Tzatziki Potato Salad

We at the No Pressure Cooker are fans of tzatziki. We've used a dill version as a dipping sauce for zucchini chips and a garlicy version as a dolloping sauce for zucchini fritters. It's just so delicious! It's tangy, it's creamy, it's amazing. I made potato salad with a nice, thick tzatziki sauce in place of the mayo/mustard dressing that is often used. In place of the celery, this version uses cucumbers for some crunch. We ate this with grilled tri tip and more artichokes. It was really a great summer dinner.

Tzatziki Potato Salad
Serves 6-8

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, boiled (about 6 small potatoes)
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic 
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup slivered red onion
2 cups chopped cucumber
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes with skins on until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Let the potatoes cool and chop into 1 inch cubes. While the potatoes cool, mix together yogurt, sour cream, vinegar, garlic, parsley and chives.

In a large bowl, mix potatoes, onions and cucumbers. Fold in the dressing and let the salad chill in the fridge. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Quesadillas with Peppers and Onions

As you have noticed, I like to make versatile dishes.  There is little pressure to keep things exactly the same and usually the experiments turn out well with a little tweak here or a little tweak there.  Chicken quesadillas (or quesadillas in general) are one of those things.  As long as you have cheese, you can just add whatever you have leftover in the fridge.  Also, they make for a super quick weeknight meal when you serve with a side of rice and beans.

For these quesadillas, I used rotisserie chicken (one of my staple ingredients).  Having a rotisserie chicken on hand really helps to take the “work” out of making chicken.  Chicken can be hard to make because many people overcook it as a precaution to undercooking and it potentially being harmful to your health.  If you use a rotisserie chicken, all you have to do is chop it up and use it in sandwiches, soups, salads, or…quesadillas! 

Chicken Quesadillas with Peppers and Onions

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

4 10-12” flour tortillas

Cooking spray

1 rotisserie chicken, breast and leg meat removed and chopped (~2.5c)

2 c shredded Mexican blend cheese

2 tsp Southwest seasoning

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and then peppers and onions.  Top with salt and pepper.  Stir peppers and onions to coat in oil and seasoning.  Continue cooking until tender and lightly browned.

Heat a cast iron griddle (or a large skillet) over medium-high heat.  Spray with cooking spray once heated.  Add flour tortillas, in batches, to heat and lightly brown on both sides.  Once the tortilla is heated, remove from pan.  On one half of the warm tortilla, spread a layer of cheese, then a layer of chicken, grilled peppers and onions, and then another layer of cheese.  Sprinkle Southwest seasoning over the top.  Fold tortilla in half so that chicken mixture is between each half of the tortilla.  Move back to the heated griddle and cook until the cheese is melted and the flour tortilla is browned (about 5-7 mins on each side). 

Kitchen Tool: I have a cast-iron griddle that has a grill pan on the other side.  Place over two equal sized burners and it provides for very even heating and allows for great browning.

Cut in thirds or quarters and serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Cheesecake in Jam Jars

I'm one of those people who thinks that food is even tastier when it's cute. Yes, I like tea sandwiches, and there is no reason to like butter and cucumber on white bread. But it's CUTE!! I saw these cheesecakes in jam jars in the Oregonian a few weeks ago and knew I had to make them. The cheesecake batter is very easy, and these tiny bites of cheesecake bake up in 25 minutes. These don't use a crust, so I also made the crumbly, graham cracker crust topping to sprinkle on top. And since cherries are in season, I a cooked up about a cup of pitted cherries with a tablespoon of sugar. Mighty tasty!

Cheesecakes in Jam Jars - from The Oregonian
Makes 10 cakes
Preheat oven to 325

2 8oz packages cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
lemon zest from one lemon

In a stand mixer fitted with the whipping whisk, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy - about 6 minutes. Next, beat in the sour cream until thoroughly mixed, about 1 minute. Add in eggs one at a time and beat until just incorporated, about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and last beat in the lemon zest until just mixed in.

Fill 10 jars leaving about 1/2 of space at the top. Place jars in a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour in enough hot water (hot from the tap, no need to boil or heat on the stove) until the water reaches about half way up the jars.

I had some cherries that I was planning on using for the topping, but on a whim, I decided to chop some up and put them in the bottom of the jars. The middle picture shows this. When we try these, I'll let you know how the turned out. Right now they are kicking it in the freezer waiting until we come back from a bathing-suit-rich vacation!

Bake the cheesecakes at 325 for 25 minutes or until the middles are no longer jiggly. Cool on a wire rack and then store in the fridge until chilled. Conveniently, the jars come with lids! ;)

Graham Cracker Crust Topping
Makes WAY too much
Heat oven to 350

6 whole graham crackers
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In a food processor, blend graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Once crumbly add in the melted butter and pulse until incorporated. 

Spread the crumbles on a sheet of parchment paper on a rimmed baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Next time, I will cut this recipe into thirds. It was way too much crumbles, even as yummy as they are.

A few things about this recipe...


I added a bit more lemon zest than the recipe called for, and these had a nice little tang to them, but I like a little bit of tang in cheesecake.

This batter and the crumb topping are nearly identical to the cheesecake tart I made last summer. Both are really easy and lemony.

I made cherry topping this time, but strawberries, blueberries, or chocolate sauce would be delicious too.

Enjoy!

