“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall…” – Oscar Wilde
As summer draws to a close, having our health in focus is essential to living the best life possible. While being mindful of what we consume in cold winter months can be a challenge with comfort foods and less body conscious clothing, the cool weather brings countless holiday temptations.
This winter I have to be mindful of my intake of starchy carbs. I have noticed that my low-carb recipes have receive heavy traffic, therefore, I do not think I am the only one attempting to embrace this lifestyle. I have enjoyed the creativity that this method of dining has afforded me, and it’s my goal to convert some of my favorite foods into carb friendly options.
When I think of carbs, one of the first dishes to come to mind is potato salad. My grandma Hilda’s potato salad was scrumptious. The perfect balance of creamy and crunchy with just the right amount of tanginess (vinegar was a major ingredient of my childhood).
One of the nice things about making potato salad is a lot of the prep work can be done ahead of time. Since my family does not warmly welcome the idea of a low-carb way of eating, I can easily prep the ingredients and make two salads. The only extra step is prepping both potatoes and cauliflower. If you are bringing this dish to a gathering, you will win over many hearts by offering a Potato Salad and a Potatoless Salad without putting in extra work.
While the cauliflower in this salad could be steamed or boiled, I decided to roast it to give the salad an extra layer of flavor. While cauliflower is rather “neutral” tasting (one of the reasons it is such a great replacement for rice, pasta, and potatoes) I roast mine with a sauce that gives a lovely nuance of flavor. I serve the roasted cauliflower as a side often and I use the same sauce to roast broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and root vegetables.
POTATOLESS SALAD
*1 head of roasted cauliflower (recipe for roasted cauliflower below)
*½ chopped green pepper
*¼ cup chopped onion
*3 ribs of chopped celery
*6 chopped hard boiled eggs
*1 cup of mayonnaise (substitute low fat options if you wish – Greek yogurt works as a great substitute)
*Tablespoon yellow mustard (or to taste)
*2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
*Chopped fresh dill (to taste – I added ¼ cup. A couple of tsps of dry will work as well)
*Salt and pepper to taste
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
*1 head of cauliflower cut into small florets
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
*I Tablespoon Dijon mustard
*1 Tablespoon minced garlic
Roast the cauliflower for 60 minutes at 425 (Flip the cauliflower at 30 minutes).
After roasting the cauliflower let cool and add all of the above ingredients. It is recommended to prepare the salad the night before to let all the flavors marry.
While potato salad tends to be a summer option, I think it makes a great dish year round (especially when you are yearning for summer). Going easy on carbohydrate rich sides and entrees gives us a bit more room to indulge in a scoop of decadent ice cream or a piece of your aunt’s should-be-world-famous pie. I was skeptical about a “potatoless” salad, but the cauliflower seems to do the trick. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I would love to hear what you swap out for starchy carbs in your favorite meals.
Produce with Amy 