Classic Mustard Potato Salad - Deli Style

I’ve been on a potato salad kick this summer. I like variety, so you are getting a delicious array of potato salad recipes on this blog. They are easy to make and store well in the refrigerator, and best of all are available for quick meals, which is great for active summers.

This classic version is an improved deli-style mustard potato salad. It is savory, slightly sweet, and has a pleasant hint of mustard. I actually like this much better than what you will find at a deli.

One of my potato salad pet peeves is a bland, pasty potato salad. None of my posted potato salad recipes fall into that category (are there enough 'P's in this paragraph?). 

Classic Mustard Potato Salad:

10 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
4 eggs, hard boiled
1/2 c. Best Foods mayonnaise
1 T. Heinz yellow mustard
1/4 c. sweet pickle relish (sugar free and chemical free, if you can find it)
1 T. sweet pickle juice (from sugar-free sweetened pickles, if you can find them)
1 t. sugar (or xylitol)
1/2 c. sweet onion, finely diced
1 1/2 t. sea salt
50 grinds fresh black pepper
3 scallions, diced for garnish


Method:

Dice the scrubbed potatoes into about 1-inch cubes (you may peel if you want to).

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until just soft enough to pierce with a knife, about 7-8 minutes. You want the potatoes still a bit firm, not mushy.

Peel and dice the hard boiled eggs.

In a large serving bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, pickle juice, and sugar, making sure you stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the minced sweet onion and salt and pepper, to taste. Season it well because potatoes seem to eat up a lot of the flavor, leaving you with a bland potato salad a few hours later, if you don't watch it.

Once the potatoes are done cooking, drain them, and add to the dressing, along with the eggs. mix gently and taste for seasoning.

Chill the potato salad until completely cold, to let the flavors meld. Taste for seasoning again before serving, and adjust if needed.

Serve garnished with the diced scallions.



Enjoy,

Leila.

Copy Cat Kneader's Autumn Bisque Soup

Thick, rich, slightly sweet, and perfectly spiced = Decadent - that's what this soup is...

This soup reminds me of pumpkin pie. Pie you can drink! Actually, it's not nearly as sweet as pumpkin pie, but I do think it is richer. A good friend of mine loves this soup from Kneader's Cafe in Utah. Because it is so rich, she orders in in a small 1/2-cup size and enjoys a salad with it. That's all you need, trust me! She, knowing I love to cook, has commented a few times about this delicious soup. I told her I wanted to taste it because I thought I could duplicate the recipe if I did. On our next visit, she brought me some. So I made my own version of this soup, tasting and comparing it with Kneader's soup as I went.

I am very pleased with the outcome. I used plain canned pumpkin instead of butternut squash, because it is super convenient. Either kind of squash works, just make sure it is a smooth puree. The sweetness level is identical. The spices are right on. The texture is also a match. You can use half organic milk and half heavy cream if you want to lighten the soup up a touch. If you want to lower the carbs, use 1/2 c. cream and 1/2 c. water instead.

I have not tried it yet, but I think rich coconut milk would work great in this recipe, for a dairy-free option. Coconut oil instead of butter could be used as well, but butter tastes better!

This is an autumn and winter soup, good enough to serve company. The fact that it is so easy to make is a bonus. I hope you like it!




Copy Cat Kneader's Autumn Bisque Soup Recipe:

1 T. Flour (or gluten-free flour)
2 T. butter
3 T. coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar) (use Golden Lakanto or brown 'Just Like Sugar' for a sugar-free version)
3/4 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 c. butternut squash puree (or plain canned pumpkin)
1 1/2 c. purified water
1/16 t. onion powder
1/2 t. organic chicken base
1/2 t. sea salt
1 c. cream

Method:

In a medium sized soup pot melt the butter over medium heat until it sizzles. Add the flour and make a roux, letting the butter brown for flavor.

Add the coconut palm sugar and let it caramelize a little for rich caramel flavor notes. Do not burn.

Add the pumpkin pie spice and let it sizzle a few seconds to bloom the spice blend's flavor.

Add some of the water (carefully) and stir in until all the palm sugar is dissolved.

Add the butternut squash or pumpkin puree and the rest of the water, stirring to blend.

Add the onion powder and chicken base and then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.

Add the cream and let it simmer about 5 minutes, Do not let it boil.

Check for consistency before serving. Add more water if it is too thick. It should not be thin and running off the spoon, but it shouldn't be falling off the spoon in blobs either.