Made this time last year: Pizza and Bread Sticks

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad... with Sweet Potato Chips

There are about a million different ways to make chicken salad.  At the end of the day, it really comes down to your own tastes and how you are going to serve it.  Some people bake their chicken and then dice it.  Others (like me) take the easy way out and use rotisserie chicken.  It adds great flavor and the chicken is always juicy.  Some prefer it without fruit and nuts and others like both.  Some serve it on bread and others serve it on crackers.  I’m sure you get the point by now :)

I make my chicken salad with shallots, cranberry, and walnuts.  I choose shallots because they give the salad a bit of a garlic flavor and a mild onion flavor.  The dried cranberries allow the chicken salad to last longer in the fridge as opposed to grapes.  However, I have used grapes before and I could go either way.  The walnuts add a textural element along with the celery that comes in most chicken salad recipes.  The last thing that puts my version over the top is the lemon juice.  Lemon juice adds a little bit of a zing and brightens up the overall dish.  I can’t wait for you to try this!

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

1c mayo

1 tsp mustard

juice from half of a lemon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 small shallot, minced

1/8 c chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 rotisserie chicken, breast and leg meat removed and chopped (~2.5c)

¼ c cranberries

¼ c chopped walnuts

1 celery rib, chopped into small pieces

Sliced whole grain bread (optional)

Leaf lettuce (optional)

Whisk together mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, shallot, parsley, and thyme in a large bowl.  Add chicken, cranberries, walnuts, and celery to dressing.  Stir well to combine.

Optional: To make sandwiches, lightly toast 2 slices of whole grain bread.  Place chicken salad in between slices and top with lettuce. 

…with Sweet Potato Chips

I think the American “way” is to have chips with salad.  I decided to fry up my own sweet potato chips for this weekend lunch I had.  To make these, use a mandolin to get very thin slices of sweet potato.  Try the thinnest setting or one level thicker. 

Heat vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Once oil is hot, add the sweet potato slices to the frying oil.  No need to coat with anything!  Once the chips are brown and crispy, remove and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with kosher salt immediately after removing from the oil.

Charred Artichokes aka Charred-i-chokes

Back home, before a husband, a house, a baby and a real job, I was a happy hour junkie. I still love eating and drinking at happy hour, it's cheap, the food is often fun and the right size, it's early, and if there is outside seating, I'm in seventh heaven! 

A few years ago in Santa Barbara, there was this restaurant called Chad's that fit all of my requirements for fantastic happy hour. AND it was conveniently within walking distance of my house and my dearest friend's house. AND within walking distance of our work. AND since we both worked in the same mall AND usually the same shift... well you get the idea, we were there a lot. Chad's made a charred artichoke appetizer that was delicious. Toasty and dusted in salt and pepper, charred on the edges and something crazy like $4. Ahhh. Love. 

Charred Artichokes aka Charred-i-chokes - inspired by Chad's of Santa Barbara

2 large globe artichokes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Boil whole artichokes covered in a large pot of salted water until a fork inserted in the base of the leaves - not the stem - sinks in easily. (The stem will cook pretty fast, so it's not a good test point. The artichokes I used were really large, and took about 40 minutes.)

When the artichokes are done cooking, remove them from the water and let them rest for a few minutes, until you can touch them enough to slice them in half. With a small paring knife, cut out the hairy center and sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Get your grill nice and hot, and place the artichokes cut side down. With the olive oil, you may get some flare ups, but that's OK. It just adds to the smoky char and it's awesome. Let the artichokes get nice and toasty for about 7 minutes. They are sturdy, so you can check them a bit. Flip them over and grill about 3 more minutes.

Chad's restaurant served these with a variety of dipping sauces, I like this light, aioli-ish dipping sauce to go with ours.

Lemony Dipping Sauce
Enough for 2 large artichokes

1/4 cup mayonaise
2 tablespoon olive oil
grated lemon rind from 1 lemon
Lemon Pepper to taste

While the artichokes boil, mix together all ingredients and store in the fridge. The dipping sauce is best if it has a while to rest and chill before you eat it.

A few things about this recipe...

Baby artichokes work just as well, just adjust your boiling time.
You can grill these on a griddle pan over the stove if you don't have, or don't want to fire up the outside grill. 
You can eat the stem of the artichoke and it's delicious. 

Enjoy!!

Made this time last year: Pappardelle with White Truffle Butter

Dijon Vinaigrette Potato Salad

Last month, my husband’s boss had a fiscal year-end celebration for his team and their families at his house.  This was the second year in a row he had this and the food has been great both times.  But this year, the one thing that stuck out to me (of all things) was this healthy, light, and tangy potato salad that was served.  I did what I normally do – gave my kudos to the chef and asked her what the heck she put in them.  Once she told me, I knew I could make it at home myself…so I did!

This Dijon vinaigrette potato salad is a French-style potato salad.  Honestly, it was my first time having it.  Why is it that potatoes can be paired with anything and be delicious???  Okay, sorry for the tangent.  Many of us in America are used to the potato salad swimming in mayo and mustard.  They have zero nutritional value and are heavy and filling.  Don’t get me wrong, I have had my share of the cholesterol-laden potato salads too, and many are quite yummy.  But it’s nice to find a healthier alternative when you want some variety. 

Dijon Vinaigrette Potato Salad

6 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil

¼ c white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried basil

¼ c sliced green onion

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Place potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 mins or until just tender; drain.  Cool for 30 mins.

Tip: Potatoes are done when a knife or fork easily pierces the potatoes with little to no resistance. 

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.  Add warm potatoes; toss gently to coat.

Note: Leftover Dijon vinaigrette can be used for salads for the next few days.  Store in the refrigerator.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

I made this potato salad as a side to a healthy Sunday dinner.  I served this with roasted chicken wings, roasted tomatoes and asparagus.  The potato salad paired well with these lighter options.  It made for a colorful, easy, and flavorful Sunday night.