My favorite thing about Japanese food is how little is actually done to it. It might be cut and plated fancily but with hardly any cooking or ingredients they manage to fit in a ton of flavor.

These cucumbers have hardly any ingredients—sesame oil, vinegar, and seasoning—,but they taste better than any cucumbers I’ve ever had. It doesn’t hurt that it’s the Summer and any form of cooking sounds off-putting. All you need to make this refreshing side dish is a sharp knife and a bowl.

Japanese Sesame Cucumber Salad

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 2 cucumbers
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Method:

1. With a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the cucumbers into circles about 2mm thick.
2. Combine the cucumbers with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss together until completely incorporated and the sugar has dissolved.
3. Serve immediately at room temperature.

Some people don’t like to cook. I don’t get them.

Most of the time I’d rather make my own meal than go to a restaurant. It’s just not the same as home cooking. Last week was crazy with work and most of my meals I didn’t cook or were just salads thrown together. It was awful. This week is much more relaxed and I’ve been able to cook again, and not just fudge but better things like this potato salad. I could eat this again and again. The vinegar and sugar make for just the right sweetness. You’ll never miss the mayonnaise in another potato salad.

Warm Red Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 1lb red potatoes
• 1/2 yellow onion, julienned
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Bake the potatoes for 1 hour in an oven set to 350 degrees. Remove them and cut them up into 1-inch chunks.

Soak the julienned onion in cold water for 5-10 minutes to remove some of their pungency. Drain the liquid from the onions.

Add all of the ingredients together and mix. Serve while still slightly warm. Refrigerate any leftovers

Who doesn’t love potatoes and onions? Whoever doesn’t I love them enough for the both of us.

It’s (almost) Summer, and what’s better than when fresh fruit and vegetables go on sale? I really don’t care for fruit in the Winter; I’ll take a hot chocolate, please. But in the Summer it’s much more appealing and so refreshing to eat. This salad is simple with just 5 ingredients that you have to throw together and really lets the produce speak for itself.

Cantaloupe And Kale Salad

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1/2 large cantaloupe, diced
• 1 bunch kale, chopped*
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Goat cheese(optional)

*I used frozen kale which I thawed and dried. It worked out fine but if I were serving this to others I would definitely use fresh kale.

Combine the cantaloupe, kale, olive oil, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl or salad tosser and toss until the ingredients have spread out. Plate and top with goat cheese if desired.

This was excellent. A little tang from cheese would have added a good extra dimension but on its own it was really fresh and vibrant.

I try not to oversell anything. Just this once I’m going to tell you this is one of the best recipes of the year, and it’s only April. I’ve never made mashed sweet potato because I thought “How can you improve on a roasted sweet potato?” Oh, you definitely can. Burning the caramel adds a bitter flavor which balances out with the natural and added sugars. The taste is totally unique and even if your guests can’t tell what it is they’re bound to love it.

Burnt Caramel Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mashed or pureed sweet potatoes*
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
• Nuts for garnish(optional)

*I would recommend either roasting your own sweet potatoes or buying the canned puree kind. Microwaved sweet potatoes tend to be too starchy and not sweet enough after cooking.

Combine the butter, sugar, and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Keep mixing the ingredients until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Continue boiling until the caramel starts to burn and turn a light brown. Err on the side of caution and go on to the next step as soon as it starts browning, but mine turned a little too black and still tasted fine in the end.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sweet potato, milk, and salt. Mix. Return to the heat until the dish is hot enough to serve.

Paula Deen would be so proud. I love the uniqueness the burnt caramel adds to the flavor; you can tell it’s not maple syrup or just plain sugar that sweetens this. It was especially good with the richness of the pecans on top. It’s the perfect recipe for Thanksgiving, but I really hope you don’t wait that long to try it.

Bean salad is a great side dish for outdoor parties now that the weather is getting warmer(or so they say), or for dinner when I don’t really feel like cooking anything. Lucky for me this makes a lot so I can eat a lot spread it across meals! Now before you go and think I can’t count, yes, I know this has more than 5-ingredients. But only 5 of the ingredients are key players and you’ll never be a comfortable chef if you can’t get used to eyeballing olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper into every dish you make. There’s just no two ways about it with those ingredients. Oh, and the name is more appealing that “9-Ingredient 3-Bean salad”.

5-Ingredient 3-Bean Salad

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 1 can of pitted olives, drained and halved
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt(omit if your beans are already salted)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Start by mixing together all of the beans. If you haven’t already, prepare the olives and cucumber.

Add in the olives, cucumber, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar.

Toss the salad until it’s all mixed thoroughly. Serve cold or at room temperature.

I love how simple but flavorful this is. The cucumber is refreshing and the olives are deep in flavor, but the beans are the star of the show all the way through. It’s great as a side dish but also on its own from a bowl.