Serve hot in 1/3rd to 1/2 cup portions.

Garnish with butter toasted pecans that have been dusted with a mixture of cinnamon and coconut palm fruit sugar (replacing regular white sugar)


This is a very rich, decadent soup!

Notes: 

For the pecans I would chop them, saute then in just a bit of butter or coconut oil, then dust with cinnamon sugar. You can mix 'Just Like Sugar' (natural sugar substitute) with cinnamon for a sugar-free version. You may use organic coconut palm sugar for a healthier sugar (not sugar-free).

For the croutons I would use gluten-free bread cubes tossed with a bit of melted coconut oil and then toasted until crisp in the oven. While they are still hot, sprinklecroutons with your desired cinnamon sugar mixture and let cool.

This is what Kneader's Autumn Bisque Soup looks like. They top it with cinnamon pecans and a cinnamon sugar crouton.

The pecans seem like they are lightly sauteed in butter then sprinkled with a tiny bit of cinnamon sugar.

Kneader's soup in the plastic cup compared to my version on the plate. They look very similar.

My finished copy cat version.

Cinnamon toast would be nice on the side, or make your own sugar-free cinnamon sugar GF croutons. 

Enjoy!

Leila.

South African Sour Cream Green Beans - A Quick & Easy side dish

Creamy, zesty, tangy, and savory, this side dish adds interest to any classic dinner. I love this unique recipe. My mom made it when I was a teenager and I made sure I saved the recipe in my recipe box before I left home to start my own family.

I love the creamy tang the sauce lends to the green beans. The sauce is seasoned perfectly, just make sure you use enough salt to bring out all the flavor. Using our BioSalt recipe on this blog is a healthier version to commercial table salt.

Make sure you do not overcook the green beans. they should still be bright green and firm.

This makes a great side dish and is good served with a variety of meats or vegetarian fare. Gently heat any leftovers,


Sour Cream Green Beans Recipe:

2 packages frozen green beans
2 onions, diced
2 T. butter or olive oil
1/2 c. organic sour cream
1/2 c.plain yogurt
1 t. red wine vinegar
1/4 t. coconut palm sugar (or sugar)
2 t. sweet paprika
garlic, to taste
onion powder, to taste
BioSalt or sea salt, to taste


Method:

Steam the green beans until tender-crisp. Set aside and keep warm.

In a large skillet, saute the onion in the butter or olive oil until translucent.

Add the sour cream and yogurt to the onions and turn heat down to a low simmer to avoid curdling the sour cream. Do not let it boil. Stir together well.

Add vinegar, sugar, and paprika. Season to taste with garlic, onion powder, and salt.

Mix in hot steamed green beans. Stir and serve immediately.


Notes: 

Alternately, you may  cook raw, trimmed green beans in lightly salted water, covered, for about 8 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Drain in a colander and keep warm.

French Creme Fraiche is a great substitute for the sour cream, and it does not curdle when heated like sour cream does!



Enjoy,

Leila.

Refreshing Lime Quinoa Salad - Gluten Free & Healthy

This healthy, vibrant salad is very fresh tasting and delicious. It's an easy keeper in the fridge and is a nice staple to have around for quick meals.

The lime makes the salad bright tasting and the maple syrup tempers the acidity perfectly.

You may serve this with gluten-free corn chips, served over top romaine lettuce or baby spinach, as a lettuce wrap filling, or eat it as-is. It's all good.

You can omit any salt in the recipe so that the salad stores well in your refrigerator a few days without getting watery. Add a touch of salt, to taste, to the portion that is served.

I hope you enjoy this nutritious, easy to make salad as much as we do!




Refreshing Lime Quinoa Salad Recipe:

Salad:


1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
1 can black beans, rinsed well
2 large tomatoes, diced small
4 small scallions, including the green tops, minced (or 2 large)
1/2 c. chopped cilantro leaves

Dressing:

zest of 2 large limes (about 1 heaping T.)
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (or rice bran oil)
2 T. real maple syrup
1/2 to 1 t. BioSalt or sea salt
1 to 2 t. salt-free seasoning of choice, optional


Method:

Place the quinoa in a large fine mesh strainer. Rinse the quinoa and soak at least 15 minutes in a bowl of water, and rinse again.

Simmer the quinoa and the 2 cups water in a pot, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let stand on the burner for another 10 minutes.

Strain off any excess water, then let cool as you prepare the rest of the salad.

Combine the dressing ingredients together in a serving bowl, to taste.

