Yesterday Through Tomorrow - Ribs, Potato Salad & Bean Salad

Spicy Country Style Ribs

Potato Salad

Bean Salad on Baby Greens

Yesterday's delicious Spicy Country Style Ribs - of which 2 extra ribs were cooked just for today - are now served with a simple potato salad, and accompanied by a colourful bean salad that will also do for tomorrow.

In the warmer months, my fridge is like my personal deli.  I like to have salads that do double-or-triple duty, like today’s potato salad, which will do *2 meals.  The bean salad does 3 days and is great served as is atop Baby Greens one day, then with add-ons in a tortilla bowl another day, and served in a hollowed-out tomato or red pepper the day after that.

The *potato salad will keep for 2 days if made with just mayonnaise for the dressing (and no sour cream or eggs).

Potato Salad (serves 1-2):

5-6 baby potatoes or fingerlings, peeled & diced
1 tbsp minced onion
2-3 tbsp lite mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup *peas (frozen or fresh, cooked then cooled under 
running water & drained) 
2 tbsp *corn (frozen or fresh, cooked then cooled under 
running water & drained) 
1/2 *dill pickle or Polski Ogorki pickle, grated
1/2 *celery stalk, diced
2 *green onions, white part & some of the green, sliced

*Potato salad is such a personal dish for most of us that there are 
things we absolutely must include out of nostalgia, and things we 
have to leave out for the same reasons.  In this case, I would recommend 
just adding a total combination of1/2 cup mixed add-ins that suit your 
own personal tastes, and if some of the above *asterisked add-ins 
sound appealing, go for it!

Combine all ingredients, add more mayonnaise if desired (it's all about how creamy you like it), and adjust seasoning to taste.  Cover well and refrigerate until served.

Bean Salad:

2 tbsp finely diced onion
1 510ml can Mixed Beans, rinsed & drained
1/3 cup corn (frozen or fresh, cooked then cooled under 
running water & drained)
1/2 cup red pepper, diced

Dressing:

2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp apple juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine dressing ingredients.
Mix Bean Salad ingredients together in a bowl, then pour the 
dressing over, stir,then cover & marinate for at least 4 hours, 
stirring after 2 hours. This will last *3-4 days in the fridge.

Bean Salad, like Potato Salad, is also a highly personal dish, 
and your add-in vegetables should of course be something 
you enjoy and which remind you of happy summer meals
in the past.  If you want to add something like cucumber or 
tomato, it is best to do thison the day they will be served 
(marinate them for one hour in the salad before serving),
as otherwise they will become soggy.

*Another great use for Bean Salad is to put it into a quesadilla 
along with cheese and whatever else you fancy.