Potato Salad

My family's favorite potato salad recipe.
Enjoy!

Potato Salad

Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 medium Russet potatoes
5 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Best Foods)
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. coarse-ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel, cut in half, and gently boil potatoes until cooked, about 30 minutes.
2. Drain water and cool, then with a knife, chop potatoes while still in pot, into 1-inch pieces. (Note: wait until potatoes have cooled sufficiently, otherwise you'll end up with Mashed Potato Salad)
3. Add chopped eggs, celery, and green onions to potatoes, mix.
4. Mix in a separate bowl, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper.  Add to potato mixture, and combine.
5. Serve chilled, or immediately at room temperature.

Barbecued King Salmon

On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day with our two younger sons who are home from college for the summer, and our eldest son who joined us by phone from Minnesota.
 Our middle son prepared barbecued king salmon for dinner.

He seasoned it with lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion granules, dill weed, chipotle chile powder, and lemon juice; topped it with onion and lemon slices, and placed it on the grill for 10-15 minutes.

It was delicious!

We also had garlic mashed potatoes, lemon-garlic broccoli, homemade bread, and warm berry cobbler with whipped cream for dessert.

It was a great time, and a great dinner, for a great Dad!

Guacamole

This is a very simple recipe for guacamole. I used to make it with a half cup of sour cream so it would spread further, but nowadays I leave out the sour cream for a healthier version.
 But either way you make it, it's delicious, and simple to make.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 or 3 ripe Hass avocados

garlic powder, to taste
sea salt, to taste

splash of lime juice (about 1 tbsp.)

Instructions:

1. Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove pits.
2. Scoop avocado into bowl, and mash.
3. Add garlic powder and sea salt to taste, while mixing together.  
4. Stir in a splash of lime juice to preserve its color.
5. Cover and chill, if not serving immediately.

Kale Pasta

I love this simple kale dish and make it almost every week.  The combination of garlic, onions, and lemon juice mixed in with the kale gives this dish its delicious flavor.

Kale Pasta

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of kale, large center ribs removed, chopped or torn into small pieces, and rinsed

4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

5 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

4-6 oz. whole-wheat spaghetti pasta

Juice from 1 large lemon

Generous sprinkling of sea salt

Red pepper flakes, to taste (we like a lot!)

Sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Add onion and and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
2. Add kale, remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil and salt, toss until wilted, about 3 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium low, and cook until kale is tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.  Add drained pasta to kale mixture, along with lemon juice.  Toss to combine.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and salt to taste.

A sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese over the pasta, and a side of garlic bread is delicious with this dish.

Kitchen Note:  Kale, like other leafy greens, cooks down to about one quarter of its raw size, so if you're not a kale gardener, buy one to two bunches of kale at the grocery store for this dish.