Potatoes cold and hot, quick and easy to create.

POTATOES.

Potatoes are a delightful vegetable. They are easy to prepare, everyone loves the variations we use to enjoy them and they have good food value. If you want a light meal, a side dish or food for little kids and older people, the potato is your answer.

BAKED POTATOES.
Simply scrub the skins and bake the potatoes. You can then slice and bake them in the oven, in a dish with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, drizzled over them . Bake for fifteen minutes. I serve them with finely cut up chives and a little techina.

BAKED POTATOES WITH SIDE DISHES OF PESTO, TOMATO RELISH AND OLIVE SPREAD.

I bake one or two potatoes per person. When ready I cut them in half and sprinkle a little yogurt on them, dried parsley and grill for two minutes. Serve with a pesto spread, tomato and olive spread in little bowls. For kiddies I make a bowl of grated cheese and they love to sprinkle it on the potatoes.

POTATOES AND CHEESE FILLING.

Bake the potatoes. Then scoop out the inside and mash with salt and pepper and a little chopped parsley. I mix a yogurt, or cream, a little olive oil, half a cup grated cheese, salt, pepper and vegetable salt. Beat the filling well and replace into the potato. Carefully spread more grated cheese on top and bake in a hot oven for ten minutes.

POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS.

I love this easy to prepare combination.
Peel seven potatoes, boil for ten minutes in a little salted water. Slice into layers. Slice three onions into rings, slice four tomatoes, without the skins, one large cup of sliced, fresh mushrooms. Layer these in an oven dish that has been oiled with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with vegetable salt and pepper. Cut up parsley, a few garlic cloves and bits of dried onions and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. I cover it all with a cup of yogurt and some low fat cream cheese. You can use cream, but I prefer sane and sensible ideas. Bake this for forty minutes in a
medium oven. You can do this a day ahead and re warm.

BAKED VEGETABLES
I use two cups of peeled, diced potatoes, two cups of diced carrots, one cup of onions, half a cup of chopped turnips, three slice zucchinis, six cloves of garlic, a cup of button mushrooms, a few shitake mushrooms, a cup of cauliflower flowerets, vegetable salt four bay leaves and a few black peppercorns. Place in a large oven dish. Sprinkle olive oil over it all. Pour on two large cups of vegetable soup into the dish and bake covered for forty minutes in a medium oven. Remove the lid and check if the vegetables are soft. At this stage I add two cups of sour cream and a cup of chopped chives and parsley and bake for ten minutes more. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the top.

POTATOES AS A COLD SALAD

I bake ten potatoes in their skins. Then I peel and cut them up into squares. Some people scrub the potatoes well and leave the skins on. Kids prefer them without the skins. I place them in a deep salad bowl. Make a mixture of one cup sour cream, pepper and a bit of curry powder, one grated onion, three teaspoons of Dijon mustard, and two diced pickled cucumbers. Mix it all and serve hot or cold. You can add chopped black olives over them and serve with cut up boiled eggs. Use two cups of sauerkraut as a side dish and this will be an easy meal to create.

Have a week of joy. Love and light RONA