Warm Potato and Green Bean Salad with Summer Savory

This recipe, originally printed in the August 2003 issue of Sunset Magazine, was also already vegan. I adapted it a bit just to make it as nutritious as possible. It was delicious!

Warm Potato and Green Bean Salad and Summer Savory

8oz green beans, rinsed and ends snapped off (I thawed some frozen ones)

1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used sweet potatoes)

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil (optional, I used a couple tablespoons of coconut oil)

2 tablespoons summer savory leaves, chopped (I used fresh basil and sage)

Salt and fresh-ground pepper

2T Capers (these were not in the original recipe but I like capers so much, and had some on hand, that I decided to toss them in as well.

1      In a 4- to 5-quart pan over high heat, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add green beans and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain well and rinse with cold water until cool (or plunge in ice water); drain again.

2      In same pan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add potato slices and cook until tender when pierced, 10 to 12 minutes; drain well and transfer to a large bowl.

3    Meanwhile, in a 1-cup glass measure, combine shallots and vinegar. In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart pan over medium heat, combine olive oil and summer savory. Stir occasionally until savory is limp and slightly darker and oil is fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. If oil sizzles, reduce heat slightly.

4    Pour half the oil mixture into vinegar mixture and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over warm potatoes and mix gently to coat. Top potatoes with green beans and drizzle remaining oil mixture over beans. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Vegan Piccata Sauce!

One of my favorite dishes before becoming vegan, and even pescotarian, was chicken piccata. I ate a lot of chicken, but I have always loved anything that includes capers. So, when I came across this recipe for Tempeh Triangles with Piccata Sauce, I had to try it. I decided to blend the tempeh and make a faux chicken salad with them instead, but I kept the piccata sauce and made a soy curl pasta with it. Here is the oh so easy piccata recipe. Enjoy!

Piccata Sauce

1 1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
2 c dry white wine
1 T capers, drained
1/2 t salt (capers are salty, so you could omit this if you wanted)
1/2 t black pepper
1 T cornstarch dissolved in 3 T water

Roast garlic in skillet over medium heat, 20 seconds or so. Add lemon juice, wine, capers, salt and pepper; cook about 10 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture; cook 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside. Use as you wish- a topping for grilled "chicken", with the original recipes of tempeh triangles, or mixed in with pasta and soy curls.

The original recipe was taken from The Vegetarian Times, March 2005 issue