dill — Recipes — Toby's Plate

This simple side salad packs in tons of flavor! It’s perfect when served with some grilled or roasted salmon or maybe mixed in with some quinoa for a protein-rich, vegetarian meal. I’ve made this salad almost once a week this summer because it is just that good! I hope you enjoy it as well!

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

3-4 beets, golden or red, cubed
1 large cucumber, cubed
¼ cup feta crumbles
2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 tbsp avocado oil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss beets with avocado oil, salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk together the olive oil and sherry vinegar. Toss the cooled beets and cucumber in the dressing. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Or maybe even another splash of sherry vinegar if you like some extra tang!
Top with feta and dill and serve.

Health Benefits of Dill:

Dill is an excellent source of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
It contains powerful antioxidants that can help boost immune function and reduce inflammation.
It has antimicrobial properties and can help fight fungal and bacterial infections.
Dill can help lower cholesterol.
Dill oil can be used as a natural insect repellent.

Sources and additional reading:

We get farm fresh potatoes (the small red or yellow ones) fairly regularly in our weekly CSA farm box delivery, and we almost always roast them with garlic, rosemary, and olive oil or alongside a roast chicken. Don’t get me wrong, the potatoes are delicious that way, but I was starting to get bored of preparing them the same old way. So when they showed up in last week’s farm box, I decided to channel some memorable potato dishes I’ve had at restaurants and I decided to try to recreate a mustardy warm potato salad that I had recently at a French bistro here in San Francisco. The potatoes can stand up to the acidic and robust flavors of the mustard vinaigrette and act as the perfect side dish for some grilled steak or perhaps crispy roasted duck.

Ingredients:

2 pounds baby potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed
5 oz pancetta, cubed
2 ½ tbsp dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup good olive oil
¼ cup fresh chopped dill
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
⅓ cup diced green onion
Juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

Cook the pancetta in a pan over medium heat. Stir until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan and let drain and cool on paper towels.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. While water is heating, slice potatoes into halves or quarters (depending on your size preference)
Once boiling, add potatoes to the pot and bring heat to medium/high. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and easily pierced with a fork.
Drain the potatoes and rinse with cool water.
In a large serving bowl, add dijon mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, parsley, and green onion. Whisk to combine. Add potatoes and pancetta. Toss to combine.
Serve warm (immediately) or make ahead and allow flavors to meld. Allow potato salad to come to room temperature before serving.

Health Benefits of Potatoes

They are a great source of potassium, vitamin C, and B6
Potatoes contain resistant starch, which has shown to improve blood sugar levels. This starch also feeds the good gut bacteria in our large intestines, which improves digestion.
Make sure to eat the skin because that’s where many of the valuable nutrients are stored
Potatoes are a good source of phytonutrients and antioxidants, but look for colored ones (like purple) because they have higher amounts!
They are low in calories and are very filling!

Sources and additional reading: