Healthier Red Skin Potato Salad
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Standardby carynfasko1 Comment

I originally posted this healthier red skin potato salad recipe all the way back in September of 2016 but wanted to give it a bit of an upgrade. While the recipe remains the same (I just remade it and it was delicious), I wanted to update the post with some new thoughts and pictures.

For me, like chicken salad, potato salad can either be delicious or severely disappointing, no middle ground here. I like a lot of flavor and just the right amount of mayo. Bland potatoes drowning in mayo tends to be what I find in many store bought potato salads, although I tend to be overly critical and easily disappointed with foods.

Since I’m not a fan of store bought potato salad, I have to make my own. But…I hate peeling potatoes. I feel like it is a waste of the limited time that I have. Especially since we are all stuck in the house together due to the quarantine. My main duties now include entertaining a 3 year old all day, and keeping her away from my husband who works at home, and taking care of a newborn. It’s not exactly how I envisioned my maternity leave going, but its much better than many other families are fairing right now, so I will count my blessings. I did end up purchasing a lesson plan from Busy Toddler for my 3 year old so I could have activities planned without having to think too much, and it has been really helpful. I got very tired of hearing her ask me what can she do next….

Anyways, red skin potatoes have a softer peel than regular white potatoes, so its totally cool to keep the skin on. Plus, it adds extra nutrients and I probably should not be peeling potatoes in my sleep deprived state anyways..

Healthier Red Skin Potato Salad

Healthier Red Skin Potato Salad

Serves 6
Ingredients
1.5 lbs Red Potatoes ( I just bought a 3lb bag and used half)
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Teaspoon Dried Dill
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Chives
1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar or Champagne Vinegar
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

 

Directions
Chop potatoes into bite size pieces (no need to remove skin) and place in a saucepan with water covering potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 min. While potatoes are cooking, mix mayonnaise, dill, chives and mustard in a small mixing bowl and refrigerate. Drain potatoes after they are done cooking and place in a large mixing bowl. Add vinegar, pepper and salt to potatoes, toss to coat. Allow potatoes to cool and then add refrigerated mayonnaise mixture to potatoes. Mix gently and refrigerate until ready to serve. Feel free to add celery or onions if you like a little crunch in your potato salad.
 

If you want more potato recipes, try my Crustless Quiche with Potatoes and Spinach or my Sweet Potato Pasta Salad.

Healthier Red Skin Potato Salad

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Easy and Healthy Pasta Salad
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Standardby carynfasko0 Comments

Originally Published in May 2015

Last weekend I turned 30 (old lady now…) so we thought we would do a beach party on Saturday to celebrate. So of course I wanted to make some nutritious and delicious food to bring. I had to think of something I could keep cold in a cooler and that would be refreshing and not too messy or complicated. Pasta salad seemed to be an easy solution…so my recipe for sweet potato pasta salad was born!

I used whole grains (good carbs for sustained energy and fiber), olive oil (good fat, anti-inflammatory properties), and fresh veggies (lots of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals). I was able to keep it in a large aluminum tray in the cooler and it did stay cool until we were ready to eat. I also made a fruit salad to bring because it is super easy to just chop up some melons, grapes and strawberries….and who doesn’t love cool, fresh fruit on a hot day? Plus…it has a ton of nutrients and can help keep you hydrated. My pasta salad turned out really delicious and fed about 16-20 people so keep that in mind when you see the large amounts of ingredients.

Sweet Potato Pasta Salad

Sweet Potato Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

32 oz Dry Whole Grain Pasta (I used Brown Rice Pasta to make it Gluten Free)

2 Large Sweet Potatoes

1 Head of Broccoli

4 Large Tomatoes

1- Fresh 8 oz Bag of Baby Spinach

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3/4 Cup Champagne or White Wine Vinegar

Juice from 2 Lemons

1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Sugar

Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Directions:

  • Cook pasta according to package directions in a very large pot.
  • While pasta is cooking, clean off sweet potatoes and poke several holes through the skin with a fork. Microwave on high for 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are cooked through.
  • Rinse broccoli and tomatoes and start chopping into pieces while sweet potatoes and pasta are cooking.
  • Remove sweet potatoes (be careful they will be very hot) and let cool.
  • Put chopped broccoli in the microwave on a microwave safe plate on high for 2 minutes…but only if you are like me and prefer your broccoli to be slightly cooked but still firm and crunchy. If you prefer it raw you can skip that step.
  • By now your pasta should be done cooking; drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking and add to your aluminum tray or serving dish.
  • Add the bag of spinach to the warm pot you just removed the pasta from and put back on burner on low heat stirring occasionally to warm and wilt spinach until it shrinks to about half.
  • Add warm spinach, broccoli, and tomatoes to pasta.
  • If your sweet potatoes are cool enough, peel off the skin and chop into bite size squares. If they still feel hot please be patient and let them cool down more… you can get burned by hot potato steam. The potatoes should peel very easily with a knife now that they are cooked.
  • Add the sweet potato pieces to the pasta mixture.
  • Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and sugar in a small bowl and pour over pasta. Mix well and add ground black pepper to taste.
  • Refrigerate until ready to eat, can be made the day before.

Healthy, Sweet Potato Pasta Salad, Whole Grain, Easy

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Gluten free and Healthy Baked Spinach Chickpea Fritters
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Standardby carynfasko0 Comments

Originally posted in November of 2017

A few weeks ago I made some spinach chickpea fritters and froze the leftovers. I could have just gobbled them down even though I was no longer hungry, because they were delish, but I am so glad I chose to freeze them instead. I am a huge proponent of making things ahead of time and freezing them (you kinda have to when you work full time, have over an hour long commute and a ten month old), and my frozen foods have come to the rescue several times over the past month.

 

Spinach Chickpea Fritters with Dip

 

Anyways, I am super happy I froze some of my spinach chickpea fritters because we spent last week in the hospital (baby v had bronchiolitis and pneumonia but is doing great now) and came home very tired to a house with a limited food selection. I searched through the freezer looking for something easy to feed baby v (I did not want to have to run to the grocery store) and was ecstatic when I found a tupperware full of my spinach chickpea fritters. Now I know what your thinking….is she posting a recipe for babies? Yes and no. This is a recipe for everyone. It does work great for babies because the patties are easy to pick up, and they contain iron from the chickpeas and spinach, which growing babies need a lot of. However, they also make a healthy, delicious and good looking appetizer for adults. It’s a win-win for all!

 

Blended Chickpeas

 

These spinach chickpea fritters are incredibly easy. Basically you blend and mix everything together and then plop the batter down on a parchment paper lined pan, add a little olive oil, and pop them into the oven. And the only thing I really had to clean afterwards was my blender and a few measuring instruments. These fritters are also super customizable. You can use this recipe as a template and switch out different flavors and spices. I’m thinking next time maybe adding some cumin or curry, or maybe even experiment with adding some feta.

 

Gluten free and Healthy Baked Spinach Chickpea Fritters

 

Spinach Chickpea Fritters

 

Ingredients
1-16 oz Can Reduced Sodium Garbanzo Beans
1 Cup Raw Baby Spinach
4 Tablespoons Almond Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Baking powder
1 or 2 Cloves Chopped Fresh Garlic
1 Egg
Olive Oil
 

 

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add beans and garlic to food processor or good blender and pulse until well blended. Add egg and spinach and continue to blend until you get a uniform green mixture. Remove blade from blender and stir in baking powder and flour. You should have a pasty green mixture that smells garlicky. The mixture should be too thin to roll into balls but thick enough to plop on a pan without running. Line baking pan with parchment paper and use a spoon to scoop out 12 large fritters in the baking sheet. Lightly brush or drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15-20 min. Turn on broil and broil for another minute or so until edges brown slightly.
 
 Gluten free and Healthy Baked Spinach Chickpea Fritters
 
 
*And if you need some dip just mix the ingredients below…
1/4 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Parsley or Dill
Dash of Ground Black Pepper
 
 

Looking for more spinach recipes? Try my Healthier Spinach Artichoke Dip… it is so easy and delicious you may not be able to eat the store bought version again.

Dietitian approved recipes for beginner cooks
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