Hopefully, where ever you are the weather has been as beautiful and uplifting as the gorgeous spring weather we’ve been experiencing here in the D.C. area. The breakthrough of sunny skies, gentle winds and comfortable warmth has been a refreshing detour from the harsh winter we experienced this year. Now with all the snow melted and days warm enough to leave the jacket at home and breakout the sandals, it’s time to ease up on soups and stews, and move on to lighter and refreshing dishes.

The first touch of spring and lighter fare in my kitchen comes from this nutritious whole wheat pasta salad. Working well as a light side dish for lunch or an afternoon snack, a tasty pasta salad is also a good thing to have in your collection of dishes for your first cook out or BBQ of the season.

Made with whole grain pasta, my spring fresh and summer ready pasta salad includes a variety of flavorful, fresh ingredients like diced tomatoes, green onions, tangy black olives, and a homemade vinaigrette of extra-virgin olive oil, white whine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Easy to make in all of about 30 minutes, you can eat it warm, but it gets that cool and refreshing taste of a salad once you refrigerate it or allow it to come to room temperature. Enjoy!

Spring Fresh, Summer Ready Pasta Salad
Serves 8

3 cups whole wheat corkscrew (rotelle) pasta
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 small ripe tomatoes seeded, peeled and diced
2 scallions (green onions) thinly sliced (green parts only)
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup diced red onions
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Dressing
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup quality white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of salt

Fill a large pot with water, add 1/2 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and set aside in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, add white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and dried thyme. Then slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil while quickly whisking all dressing ingredients together. Season dressing with a pinch of salt and taste to adjust flavor as needed.

Add olives, green onions, red onions and tomatoes to your bowl of pasta and add in dressing (you may not need to use all of it). Stir all together and mix well. Season pasta salad with salt, pepper and lemon zest to taste. Set aside or refrigerate to cool completely before serving.

Until this past weekend, I never realized just how beautiful the Virginia countryside is. Last fall I took a trip to Culpeper, VA with a friend to visit their cute shops and pick apples. We had such a great time that I wanted to share the experience with some of my family members. So this past weekend I, my parents, a cousin and several aunts and uncles took an overnight trip to Culpeper and Madison counties for a few farm and winery tours. Blessed with sunny and pleasantly crisp fall weather, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and as we took the “back” roads from place to place, the sights of the wide open and beautifully manicured fields accented with wooden fences and gorgeous homes added to our enjoyment.

Culpeper County was having their official Fall Harvest Farm Tour, and although we didn’t include all 12 site visits on our trip, we made it to several including a few unofficial stops to two wineries and to Graves Mountain Farm for apple picking. Between the nine of us, we left the orchard with about 10 or 11 boxes of apples – staymen, red delicious, golden delicious, fuji, and granny smith. So needless to say, a few of my upcoming posts will include apples!

First up, apple pecan chicken salad. I’ve wanted to feature chicken salad for a while because it’s always great for using up leftovers from roast chicken (waste not). In addition, it’s also good to make when you’re short on time or want to make a batch to last you for enough lunches or afternoon snacks through the week. Just simply buy a whole roasted or rotisserie chicken from the supermarket – a great short cut.

The Corner Bakery has a delicious chicken salad that includes apples and currants, so along with the apples I picked, that is the inspiration for this recipe. The sweetness and crunch of the apples add a pleasant taste to this chicken salad, and my favorite flavor note in this recipe comes from the toasted pecans. So enjoy, and take a look back at my apple recipes from last fall – apple pecan salad with apple cider vinaigrette (apple pecan is a great flavor combo) and apple crisp.

Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

1 whole roasted or rotisserie chicken (4 – 5 pounds),  shredded or well chopped into small pieces
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 cup diced apple
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon quality mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 light dashes smoked paprika
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Toast the pecan halves in a small sauté pan over medium low heat. Remove pan from heat once the pecans become fragrant (about 3 – 4 minutes). Allow pecans to cool slightly, then chop.

