Dijon Vinaigrette Potato Salad

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

3 lbs. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, whole (each about 3 inches in diameter)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. coarse-grained Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. caper liquid from the jar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced
2 Tbsp. capers, drained

Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by 2 inches.  Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and let cool.

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, caper liquid, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl until blended.  Set aside.

Cut the cooked potatoes into bite-size pieces.  Place the potatoes in a large bowl.  Add the chives, parsley, tarragon and capers.  Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and gently toss to coat.  Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Red Pepper Strips with Artichoke and Caper Filling

(recipe from The Vegan Gourmet by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler & Mindy Toomay)

1 can (13 3/4 oz.) water-packed artichoke bottoms
1/3 cup minced red onion
2 Tbsp. capers, drained, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sweet paprika
Several grinds black pepper
2 medium red bell peppers

Drain the artichoke bottoms and mince them finely.  Toss with the onion, capers, and parsley.  Stir together the mustard, olive oil, vinegar, basil, paprika, and black pepper.  Toss with the artichoke mixture until well combined.  Set aside.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise.  Discard the stems, seeds, and white membranes and cut each half pepper into 3 lengthwise strips, taking care to create strips with a cupped shape that can hold the filling.  Spoon the artichoke mixture along the length of each bell pepper strip.  Arrange the filled pepper strips in a pretty pattern on a serving dish.  Serve at room temperature.

(I made these for Gretchen's Christmas party, and they were a hit - and a healthy alternative to the other appetizers, namely cheese plates and the like.  I cut my strips much smaller than described, but made sure to preserve the cupped shape as best as possible.  With smaller, less cupped strips, just mush the mixture together along the length of the strip with your fingers, much like sushi - the mixture is wet enough that it can be molded in such a way.)

Potato and Roasted Cauliflower Salad

(recipe adapted from Food & Wine magazine)

1 1/2 lb cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
1/8 cup coconut oil
Kosher salt
3/4 lbs. fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/4-inch thick
3/4 lbs. baby red potatoes, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I love grapeseed oil Vegenaise)
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 cup brined capers, drained, rinsed and finely chopped
1/8 cup finely chopped parsley
Grated horseradish, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400F.  On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the oil and season with salt.  Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring once, until just tender and lightly browned; let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the fingerlings and red potatoes until just tender, about 8 minutes.  Drain.  Spread the potatoes on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with the vinegar.  Let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, shallots, mustard, capers, and parsley.  Add the cauliflower and potatoes and toss.  Season with salt to taste and garnish with more parsley, if desired.  Serve with horseradish.

Refrigerate; bring to room temperature just before serving.

(I just mixed some horseradish right in when whisking the other sauce ingredients, to taste.  Really delicious potato salad - makes me want to add roasted cauliflower to every potato salad recipe!)

Potatoes and Artichokes with Mustard Caper Vinaigrette

(my adaption of a recipe from The Vegan Gourmet by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler & Mindy Toomay)

2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. capers, drained and minced
6 Tbsp. lemon juice
One 15oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and cut to 1/4"-thick wedges
3/4 lb. tiny red potatoes
1/3 cup minced red bell pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
mixed salad greens


Stir together the vinegar, mustard, and garlic until well blended, then whisk in the olive oil.  Stir in the capers.  Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the vegetables.

Scrub the potatoes; do not peel.  Slice them crosswise into 1/4"-thick pieces.  Pour an inch of water into the bottom of a medium-size saucepan, put in the potato pieces, and cover.  Over medium-high heat, cook the potatoes until fork-tender but not soft, about 6-8 minutes.  Test frequently; the texture is important to the success of the dish.

Drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water.  Drain thoroughly and toss together in a serving bowl with the artichoke hearts and bell pepper.  Toss again with the dressing and set aside to marinate at room temperature for up to several hours. 

When ready to serve, toss the vegetable mixture with the parsley and greens.

Roasted Potato Salad with Shaved Fennel and Salsa Verde

(recipe from finecooking.com)

2 lb. small red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced chives
3 Tbsp. drained, rinsed, and chopped capers
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used a smaller amount of dried thyme)
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium-small fennel bulb

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450F.  Spread the potatoes on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper, and roll them around to evenly coat them with the oil.  Spread the potatoes in a single layer, preferably with a cut side down.  Roast until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes.  The potatoes should be browned on the sides touching the pan.  Loosen the potatoes from the pan with a thin spatula and transfer them to a large serving bowl.

While the potatoes are roasting, in a medium bowl, stir the parsley, olive oil, chives, capers, orange juice, vinegar, orange zest, thyme, shallot, and garlic to make the salsa verde.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut off the top and the bottom of the fennel.  Cut the fennel bulb in half from top to bottom, and again into quarters - remove the cores.  Lay each quarter on its cut surface and then slice crosswise as thinly as possible.

