Tag: salad

Classic Potato Salad with Peas

Classic Potato Salad with Peas

I love experimenting and creating new recipes but who doesn’t love good old-fashioned potato salad? Mine’s pretty much a classic skins-on potato salad with peas added for their bright flavor and nutritional punch. I prefer to use red potatoes because I love their flavor and 

Papaya Seed Dressing

Papaya Seed Dressing

Spring has officially arrived here in Northern Illinois and yet they’re calling for an inch or two of snow tonight. Sigh. We had a week or so of nice 50+ degree weather though and we even grilled out a couple of times, so I know these 

Corn Relish Salsa Canning Recipe

Corn Relish Salsa Canning Recipe

It’s that time of year again! (I mean canning time, of course) First on the canning schedule this year was corn salsa (or corn relish, if you prefer). Skelly’s Farm Market, a local farm stand, is selling the sweetest, juiciest sweet corn right now and I just had to preserve some of it. I’ve not canned corn salsa in a few years, so we were long overdue for a new batch.

Luckily, I was able to track down my old recipe in my pile o’ recipes, full of scribbles and notes and such. This is, obviously, a canning recipe, but feel free to cut it in half and make some for the fridge. It’s great as a salsa or relish and the possibilities for it are almost endless.

You can also customize this as you like, though if you are canning it, try and stick close to the measurements. If, for example, you don’t want yours very spicy, substitute some celery, or bell peppers or more corn for the hot peppers.

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Hot Corn Salsa Relish Canning Recipe

Makes 6 pints

  •  18 ears sweet corn, shucked and cleaned, cut off the cob (8 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (do not use a butter substitute)
  • 1 onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 large jalapenos, finely chopped
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 large orange bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
  • 3 stalks celery, sliced (3/4 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups cider and/or white vinegar

Have your jars, lids, and bands sterilized and ready to go.

  • In a large pan, melt butter until bubbly. Add onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add bell peppers, celery, sea salt, and pepper. Saute another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add vinegar and bring corn mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and pack corn salsa into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
  • Wipe rims of jars, place seals and bands on jars, and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
  • Remove jars from bath and let sit, undisturbed, for 24 hours. If any seals have not sealed correctly, place in refrigerator, otherwise, place sealed jars in cool dark place to store.

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I’m sure I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again. The biggest time-suck with canning is making sure everything is sterilized and ready to go. Once everything’s ready, it’s really a pretty quick process. These should seal almost immediately upon removing from the hot water bath; mine take 5 minutes at the most.

This is one of the best ways to preserve fresh sweet corn and it makes a lovely gift since it’s not something you can usually find on your grocer’s shelves.

Again, we like ours pretty hot, so I tend to add a lot of jalapenos. Feel free to mix it up with a different hot pepper or just substitute sweet bells for the hot ones.

I hope you’re all enjoying your summer so far!

Grated Raw Beet and Carrot Slaw

Grated Raw Beet and Carrot Slaw

My husband, beet lover that he is, put our beet seeds in the ground in late March. We just harvested the bulk of them about a week ago (early July) and oh, what a harvest it was! Beets are so good for you – they’re 

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is one of those foods that became super trendy, for a while. Super trendy until a lot of people actually tried it and decided they didn’t like it. The first way I ever made it was as a savory side dish, with mushrooms, veggie stock, 

Asian-Style Coleslaw

Asian-Style Coleslaw

If you’ve been with me on this journey for a while, then you’ve seen my no-mayo coleslaw recipe, made with cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. In that post, I mention another no-mayo coleslaw recipe that I make and this, finally, is that recipe.  If you’ve never had coleslaw without mayo, I hope you’ll give this a whirl. Personally, I find coleslaw that’s made with an oil and vinegar base, instead of mayonnaise, a crisper, more refreshing dish. Let me know your thoughts.

lola-rugula-asian-no-mayo-coleslaw-recipe

No-Mayo Asian Style Coleslaw Recipe

  • 5 cups shredded cabbage, broccoli and/or carrots
  • 3 scallions, whites and greens, sliced (or red onion)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 teaspoon white and/or black sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Mix everything together thoroughly in a large bowl and refrigerate. Best if made at least one hour ahead of time.

This is such a simple recipe but it’s just packed with flavor. I always tell you, though – don’t be afraid to play with your food. Toss in some sliced almonds or peanuts for added crunch. Add some finely-chopped jalapeno for a bit of heat. Mix up your cabbages – napa, red, green or even some bok choy. Amp up the vitamin content with some steamed asparagus, broccoli, snow peas, and/or bell pepper. Hate cilantro? Try fresh mint or parsley, instead. Make it colorful and make it your own.

Also, if you’re into sprouts, this is a great salad to throw some into…bean, radish, broccoli…any or all of them are wonderful.

Good, fresh, clean food doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. This is such a great salad, bursting with all kinds of good stuff.

Cheers to coleslaw with no mayo! I hope you love it! Enjoy.

Braised Black Lentils with Veggies and Herbs

Braised Black Lentils with Veggies and Herbs

Lentils have made a serious comeback in the last year or so. Okay, maybe not a kale-style comeback, but a comeback, nonetheless. I don’t want to turn you off from lentils by telling you this, but lentils are pretty darned good for you. Lentils health