Add the cooked quinoa to the salad dressing and toss well.

Add the drained black beans, tomato, scallions, and fresh cilantro and toss well.

Serve warm or chill and serve cold.


NOTE: 

If you plan on storing in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, only add salt at serving time, as you eat it. This prevents the tomatoes from releasing as much juice, eliminating liquid at the bottom of the bowl. If liquid does accumulate, no worries, just stir and serve.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad - Healthy & Fresh! Plus a Chef Secret Revealed...

Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad  

This is not your ordinary carrot raisin salad.

Try this fresh tasting, healthy, high fiber, easy to make salad for lunch or as a side for dinner.

I am a flower child, it's true. My mom made this for me a lot while I was growing up. I loved it. I still do, I just do not add the rice polish (an health food ingredient from the 70's).

There are versions of this salad served at buffets, which have soggy raisins, wilted carrots, sweetened coconut shreds and canned pineapple tidbits added - YUK. This is not that salad.

This salad is fresh, with crunchy seeds and chewy raisins, a little sweet, with just the right amount of tang to make things interesting.

The dressing is healthy too. It has a nice protein content from the yogurt and sunnies (sun flower seeds). Please make sure your sunnies are fresh. Rancid seeds will ruin your salad.

I am going to reveal a excellent chef's secret to you now...

Add a PINCH of ground cinnamon - just a pinch! If wisely done, you don't taste the cinnamon, but my-O-my what it does to lift the flavor! This is an "extra-super chef's secret" (to quote my mother, Nancy Glazier), to use an "under the radar" pinch of cinnamon in many sweet recipes.

Now you know.



Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad Recipe:

1 quart (packed) peeled and grated organic carrots
1 c. plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
1/3 c. Best Foods or Hellman's Mayonnaise (or your favorite brand)
3 T. raw honey, or more to taste
1 to 2 T. raw apple cider vinegar, to taste
1/2 t. sea salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 1/4 t. rice polish, optional
1/2 c. organic raw shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 c. (packed) organic raisins


Method:

Wash, trim, and peel the carrots. Grate in a Cusinart food processor, or by hand.

In a serving bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together to taste. It should be tangy and sweet.

Mix in the rice polish powder, if using

Add the grated carrots to the dressing, and add the sunflower seeds and raisins.

Mix well to coat and serve immediately.


Notes: 

If you plan on serving the salad later, add the raisins at serving time, that way they are chewy instead of mushy.

Enjoy,

Leila

Classic Potato Salad - Flavorful and Sugar-Free

Classic Potato Salad

This classic potato salad is easy to make and very flavorful. The hot potatoes first soak up a seasoned brine so that they absorb nice flavor, and then after they have cooled down a while, the other ingredients are added.

This is one of our families favorite potato salads. It keeps very well for a few days in the refrigerator and it is a classic for summer outings and B-B-Q's.



Classic Potato Salad Recipe:

4 pounds boiling potatoes (like Yukon Golds, long whites, round Maine, red new potatoes)
1/2 c. raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup xylitol (or sugar)
1 T. BioSalt or sea salt
1 t. dry mustard powder, optional
1 c. minced white onion
2 c. diced celery
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 c. Best foods or Hellman's mayonnaise
1 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 c. diced dill pickles or sweet hot pickles, optional
Additional BioSalt or sea salt, to taste


Method:

Scrub the potatoes and place in a large pot of cold water.

Bring the potatoes up to a gentle simmer and simmer 15 to 25 minutes, just until firm-tender.

Drain and let cool slightly.

Make the vinegar brine by mixing the vinegar, sweetener, salt, and mustard powder in a small sauce pan. Gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Taste your brine and adjust to your liking. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, if desired (the peels are usually bitter), cut into 1" pieces and place in a medium-large bowl. Add the onions to the bowl.

Pour the vinegar brine over the hot potatoes and onions, and gently toss to coat the potatoes.

Let the potato mixture cool to room temperature. Or chill for a while.

Add the celery, eggs, mayonnaise and pickles (if using) and stir gently.

Serve immediately at room temperature or chill until serving time.









Enjoy, 

Leila.

"Faux" Tamarind Paste - A Healthy Foundational Recipe - Plus a recipe using it!

Our delicious tangy fruity paste is the perfect addition to Indian sauces and curries.

