Healthy BBQ Eats - Vegan Potato Salad
My GOODNESS is it hot these days! I live on Vancouver Island, in Canada, and we're experiencing some sweltering weather and glorious sunshine at the moment. This, of course, makes me want to sit on a deck and barbecue dinner every night.
The only thing about barbecues is that they're often rife with unhealthy food options - hormone-laden cheeseburgers, non-organic deep-fried potato chips, and mayonnaise-heavy potato salad.
That's why it's good to have a few tricks up your sleeve for summertime barbecues, like this delicious, healthy spin on classic potato salad by vegan blogger Gems in our Hands.
Vegan Potato Salad with Creamy Cauliflower Dressing
Ingredients
- 20 small German Butter potatoes
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (almond, or soy)
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 clove of roasted garlic
- 1 tbsp dijon
- 2 tsp dried dill (add more/less to your taste)
- 1 green scallion
- 1 tbsp onion tips (garnish – optional)
Directions
If you bought organic potatoes (and I highly recommend you do), consider not washing them – they were grown in great soil with lots of nutrients. Definitely don’t peel them – the skins are the most nutritious part! Cut the potatoes into large bite size pieces. Put water in a pot and the potatoes in the steaming basket and cover. Steam the potatoes until they’re al dente – the timing will depend on how large the potatoes are cut, so watch them closely, but it may take 7-10 minutes. Once they’re done, rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process.
For the cauliflower sauce, I decided to roast the cauliflower before making the sauce to bring out that delicious flavour. Cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces, toss in olive oil and salt and pepper, then put it on a baking sheet at 375F. At the same time, pop a piece of garlic in the cauliflower/olive oil mix and include on the baking sheet as well to roast. Roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is slightly brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it may take less time to cook and have to be removed earlier.
Once the cauliflower is done, add it to the blender with the non-dairy milk, roasted garlic, lemon, and dijon and blend until it’s smooth and creamy. Add more non-dairy milk as needed to get the desired consistency – I like the dressing thicker so it really sticks to the potatoes.
Scoop the dressing over the potatoes 1/2 cup at a time and toss with dill. I’m more of a “I’ll have sauce with my potatoes” kind of gal, so scoop on the amount of dressing you prefer. Cover in an airtight container and cool in the fridge for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Garnish with onion tips and chopped scallions.