Foodie Friday: Chipotle Potato Salad

My good friend Perry passed along this chipotle potato salad recipe a little ways back and it's taken me a while to get it all in order. Last week I went to the store to get all the fixins and I forgot... the potatoes! I finally got around to buying a bag and let me tell you, this was not only the best potato salad I had ever made, but in fact the best potato salad I had ever tasted!



You will need:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup scallions
1 minced chipotle pepper in adobo seasoning
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds potatoes (red or sweet)



Directions:

1. Wash and chop potatoes (I used red potatoes).

2. Cook potatoes covered in boiling water for 10 minutes or until tender.

3. Drain potatoes and set aside to cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss with potatoes.








...and not bad to share with an artichoke.


__________________________________________________

Also, here is an awesome guide on what potatoes work best for specific dishes!

Best for baking: russet potato

Best for potato salads, gratins and scalloped potatoes: yellow finn potato, new potato, red potato, white round potato and purple potato

Best for mashing: russet potato, yukon gold potato, caribe potato and purple potato

Best for soups and chowders: yukon gold potato, yellow finn potato, red potato, white round potato and purple potato

Best for pan-frying: red potato, white round potato, new potato and fingerling potato

Best for French fries: russet potato, purple potato and bintje potato

Best for purees: fingerling potato

Best for roasting: new potato and bintje potato

Best for steaming: new potato and yukon gold potato

Best for potato pancakes: russet potato and yukon gold potato

Foodie Friday: homemade jalapeño dressing

After reading Danielle's short and sweet (well, spicy!) recipe of her favorite homemade salad dressing, I had to try it myself! I never even knew jalapeño mustard existed, but it does, and it is awesome. Good for sandwiches, hot dogs and this here salad dressing.





What you will need:

Jalapeño mustard
Balsamic vinegar
Salad of your choosing
Small container to mix your dressing in

Directions:

Throw a generous amount of jalapeño mustard in your dressing container, add a little bit uh balsamic vinegar and shake, shake, shake!





(and for those of you wondering, I bought this bottle of mustard at Target)

Foodie Friday: Veg-N-Out (part 2)

When I started writing this entry I had totally forgot that almost exactly one year ago I wrote this one. I still stand by every word I said and would like to add that I had such a superb salad last week that I had to come back and write a Foodie Friday about this place.

The first day I started feeling sick I went out for a healthy dinner at Veg-N-Out. I got the Fresh Mozzarella Salad with a side of potato wedges. Even though there was a small caterpillar friend on my lettuce that I noticed near the end, I had zero complaints. The mozzarella and tomatoes were fresh, full of flavor, topped with the perfect amount of salt, pepper and homemade berry balsamic dressing. The garlic bread was toasted perfectly with chunks of flavorful garlic and herbs with the most delicious crunch. The potato wedges were fantastic and not a single one was left over!









Location: 3442 30th St. San Diego, California 92104
Neighborhood: between South Park and North Park

Slacker + instagram photo dump

Sorry I've been slacking on posts lately. Between planning two vacations, working and spending too much time playing words with friends, I've been neglecting my poor blog. However, I have been reading all of yours and I'm getting back my inspiration.

Here are a few instagram photos and I'll be back soon!

















Don't forget to enter the Lightlife giveaway before it ends tomorrow evening!

Tender Greens

The first time I visited Tender Greens was about a year ago. A local gluten-intolerant friend recommended them for a good salad. Since it's close to my work, I had suggested to another friend who was in town that we stop in for a bite to eat before work. Since then, I've been back numerous times and it's always just as good as the last.



Basically their menu is broken down into two sections: a big salad or "hot stuff". The list of salads is long and they all sound very big a very tasty. I've always opted for the "hot stuff" since it comes with a simple salad anyway. First, you choose your meat (flank steak, salt and pepper or bbq chicken, herb brushed local albacore or oxnard vegetables). Then you either place it on hot plate or sandwich, both come with a simple salad. All of the entrees, no matter the combination, are $10.50.



The potatoes that come with the hot plates are out of this world, yukon gold mashed potatoes mashed and spiced to perfection.


herb brushed local albacore hot plate + bread + baby arugula simple salad + yukon gold mashed potatoes


albacore sandwich on ciabatta with roasted red peppers and aioli + romaine hearts simple salad


vegetable sandwich on ciabatta with roasted vegetables and aioli + romaine hearts a simple salad



I didn't really touch the subject, but Tender Greens has the cutest atmosphere, definitely classy with high vaulted ceilings, big windows and modern furnishings.

Locations: 2400 Historic Decatur Road San Diego, California 92101
Point Loma
Also located in Culver City, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Walnut Creek, West Hollywood and Hollywood

grilled chick'n salad

Morning Star has come out with a new chick'n patty:



I cooked and sliced up some grilled chick'n, vine ripened tomatoes, parmesan cheese, croutons and Cafe Rio's creamy tomatillo dressing (that Jon had brought back for me from his trip to Orange County), and placed all of this over crisp, fresh, romaine lettuce.