Tamarind paste is delightfully tangy and fruity, but it is not always easy to find. Our original recipe making a faux version uses fruits easily found in the USA and it is easy and more affordable to make

Tamarind is a secret ingredient in many sauces, like Worcestershire Sauce. It is in many B-B-Q sauces and Indian dishes as well. You can even use it in refreshing summer beverages

I have made real tamarind paste before, using the fibrous tamarind pods filled with large seeds. It was quite an adventure, cooking and mashing and straining, and mashing and straining some more, until every last drop of tangy goodness was removed from the pulpy pods. It turned out great.

However, this recipe is easier to manage, and it is very yummy too. Use our formula in any recipe calling for tamarind paste..

This was a fun recipe to create. We hope you enjoy using it!

"Faux" Tamarind Paste Recipe:

10 ounces pitted prunes, chopped

6 ounces tart dried apricots, un-sulfured

2 1/2 c. fresh (or bottled) lemon juice

2 1/2 c. fresh (or bottled) lime juice

Water, as needed (up to 3 cups)

up to 1 T. finely powdered ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)

Method:

Chop the dried fruits and put into a 1/2-gallon glass jar or bowl.

Pour over the lemon juice and lime juice.

Put the submerged fruit in the refrigerator, covered, for 24 to 48 hours (even up to a week is OK).

Puree this fruit mixture until it is super smooth in a high powered blender (VitaMix) in 2 to 3 batches, adding purified water just until the blender vortexes. Do not use more than 3 cups total water.

Cook this pureed fruit mixture down on the stove top as you would apple butter, stirring frequently.

Alternately, you may bake the mixture in a 200 degree oven. Spread the mixture out onto Pyrex baking pans.

When the mixture has thickened, taste it. If you want it to taste more tart, stir in up to 1 T. powdered Vitamin C.

Transfer to storage jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for later use in small glass jars.

Note: 

Brown colored un-sulfured apricots are good to use here! Use up your older dried apricots.


Here is an Indian chutney recipe using our Faux Tamarind Paste.

Tamarind Date Chutney:
Yield: Approx 1 1/2 cups

1 t. Faux Tamarind Paste (recipe above), to taste
1 1/2 c. warm purified water
1 1/2 c. chopped seedless dates
1/4 t. cayenne pepper powder, to taste
1/4 t. sea salt

Method:

Mix the Faux Tamarind Paste with the 1 1/2 c. warm water. Stir in the dates, cayenne, and salt. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower heat to medium, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dates soften.

Transfer warm mixture into a glass storage jar. Puree the mixture with a stick blender. 

Store in your refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for longer term storage.

Serve this chutney as a chilled dip with your favorite appetizers. 

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Summer Confetti Macaroni Salad (sugar-free)

This is a colorful classic macaroni salad with a great balanced flavor.

Summer Confetti Macaroni Salad

This pretty pasta salad makes a nice side for summer picnics and celebrations. I love having more crisp, colorful vegetables in my pasta salads. I really don't want to eat just plain macaroni slathered in mayo... If you are like me, you will love this recipe. I also like that it has enough vinegar to give it a bit of zing and enough erythritol to cut the bite of the vinegar, then our BioSalt pulls it all together.

You may use gluten-free pasta, if desired. If you are going dairy-free, omit the sour cream and replace it with mayonnaise. And of course you can adjust the diced vegetables to taste.




Leila's Summer Confetti Macaroni Salad Recipe:

1 pound pasta or gluten-free pasta (macaroni, ditalini, or small shell pasta)
3/4 c. real mayonnaise
1/4 c. sour cream (omit if dairy-free is desired and increase the mayo to 1 cup)
3 T. white wine vinegar
3 T. erythritol
1 1/2 t. dry mustard powder
1 t. sea salt or BioSalt, to taste
1/2 t. onion salt, or more to taste
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper, to taste (about 50 grinds)
2 to 4 T. fresh minced parsley, to taste
1 c. finely diced celery (4 ribs)
1 c. finely diced red bell pepper (1 whole pepper)
1/2 c. finely diced peeled carrot (1 large carrot)
1/4 c. finely diced red onion
1/2 c. minced scallions, about 6, optional
1/4 c. diced radishes, optional

Garnish:
Paprika
Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved, optional

Method:

Cook the pasta aldente, rinse and drain extremely well. Set aside to cool.
Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and erythritol together, until erythritol is dissolved.
Add the mustard powder, salt, onion salt, garlic, and pepper, mixing in well.
Add the minced vegetables and then the pasta and gently mix together. Taste.
Chill overnight for the best flavor.
Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika. Top with tomatoes, if desired. Serve cold.