Add the salsa verde and shaved fennel to the bowl of roasted potatoes - they can be added while potatoes are still warm, or at room temperature.  Toss well, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Cauliflower Slaw

(recipe from smittenkitchen.com)

1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds
Juice of half a lemon (about 1 Tbsp.), plus more to taste
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
3 Tbsp. dried currants
5 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for frying
2 Tbsp. brined or salt-packed capers
1 small, compact-looking head of cauliflower (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
Freshly ground pepper
3 scallions, thinly sliced (use green and white parts)
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional, mostly for color)

Heat oven to 350F.  Spread almonds on a tray and toast them until they're a deep golden color, tossing them once or twice to ensure even cooking.  This will take 10 to 14 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place lemon juice, vinegar, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl.  Add currants; set aside and let them soak while you prepare the other ingredients.

If using brined capers, drain and spread them on paper towels until most of their moisture has wicked out, about 5 minutes.  If using salt-packed capers, soak them in water for 10 minutes to remove the saltiness, then drain, rinse, and pat dry on paper towels.  Pour 1/2-inch of olive oil, or another oil that you prefer to fry in, in a small skillet or saucepan.  Heat it over medium-high heat.  When hot enough that a droplet of water added to the oil hisses, carefully add the capers and step back - they're going to sputter a bit for the first 10 seconds.  Once it's safe to get closer, give them a stir.  Depending on how dry they were, it can take 1 to 2 minutes for them to get lightly golden at the edges and then crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  Drain on paper towels.

Trim cauliflower leaves and cut the head into quarters.  Cut stems and florets into 1/4-inch slices.  Add to a large bowl.

Scoop currants from vinegar mixture with a slotted spoon and add to bowl with cauliflower, along with almonds, capers, scallions, and parsley.  Slowly whisk 5 Tbsp. olive oil into remaining vinegar mixture in a thin stream.  Add several turns of freshly ground black pepper.  Pour over cauliflower and other ingredients and turn gently to coat.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more lemon juice, salt, or pepper to taste.  Serve.

(Really different, crisp and tasty.  I didn't mess with all of the rinsing and draining of the capers - I just drained quickly and sautéed in a pan.)

Sauteed Zucchini with Mint, Basil, and Walnuts

(recipe from Food52)

1 lb. zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
3 small cloves garlic
10 mint leaves
5 basil leaves
1 heaping Tbsp. capers, rinsed
2 Tbsp. walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 to 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Additional mint and basil, torn, to garnish

Heat half of the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add half the zucchini and saute, flipping and turning every few minutes, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Don't salt them yet!

While your zucchini cooks, chop together the garlic, mint, basil, and capers so that they intermingle and turn into a sort of knife pesto.

When the zucchini is golden, remove it from the pan and cook the remaining zucchini in the remaining oil, just as you did the first batch.  Then add the first batch back into the pan, along with the herb-garlic mixture and the vinegar, to taste.  Taste for salt; add a good pinch, plus a few cracks of pepper.  Toss well.

Scoop everything out onto a serving plate.  Right before serving, sprinkle on the nuts and extra herbs as a garnish.

(Sauteed zucchini is always delicious, and the garlic, herbs and nuts really makes it special.  I added some shrimp and tomatoes to leftovers to great effect.)

Braised Fennel Wedges with Saffron and Tomato

(recipe from asweetspoonful.com)

2 large fennel bulbs
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fennel seeds
Pinch of saffron threads
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Finely chopped fennel stalks
Finely chopped fennel greens
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. capers
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I used water)
Salt

Trim off the stalks and greens from the fennel bulbs and chop finely.  Set aside.  If the outer leaves of the bulbs look scarred, take a slice off the base and loosen them and set them aside for another use.  Halve each bulb lengthwise and cut the halves into wedges about 1-2 inches thick.  (Leave the core intact when slicing the fennel, as it's what really holds the slices together.)

Heat the olive oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the onion and fennel seeds, crumble in the saffron and thyme, and then cook until the onions soften and the steam releases the color from the saffron, about 7-10 minutes.  Add the fennel wedges and cook them until golden (even a little charred), turning them and the onions occasionally.  Once they are well colored, add the chopped fennel stalks and greens, garlic, stir in the tomato paste and capers, and add the stock and 1 tsp. salt.  Scrape the pan to release the juices, then cover and simmer until the fennel is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve over a bed of cooked grains.

(Since I'm avoiding grains, I ate this soupy mixture with an egg cooked in it to round it out.  I also just ate it as-is.  The braised fennel is tender and has a sweet, anise-y flavor.  Really unique dish.)