Southwestern Black Bean, Sweet Corn and Roasted Potato Salad with Mandarin, Lime and Garlic Dressing

I often like to experiment with vegetables that I happen to have on hand. I don’t always have a specific recipe in mind, although I usually know the direction I want to go in. This time I started with the potatoes and the dressing and went from there.
You’ll notice that I’m using more and more potatoes lately. Like I’ve told you before, I find it fun, easy and cheap to cook with them.
I added the corn, beans and bell pepper until I got the right look and texture I’d envisioned. The spiciness of the potatoes contrasted with the sweet kernel corn and mandarin-lime dressing worked very well in this case.
Inventing this dish gave me a chance to use basil, cilantro and oregano growing in my herb garden.
The potatoes were done almost exactly like the crispy potato wedges, but instead of russet potatoes I used new red potatoes. Although I used a mandarin here, you could also use a tangerine instead.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds new red potatoes
1 cup whole kernel corn (or use frozen whole kernel corn)
1 1/2 cups black beans (or 1 15 oz can of low-sodium black beans, fully drained)
1/4 cup bell peppers, cut into small slices
1/4 cup green onions, diced
1/2 large avocado, diced

Mandarin-Lime and Garlic Dressing:
1 tbs fresh basil
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs fresh cilantro (optional)
4 whole cloves garlic, mashed
1 tbs fresh oregano
3 mandarin slices (mashed and strained)
Juice of 1 lime

Spicy potato marinade:
2 tbs canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
1 tbs chili powder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation:
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the potato marinade and combine well with a fork. Make sure to whisk the marinade while adding each of the spices. to keep them from clumping up. Set aside to give the spices time to infuse into the oil.
In another mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients for the Mandarin-lime and garlic dressing. Do this at least 30 minutes before adding to the salad so that the spices and juices have time to blend.
Cut each potato into 4 parts (these are pretty small potatoes; if yours are larger cut even more) and place in a large ziploc bag. Pour the potato marinade into the ziploc bag and let out all the air, toss around with your hand until all the potatoes are covered in the marinade and set aside so that potatoes have time to absorb the marinade.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Spread foil on a large shallow baking pan and spray with non-stick spray.
Lay the potatoes on the pan in a single layer; spread them out evenly. Bake 20 minutes (or until crisp and tender) and turn halfway through. When done, set aside to cool.
In a large salad bowl, put the beans, corn, bell peppers, green onion and diced avocado. Once the potatoes are warm but not hot, add them to the bowl. Add salad dressing and toss.
Serve immediately.

Presentation:
Garnish with chopped basil.

Prepared on 2011-06-07 (Tulsa, OK), Photograph by Michael Findley

Creamy Ranch Cucumber Pasta Salad

While I was growing up in South America, I spent many summers at my grandparents’ house in South Carolina. They had a huge field of vegetables growing behind their house. (I don’t call it a vegetable garden, because to me, at that time, it seemed as large as a farm). The great thing was that we ate fresh, right-out-of-the-ground vegetables every day. Although I remember many of the dishes my grandma used to cook, this cucumber pasta salad was the only one I ever asked her to show me how to make. I truly regret that now. My grandparents passed away several years ago, but one of these days I’ll ask my aunt and my dad to share some of her other recipes with me. Its a refreshing, cold pasta salad for those hot summer days.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced cucumbers (keep a few large pieces)
1/2 cup diced onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 diced bell peppers (green, yellow, or red)
1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 cup cucumber ranch dressing
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1 large clove garlic, smashed
6 oz large shell pasta
6 oz rotini pasta

Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing, lime juice and the spices until everything is well combined, then set in the fridge while you chop vegetables. Add vegetables to the bowl, stir thoroughly and put back in the fridge.
In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. When the water starts to boil, add pasta, cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or follow the directions in the pasta package, then strain under cold water until it has cooled completely. Set aside to drain, then add to the vegetables and dressing. Toss well.
Store in an airtight container for a few hours before serving.

Presentation:
Garnish with chopped cilantro and/or basil

Prepared on 2011-05-17 (Tulsa, OK), Photograph by Michael Findley