The dressing and vegetables mixed together.

Freshly mixed pasta salad.

Delicious!

Enjoy,

Leila.

Authentic New York Deli-Style Potato Salad - Made Healthier and Brined for best flavor 24 hours

New York Deli Potato Salad.

Try this delicious flavor-packed potato salad for your next get together. People love it.

This type of potato salad is found in Queens, New York, Long Island, and in some Jewish or Italian delis. You don't really see it elsewhere.

Have you ever made a brined potato salad? Iv'e been doing it now for over 20 years and I keep coming back for more. The flavors deeply penetrate the potatoes when prepared this way and the result is a creamy dynamic potato salad with out having to use tons of mayo. Don't get me wrong, we love mayo around here.

It takes a couple of days to make this salad but it is well worth the effort. It continues to taste better each day too. Make sure you do not over cook the potatoes. Chilled potatoes that sill have a bite to them are perfect.

Did you know that cold potatoes contain resistant starch in them?

Do you know why that is a great thing?

Simply put, resistant starch resists being digested, resists breaking down into sugars in the body, and resists adding pounds to your body. Resistant starch is good starch.

Hot potatoes do not have this benefit. Pasta, by the way, is shown to have more resistant starch in it than hot pasta. I feel better about eating cold potatoes over cold pasta, however. Pasta is still generally white flour and/or starch and doesn't have the best nutritional value.

This recipe easily doubles.


New York Deli-Style Potato Salad Recipe:

3 to 3 1/2 pounds organic young new potatoes
1/2 cup finely minced onion, to taste
1/2 cup purified water
1/2 cup  white wine vinegar (healthier than plain white vinegar)
1/2 cup sugar (or xylitol, for a sugar-free version)
2 T. light olive oil (better than the usual canola oil)
1 T. sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. white pepper powder
1 t. dry mustard powder, optional
2 T. finely minced fresh parsley, or more to taste
1/2 to 1 cup Thick, high quality mayonnaise, to taste (Real Foods or Hellman's)
2 T minced red pimentos, optional
1 c. finely minced celery, optional


Method:

Day One:

Place cleaned potatoes into a large pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook just until a fork pierces a potato with little resistance. They should not be cooked until completely soft or you will have mushy potato salad.

Remove potatoes from stove, drain and cool in an ice bath. chill in the refrigerator until completely cold. It's easy to do this 2 days before you want to serve the salad.

Day Two:

Once potatoes are cold, halve and then slice into desired size. You can leave the skins on (I do) or rub them off.

Place the potatoes into a bowl and add the finely minced onion.

Make the hot brine by putting the water, sugar, vinegar, salt, white pepper, and mustard powder into a sauce pan and bringing to a boil, stirring just until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add the oil and taste your brine. It should have balanced flavors of sweet, savory, sour, with a pleasant heat from the white pepper and mustard powder.

Pour the hot brine over the potatoes and onions in the bowl. Toss gently to coat. Seal air-tight and chill 24 hours. I like to stir a couple times during this period.

Day Three:

The brine will be absorbed by the potatoes. If there is excess brine, drain it off. Add the minced parsley and mayonnaise to taste.

You may optionally add 2 T. minced pimentos for color and 1 cup finely minced celery for added texture.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Mexican Black Bean, Avocado & Corn Salsa

Chow down on this delicious salsa, which is almost a meal in itself!

My daughter brought this to my Mother's Day dinner this year and it was a big hit. She doesn't really measure everything when she cooks (I wonder who she got that from), but I had her write down what she estimated was in her salsa.

The next day, I went about recreating it (because we ate it all - and it was a double batch!), writing down the exact amounts of everything as I went. It turned great, although I liked my daughter's even better - because hers was made with love. Both of my eldest daughters cooked for me on mother's Day and it was wonderful!


Here is my daughter's salsa recipe, with the exact measurements I worked out. This recipe doubles perfectly, if you want a bigger batch.

Feel free to play with the seasonings to suit your tastes.

Note: Her version did not have the onion salt, fresh tomato, lime zest or fresh minced jalapeno. Nor did it have fresh ground black pepper (she was out of it). She used garlic salt instead of garlic and salt.




