Salads for our Labor Day Eve BBQ

We had a great time with some friends last evening. Warren cooked chicken and steaks on the grill and I made salads to accompany.

I am a purist when it comes to my potato salad. But I also do not like huge chunks of egg. If you prefer your egg chunky, just coarsely chop instead of getting out the food processor.

Potato Salad
adapted from Bon Appétit July 1995
1 1/2  lbs potatoes
1 1/2 Tbsp  white wine vinegar
1 hard-boiled egg
3 Tbsp chopped onion
1 Tbsp chopped scallion, green part only
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/6 cup chopped Italian parsley
6 Tbsp mayonnaise
5 oz plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp Dijon mustard 
Herbed Kosher Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water just until tender. Drain, cool slightly, peel and cut into 3/4 inch dice. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Drizzle with the vinegar over the warm potatoes. Mix the onion, scallion, celery and parsley into potatoes. 

Very finely mince the egg in a small food processor getting it very small but being careful not to turn it into a paste.until 

Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard in small bowl. Fold in the minced egg. Season dressing with herbed salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix into potato mixture.

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Unlike my preference for very traditional potato salad, I like unusual pasta salads without very heavy dressings. Although this dressing is made with mayonnaise, thinning it out with some milk makes it much lighter.

Macaroni Salad with Peas and Ham
adapted from Gourmet August 1997
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
4-ounce piece cooked ham, chopped
1 celery ribs, minced
6 Tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup frozen tiny peas
1/4 cup mayonnaise
 fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp low-fat milk
Herbed kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper 

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions, adding the peas to cook for last 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Make sure the macaroni and peas are well drained.
In a large bowl toss together the macaroni, peas, ham, celery, and parsley. In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and milk. Season the dressing to taste with the salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss well to combine.

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Many coleslaw recipes are way to sweet for me. This one remains crunchy and has a little zip! It can be made with red or green cabbage. I just happened to have red from my farm share on hand.

Red Cabbage Coleslaw
adapted from Gourmet June 2008 
1 lb red cabbage, cored finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt & Freshly ground pepper

Toss all vegetables in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise and vinegar. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper then toss with slaw. Allow to chill for at least 1 hour before serving.