Roasted Mexican Potato Salad a 'No Croutons' entry

(Roasted Mexican Potato Salad with a Chipotle-Soy Dressing kicks up the standard potato salad recipe for summer)

Cinco de Mayo has come and gone, but the spirit of Mexican cuisine is still being celebrated this month. "No Croutons Required" is a monthly food blogging event that is alternately hosted by Lisa's Kitchen (a great vegetarian blog with an Indian flair) and Jacqueline's Tinned Tomatoes, another super vegetarian site from a Scottish lass. Jacqueline was the inspiration for this monthly project that features a vegetarian soup or salad that sometimes has a theme.

If you're looking for culinary inspiration for cooking up these two versatile staples in life, head over to their blogs and check out the wide array of recipes you will find there. I know I will be returning to their kitchens for more.

This is the first time I have participated in their clever cooking project, and if you are interested in taking part, there is still time to submit an entry for this month's cook-off. Thanks, Jacqueline and Lisa for hosting such a fun project.

(Organic garnet yams and huckleberry blue potatoes are roasted before dressing)

I'm always cooking anyway, and soups and salads are a mainstay in our home, so it was easy to devise a salad this past weekend that had a Mexican flair to it: Enter Roasted Mexican Potato Salad with a Chipotle-Soy Dressing. Simply sublime, I must say. I started with some killer potatoes, with which I was wondering what to make. The organic huckleberry blue and garnet yams were roasted and tickled with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Of course, you can substitute any potato for these, but do use a combination of regular and sweet. A mix of chipotle in adobe sauce and soy "mayonnaise" added a smoky heat that elevated this salad to a Mexican fiesta. Canned chipotles are readily available in Mexican bodegas, which are plentiful in the Hudson Valley, and really inexpensive. Fresh lime juice tops it all off for a bright, citrusy flavor.

(Coriander, chives and parsley provide a taste of spring)

Fresh herbs and spring onions from the garden were readily available for a fresh burst of flavor.

No need to wait for Cinco de May to make it; this salad will rock any summer picnic or get-together. Sauteed tortilla strips add a chewy, corny note to this colorful salad, which is plated with fresh avocado slices.

Roasted Mexican Potato Salad with Chipotle-Soy Dressing

1. 4 medium huckleberry blue potatoes
2. 2 medium garnet yams
3. 3 small spring onions, chopped
4. Snippets of fresh coriander, parsley and chives, including the chive flowers
5. 3-4 corn tortillas, cut into strips.
6. 1 small organic avocado
7. 2 tablespoons of soy "mayonnaise"
8. 1 tablespoon chipotle adobe sauce
9. Fresh lime juice
10. Olive oil
11. Salt, pepper, to taste

• Wash the potatoes and cut into chunks. (I left the skin on the blue potatoes but peeled the yams.)
• Drizzle the potato chunks with a little olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Place them on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes, until fork tender but not mushy.
• Set the potatoes aside to cool.
• While the potatoes are cooking, saute the tortilla strips in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel while you assemble the rest of the salad.
• Slice the avocado and drizzle some lime juice on it to keep it from browning.
• Mix the nayo and adobe sauce in a small bowl.
• In a large bowl, add the cooled potatoes, the spring onions and herbs.
• Squeeze a generous amount of lime juice on all and toss.
• Stir in the adobe-nayo sauce and mix well. Taste for seasoning; there should be enough salt and pepper on the potatoes already, but you might want to add a bit more.
• Arrange the potato salad on a large plate.
• Circle it with the sauteed tortilla strips and sliced avocado.
• Give the avocado a lick of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Serve at room temperature or cold.