to marinate in fridge for 12 hours, tossing every so often.

What have you been harvesting from your garden?  
What’s cooking in your kitchen?

Colorful Caprese

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appetizer, basil, BBQ, bocconcini, ciliegine, cold food, dinner, entree, food, foodie, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, grape tomatoes, light fare, light lunch, lighter fare, lunch, mozzarella, mozzarella balls, picnic, postaday2011, pot luck, raw foods, recipe, salad, side dishes, tomatoes, vegetable, yellow tomatoes

Caprese is a summer classic, that’s why it’s my go to recipe. It’s always requested, but never the same. You can serve it sliced and stacked, as a kabob or cut and mixed as salad. At the beginning of the year, I served yellow tomato caprese for the teachers’ back-to-school. It seemed only fitting to use yellow tomatoes in my caprese for the end-of-the-year party today! So since I never serve anything exactly the same way twice, I’ll share my current variation. I halved golden grape tomatoes (first time I’ve found these at the store!!!), red grape tomatoes and the mozzarella balls (ciliegine). Then, I tossed them together with extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped sweet basil, fresh ground sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Just before serving I will drizzle with some balsamic vinegar.

Colorful Caprese

The hardest part is making sure the caprese is not devoured before leaving the house… with this dish, it’s not just Hubster, it’s also me!

Which summer dish do you prepare multiple variations?

Pepper Salad

Tags

BBQ, bell pepper, food, food photography, foodie, jalapeño, lime, lunch, pepper, picnic, postaday2011, pot luck, recipe, salad, shallot, side dishes, summer, vegetarian

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!
I’m usually pretty patient and calm, but my internet service has really gotten to me these past few weeks. We had the company send someone out to look at the connection and hopefully we’re back on track. I’ve missed having my internet…

This weekend was Memorial Day weekend, the kick off to summer. Our weekend was filled with several barbecues and I wanted to share a few recipes that I made. Today is my pepper salad recipe, just as appeasing to the palette as they eyes. Hubster and my MIL were really hesitant about this salad, but I insisted that’s what I was taking. Turns out everyone found a different way to enjoy it. I ate mine as a side dish, one person mixed it in with his pasta salad, another put it on top of a burger, one on top of a hot dog. It enhanced anything to added it to…

Pepper Salad

Ingredients: 
1 green pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, 2 jalapeño peppers, 1 shallot, 1/4 c. vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 limes, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Cut peppers and mince shallot, set aside in bowl. Whisk together oil, mustard, lime juice, lime zest, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over peppers and toss gently. Place in refrigerator and allow to set for several hours before serving.

*Bonus if you can get ahold of a purple bell pepper or white bell pepper.

What was on your plate this weekend??