Black Bean, Avocado & Corn Salsa Recipe:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained (or 1 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed)
1 can Rotel (Mexican-style tomatoes with green chilies)
Zest of 1 lime, optional
1 lime, juiced
1 avocado, cubed
1 tomato, diced, optional
1/4th bunch cilantro, minced
2 large scallions, minced
2 t. minced jalapeno, to taste, optional
1/2 T. mild flavored olive oil
1/2 t. sea salt or BioSalt, to taste
1/2 t. onion salt
1/4 t. garlic powder (or 1 small clove garlic, smashed)
1/8 t. chili powder
1/8 t. ground cumin
1/8 t. ground coriander
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste


Method:

Dice the avocado and place in a medium sized bowl.
Pour the lime juice over top and lightly toss.
Add the Rotel, oil and seasonings to taste.
Add all of the other ingredients and gently mix together.
Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
Let the flavors blend an hour or so before serving with gluten-free corn chips.

Enjoy,

 Leila.

Easy Wasabi Potato Salad - A Real Restaurant Recipe - Improved!

I like collecting real restaurant recipes. This is a recipe for an unusual potato salad that I acquired along the way from the Asia Dog Restaurant. 

My Wasabi Potato Salad

We love the heat of wasabi. It is like horseradish in that the heat dissipates quickly through the nose, verses burning your mouth and throat for a prolonged length of time, like chilies. In fact most of the wasabi found in the United States is actually horseradish that has been colored green! Sad but true.

I have given you the original recipe that feeds 20. I am also giving you my revised scaled down version, for when you just want to make a little. I'd try the smaller version first, to test out how you like wasabi in your potato salad. You can even make more wasabi to put in this salad if you want to. I know I want to...

If you decide you want to make wasabi salad to feed 20, just multiply my revised recipe by 4.

Now, to be totally honest, I don't care for the original recipe from the Asia dog restaurant. Sorry Asia Dog. I think it is way too vinegary and boring. I do like the concept of wasabi potato salad however.

In our family, recipes are always evolving. You are probably starting to notice this if you have been following our blog. For example, more pancake recipes are coming. The pancakes just keep evolving, we can't help it. Who are we to stop their progress?

There are some comfort foods my mom used to make when I was little that I do not like to mess with though. Isn't it interesting how memories can be so closely associated with food?

Anyway, I posted the original potato salad recipe that serves 20, below for your own information.

But first, I am posting my version of Wasabi Potato Salad. I will probably mess with the recipe some more later, but I do like my version a lot as it is now. The vinegar is mellowed out and balanced, but the salad definitely has some kick!

Notice that I switched to white wine vinegar. I think rice vinegar would be terrific here too. I added fresh scallions (green onions), and added a bit of xylitol (which is sugar-free) for balance.

If you end up tweaking this recipe and love what you end up with, write in and tell us all about it.


Leila's Version of Wasabi Potato Salad:

Yield: Serves 6

28 ounces whole new red potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
6 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 large scallions, minced
1/2 c. to 2/3 c. white wine vinegar
2/3 c. Best Foods mayonnaise
2 T. xylitol or Lakanto White Sugar Substitute (or sugar)
1 T. wasabi paste (1 T. wasabi powder plus 1 T. water)
1 to 1 1/2 t. sea salt or BioSalt, to taste
40 grinds freshly ground black pepper


Method:

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cook until a knife inserted into the center of the potatoes meets little resistance, but they still hold their shape. Do not overcook.

Carefully drain the potatoes, let them cool to room temperature, and chill for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Prepare the wasabi paste by mixing 1 T. wasabi powder into 1 T. water and set aside.

Halve the potatoes lengthwise and then slice into pieces (thickness up to you).

Stir together the mayonnaise and wasabi paste in a medium bowl. Slowly add the vinegar, blending smooth as you go. Add the xylitol, salt, and pepper, to taste.

Place the potatoes, celery, and scallions into the bowl with the dressing and mix well. Chill until serving time.

At serving time, check for salt and adjust if needed.



Origional Asia Dog Restaurant Wasabi Potato Salad Recipe:

Yield: 20 servings (bulk recipe).

5 lbs whole russet potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed
1 bunch celery, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 c. white vinegar
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
3 T. wasabi paste
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper


Method:

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a bol over medium-high heat.

Cook until a knife inserted into the center of the potatoes meets little resistance, but they still hold their shape. Do not overcook.

Carefully drain the potatoes, let them cool to room temperature, and chill for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Halve the potatoes lengthwise and then slice into pieces (thickness up to you).

Stir together the potatoes and celery in a large mixing bowl, and then stir in the vinegar, mayonnaise and wasabi.

Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and chill.


Photos of the process:

Look at the ingredient list here...

Enjoy,

Leila.