Working piece by piece (breast, legs, thighs, wings) and with your hands, separate the meat from the bones and chop the meat of the cooked chicken up into small pieces, then add it to a large bowl. Add the celery, diced apple, currants and half of the salt, thyme, paprika and some fresh ground black pepper along with the mayonnaise and stir well with a rubber spatula to combine.

Add the remaining half of salt, thyme and paprika along with the chopped pecans and stir to combine once more. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve apple pecan chicken salad on bread as a sandwich or with crackers or toasted bread. 

I’ve been putting off writing this post for two weeks now. Why? Partly because I’ve been ridiculously busy with other activities and partly because I’m conflicted about the traditional southern potato salad. The chunky, seasoned white potato and mayo mixture is a mainstay on many southern and African-American tables during family gatherings, especially in the summer. However, it’s not the healthiest thing you can eat with its high fat content from the mayonnaise, and there in lies the conflict.

I was never really crazy about potato salad while growing up, although almost everyone in my family was and still is (on my Dad’s side in particular, many are crazy about my mom’s potato salad). But, over the years I’ve come to enjoy a little dab of the homemade stuff every now and then (portion control is key).

Speaking of homemade, if you’re going to eat potato salad, please, please, PLEASE, make sure it’s homemade! I’ve never tasted a store-bought, mayo-based potato salad I thought was any good, and I’ve been to a lot of church functions and back-yard cookouts where more and more people are taking the store-bought route.

This recipe below is my attempt to get as close as possible to my mom’s recipe, which she pulls from her memory every time she makes it, adding ingredients by sight and feel rather than specific measurements. I called her up and asked her to give me her estimates of amounts used.

Two things are key, she told me, to making a good potato salad — use a large, waxy variety of potato and “always use Duke’s” mayonnaise. My mom swears by Duke’s mayonnaise. She says that she has made potato salad with several other brands of mayo and she says it’s never as good as it is when it’s made with Duke’s.

As for the potatoes, I used the kind she uses the most, large red potatoes. The main thing to remember for potatoes is to use a waxy, thin-skinned variety because they hold their shape better than, for example, russet potatoes, which are ideal for baking.

What are your thoughts on potato salad? Do you love it, hate it or usually buy it by the container in the store? Let’s chat about it in the comments section below!

Potato Salad, Traditional and Southern
Serves 5 – 8 (depending on serving size)

1 1/2 pounds large red potatoes, about 6
(or another variety of waxy potato)
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
4 tablespoons sweet relish
2 hard-boiled eggs, diced
1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 white onion, finely diced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place rinsed and scrubbed potatoes in a large stockpot and fill the pot with water until the water covers the potatoes by one inch. Place the pot over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once water comes to a boil, reduce heat to med/medium-high, partially cover pot with lid allowing steam to come out, and cook potatoes for about 40 minutes or until fork-tender.

Meanwhile, hard-boil your eggs and set aside to cool. Peel and dice them once cooled. When potatoes are cooked, drain them from the water and set aside to cool. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes with your hands, dice the potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl. 

Add diced eggs and remaining ingredients except for the celery seeds, salt, and pepper and gently fold and combine everything together. Sprinkle celery seeds over mixture and add salt and pepper to taste gently folding and combining once more. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Over the past several weeks I’ve been going through stacks of food magazines that I have piled up in my apartment due to a hectic schedule that has me putting my leisure reading on hold. Working my way through copies of Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Living, Saveur and Edible Chesapeake, I’ve clipped a handful of recipes I want to try that look great for summertime.

Bon Appétit’s beautiful photo of their caesar potato salad with sugar snap peas caught my eye as well as my interest in wanting to try a chunky (rather than mushy) potato salad that didn’t rely on mayonnaise.  Not that there’s anything wrong with the traditional homestyle potato salad, but I’ve never been a huge fan. However, everyone raves over my mom’s potato salad recipe so I plan to feature that soon.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to try something different, this warm fingerling potato salad with just minor differences from Bon Appétit’s version can add a new texture and flavor to your next summer cook out or dinner. And here’s another bonus, it doesn’t take long at all to make. Let me know what you think!

