Category Archives: Vegetarian

SHAVED MUSHROOM SALAD WITH PARMESAN

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I met a woman recently who told me she was getting married for the fourth time.  Can you imagine?  I asked her what happened to her first husband, and she said he died after eating poisonous mushrooms.  In a tragic twist of fate, her second husband also died after eating poisonous mushrooms.  “What about your third husband,” I asked.  She said he died of a broken neck.  “A broken neck?  How terrible!!”  “Yes,” she said, “he wouldn’t eat the mushrooms.”

This is a wonderful salad made with nonpoisonous mushrooms.  Of course, you have to love  mushrooms, which we do.  My husband is, after all, a fun guy.  I used to have a device that would lead me to the best mushrooms, but it seems I’ve lost my morel compass, so now I just buy them at the grocery store.  Use fresh, firm mushrooms, and slice them as thin as possible — use a mandoline if you have one.

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SHAVED MUSHROOM SALAD WITH PARMESAN
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Ingredients
  • 6 large white or cremini mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Clean mushrooms, trim stem end, and thinly slice vertically (using a mandoline, if possible). Place mushrooms and parsley in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Pour dressing over mushrooms and stir gently to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow serving bowl or plate, top with grated Parmesan, and serve immediately.

Ready for their parmesan topping

Dressed and ready to go

PERFECT POTATO SALAD

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Have you been losing sleep over what to bring to a 4th of July party?  (I hope you’re not losing sleep over not being invited to a 4th of July party.)  Let me start by saying that not everything has to be red, white, and blue for a 4th of July meal.  Let someone else bring the RW&B dipped strawberries, cookies, cakes, salads (these never really work), etc.  Show up with a cool, creamy, potato salad and do a little indepen-dance as you watch others mound it on their plates.

This recipe is one my sister-in-law introduced me to, and is adapted from a quirky cookbook called Leaving Home by Louise (Lulu) P. Grace — “For people who love good food . . . but don’t know how to cook . . . are too tired to cook . . . or don’t want to cook.”  Yep, Lulu covered all the bases.  I gather from the book’s Dedication that she was also a dreamer — “Kids, here’s hoping that you can prepare and serve these delicious and nutritious dishes to your friends, husbands, wives, and Dad and me.”   The book, published in 1984, is out of print, but you can still find it on eBay.

The majority of the recipes in the book, including this potato salad, call for “Knorr Swiss Aromat Seasoning for Meat.”  The main ingredients of this seasoning are salt (ok) and msg (which I do not use), and thus, I omitted it from the recipe.

Potato salad doesn’t necessarily need a recipe — it’s pretty easy to wing it (taters gonna tate).  But for those who prefer a consistently good one, this is a contender.

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PERFECT POTATO SALAD
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups peeled, diced, cooked russet potatoes
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • ¼ cup diced sweet yellow onion
  • ¼ cup dill relish
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Bring 6 cups of water to boil in a large pot, and add the potatoes. Boil until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and let cool completely.
  2. Put the cooled potatoes in a large bowl and mash a few of the chunks to give the salad a creamy, not smooth, texture. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

See you tater, alligator