dijon mustard
Appetizers, Favorites, Gluten Free, Mains, Salads, Quick, Sides, Vegetables, VegetarianRebecca Shetler Fastlime, parmesan, garlic, black pepper, dijon mustard

Black Pepper & Lime Caesar Salad

My mother and sister flew to Haiti last week, the final visit in an amazing month of family guests. First Madeline's uncle arrived on a spur of the moment 48-hour trip to cuddle his new niece. Next to arrive was her grandpa and grandma, traveling to Haiti from Indiana, narrowly avoiding a political protest near the airport on the day of their arrival. Madeline's omi and opi from Canada made it in time to see her first smiles, and last week she met her aunt from Pittsburgh for the first time. It has been an incredible expression of love and support from both of our families as they trekked to Haiti, schlepping our many bags along with them. Each time, as I passed our little daughter over to her newly arrived family member, it was a moving experience. Perhaps it's the postpartum hormones... but there was just something about the contrast of having moved to a new place without family, and then watching the faces of our parents and siblings as they held our daughter for the first time that put a lump in my throat. So how does this all relate to this most excellent black pepper lime caesar salad recipe you might ask? My family is nuts for caesar salad. So as I paced the house waiting for my mother and sisters' delayed flight last week, I made my new favorite variation with black pepper and lime. I perfected this version over the last few months while pregnant and unable to eat the classic caesar dressing with raw eggs. I discovered mayonnaise to be a creamy and delicious substitute and swapped out the traditional lemon in favor of local key limes. This is an addictive dressing, so I recommend just going ahead and doubling it the first time.

Appetizers, Favorites, Gluten Free, Mains, Salads, Quick, Sides, Vegetables, VegetarianRebecca Shetler Fastlime, parmesan, garlic, black pepper, dijon mustard
Black Pepper & Lime Caesar Salad
Vegetarian, Whole Grains, Summer, Gluten Free, QuickRebecca Shetler Fastsoba noodles, buckwheat, squash, red onion, dijon mustard, green onions, soy sauce, zucchini

Zucchini Soba Noodles with Grilled Vegetables

I hate leftovers. To me, there is nothing worse than a soggy day-old salad or a mealy reheated potato. Ok, fine, maybe not ALL leftovers are terrible. In fact, Paul and I eat them almost everyday as frozen workday lunches. Out of necessity, I've created a number of go-to dishes that are not only delicious the first time around, but real leftover wins. Soba noodles, a buckwheat pasta (often gluten free), have a number of things going for them in the leftover department: they cook in 4 minutes, have a great nutty taste, are good for you, and they freeze like champions.  

Zucchini Soba Noodles with Grilled Vegetables is one of our summer staples. This lightning-fast vegetarian main helpfully works through some of our zucchini back-log, by incorporating zucchini ribbons with unusual vinaigrette of mustard, soy sauce and lemon juice.  Add some grilled summer squash and red onions  and this dish is done in 10 minutes. 

Vegetarian, Whole Grains, Summer, Gluten Free, QuickRebecca Shetler Fastsoba noodles, buckwheat, squash, red onion, dijon mustard, green onions, soy sauce, zucchini
Zucchini Soba Noodles with Grilled Vegetables
Salads, Vegetarian, Summer, Gluten FreePaul Shetler Fastpotato, basil, red onion, roasted red pepper, rosemary, parmesan, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard

Tuscan Potato Salad

Tuscan Potato Salad is not your average picnic side. The punchy combination of rosemary, roasted red pepper, and Parmesan makes Tuscan Potato Salad a robust and lively dish.  This is one of our most requested recipes, particularly for those looking for a healthy and flavorful alternative to mayonnaise-based potato salads. Honestly, we like this potato salad so much that it often serves as a summer dinner all on its own.  One thing we have learned in Rebecca's relentless potato obsession, is that a a great potato salad is nothing without outstanding spuds. This salad is built on a foundation of creamy new potatoes and fragrant basil, both of which came in our weekly CSA (farm box) from Penn's Corner Farm Alliance.  

Salads, Vegetarian, Summer, Gluten FreePaul Shetler Fastpotato, basil, red onion, roasted red pepper, rosemary, parmesan, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard
Tuscan Potato Salad
Salads, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian, Gluten FreeRebecca Shetler Fastpotato, basil, green onions, dill, parsley, tarragon, chives, dijon mustard

Herb Potato Salad

I am mad for potatoes and have found myself, on more than one occasion, defensively sputtering to Paul that 'of course I absolutely NEED to bring back that bag of potatoes in my suitcase!'  In contrast to my gung-ho consumption of potatoes, I would consider Paul to be more of a casual appreciator of the humble spud, but we both love this Herb Potato Salad.  It is a light and vivacious, mayonnaise-free potato salad, with a snappy garlic-mustard vinaigrette lavished with herbs. Think of this recipe as an an outline that will easily adjust to different amounts and types of herbs and alternative vinegars and oils. 

Salads, Spring, Summer, Vegetarian, Gluten FreeRebecca Shetler Fastpotato, basil, green onions, dill, parsley, tarragon, chives, dijon mustard
Herb Potato Salad