Warm Fingerling Potato Salad
Adapted from Bon Appétit’s
Caesar Potato Salad with Sugar Snap Peas
Serves 4 (Double the recipe to serve more)

1 lb. unpeeled, assorted fingerling potatoes (tri-color), scrubbed and sliced 1/2 inch thick 
1 handful of sugar snap peas (about 4 oz.)
4 radishes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 tbs diced red onion

Dressing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam potatoes for 8 – 9 minutes. Add peas and steam for 1 – 2 minutes more. Transfer potatoes and peas to large bowl and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. In another bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, garlic, cheese and olive oil to make your dressing. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add the sliced radishes and diced red onion to the peas and potatoes. Pour dressing over the vegetables and gently toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

One of my favorite things to do during the fall is attend festivals. It seems that there’s always an abundance of outdoor events going on this time of year whether it be in the city or the countryside. I guess this is due in part to weather that’s usually just right, not too hot and not too cold. Not to mention that for years in the U.S., communities celebrated the fall harvest with jubilant festivals. This past weekend, for the second year in a row, I attended the National Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville, Pennsylvania (Adams County), a small town outside of Gettysburg and about an hour and a half drive from Washington, DC. 

Lined with row after row of apple trees, the country roads leading to the festival give you a sense of anticipation before you even get to the ticket line. The festival was full of all kinds of treats – apple butter, apple sauce, apple pies, apple crisp, apple syrup, apple jelly, apple cookies, apple bread, apple fritters, apple pizza, fried apples, caramel apples, candied apples, apple daiquiris, apple cider … you name it. Needless to say, I ate way, way, way too much!

I came home with a half peck of Jonathan and Gala apples planning to make an apple crisp to share on the blog this week. However, after eating all of those apple goodies and then some, I figured I’d step up the cardio and take a hiatus from sweets this week. So I prepared an apple salad with apple cider vinaigrette instead. Next week I’ll deliver on the apple crisp.

Since I’m working on building up my repertoire of homemade salad dressings, it was fun to experiment with this vinaigrette using apple cider vinegar. Why go through the trouble of making your own dressing when you can just buy a bottle from the grocery store? Because it’s easy, fresh, and free of the preservatives and additives found in most store bought dressings. So give this salad and dressing a try. And don’t hesitate to add sliced grilled chicken on top for a heartier dish.

Also, consider checking out a local harvest festival in your area. Just do a Google search for “fall festivals” and the name of your town or area. You’ll be surprised by the interesting events you come across.

Apple Pecan Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Apple Pecan Salad
9 oz or 1 head of your favorite salad greens – romaine,  spinach, etc.
1 cup of pecan halves
Gorgonzola Cheese (just enough to crumble over the salad)
1 apple (a red apple will do – red delicious, jonathan, gala, etc.)

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the pecan halves and toast on each side for about 2 minutes. Don’t burn the pecans, just warm them until they become a little fragrant. Remove pecans from heat and set aside.

Slice (or dice into 1/2 inch cubes) the apple and set aside. Now put your salad together in a large bowl starting with your greens. Add the sliced/diced apple over the greens, then sprinkle the pecans over the greens and apple slices followed by small crumbled pieces of gorgonzola cheese. Prepare the vinaigrette.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbs apple cider
1 tbs minced shallot
1 tbs honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground black pepper

Finely mince 1/2 shallot to get 1tablespoon of mined shallot. In a small bowl, add the apple cider vinegar, apple cider, minced shallot, honey, salt and pepper and briskly whisk. While whisking, slowly pour in (in a thin steady stream) the olive oil. Continue to briskly whisk as you pour in the oil. Whisk well for one to two minutes. Spoon vinaigrette over individual servings of the salad. Serve.