Red Potato Salad

Maybe the roughest part of dieting during the summer is all the summer food. During cold weather it's reasonable to eat a lot of soup, but when it's hot? Healthy meals require a little creativity. One of my favorite summer meals is potato salad. It took a little tweaking, but I got this delicious red potato salad down to 225 calories per serving. There's a hundred ways you could vary this salad, but the bare bones version is below. I've left out all the fancy cooking terminology to give you a fifteen-minute meal or side that you could make in your sleep (not that I recommend that, as you could set your house on fire).

Red Potato Salad

(2 servings, 450 calories, 70g carbohydrates, 14g fat, 8g protein)

2 medium red potatoes

1 stalk celery, chopped fine

1/2 roasted jalapeno (see instructions, below), chopped fine

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Dice red potatoes into 1-inch pieces and put in small pot. Cover with water, add a healthy pinch of salt, and boil approximately 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. In small bowl combine dijon and red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisking briskly, slowly stream in olive oil. Dressing should obtain a creamy consistency. Add celery, jalapeno, and potatoes. Toss to coat potatoes in dressing, garnish with celery leaf. 

Roasted Jalapenos

The easiest way to roast peppers of any kind is to put them right on the flame of your gas grill, turning until all sides are charred, then rinsing the burned skins off under cold water. Peppers will keep 7-10 days if kept in an airtight container. Think about marinating in olive oil with a few cloves of garlic...