To be honest, I have never liked potato salad. It looks really gross. That’s probably due to the mayo, which I also never liked. White creamy condiments give me the heebie jeebies. Potato salad is kinda the quintessential picnic food though, right? I can recall many outdoor get-togethers and summer BBQs that had potato salad as a side dish (usually a fairly untouched dish). It seems so un-American to dislike it. But I guess I feel similarly about many other “classic American” foods, too…burgers and fries? I’ll pass. Why does the US have such crappy food to define our national eating habits? I wish hummus was a classic American dish. Maybe I’m meant to live in the Mediterranean? Anyway, I’m getting off topic here, reign it in Elise!
Back to potato salad.
To cut to the chase, I don’t know what provoked my decision to replicate the OG dish with a vegan version since I don’t even like the real deal, but regardless, that’s where this post is headed.
I like things that are colorful, so the purple fingerlings (also known as Peruvian fingerlings) were a nice twist, offering pretty shades of color to make it a bit more pleasing to the eye.
This recipe is stupid simple (maybe that’s why potato salad is such a popular item?).
I chopped the taters (so pretty!) and put them in a glass bowl and microwaved them until they were cooked. I added some almond milk for the last minute so they wouldn’t get overly dried out. If you aren’t impatient or lazy (like I am) them you could easily steam them, thus preserving the moisture of them.
The ingredients to make vegan potato salad are below…
Purple potato salad (this recipe is for one because Kyle detests all things with dill)
- 7-10 fingerling potatoes, cooked and chopped
- 2 T almond milk (you could use any non-dairy milk, but I find almond milk has a nice salty aspect to it that works well in this recipe)
- 1 T apple cider vinegar (this makes a kind-of vegan buttermilk when combined with the almond milk)
- 1 T vegan mayo
- 1 tsp dijon mayo (spiciness to taste)
- 1 T honey mustard
- nutritional yeast to taste (I used < 1 T)
- garlic salt to taste
- shake of dill (can easily be omitted if you don’t like dill – I hardly used any because I’m not a big fan)
Once everything is mixed together, Annie get your gun(s) because those biceps are gonna be getting a workout. I mashed and mashed and mashed some more, until I had a nice semi-lumpy consistency.
Now this is a potato salad I can get on board with!
I had some for dinner and the rest got tupp-ed up so it was all ready for school lunches.
Now that I shared the recipe I promised a while ago, I’ll carry on with this post.
Last I left off, I shared my not so pleasant night shift…after which I came home, showered, and immediately fell asleep. I woke up around noon and walked out to the living room right as Kyle was walking in the door!
Little Miss Hawaiian Tropic was just returning from la playa, and decided to bring me some farmer’s market goodies.
Isn’t my husband a peach? [And how sweet am I to pay him back by calling him names and making dishes I know he hates? – I believe that’s what they call #wifefail]
So yeah. I knew whatever was on the menu for breakfast lunch was going to involve strawberries for sure.
Enter Love Grown Foods.
The Cocoa Goodness Oat Clusters & Love were so fantastic, this time I decided to try the Simply Oats flavor.
Same pure, clean, whole food ingredients.
Crispy!
I’ll take a bowl of yummy please and hold the processed crap.
That’s what I’m talking about.
The Simply Oats flavor reminds me of my quinoa granola recipe a bit because of the sunflower seeds. They have a pretty prominent role in the otherwise simple ingredient list, which means they stand out to my taste buds. Maybe too much? I like sunflower seeds, but I prefer them in a more subtle role. This flavor was ok at first bite, but then grew on me a bit…as opposed to the Cocoa Goodness flavor which I loved from the second it touched my lips.
I still had 3 bowls, though, so interpret that how you will…
I will now completely contradict what I just said, and show you my next meal, in which sunflower seeds were essentially the star of the show. I’m literally laughing at myself right now because of how ridiculous my likes and dislikes seem to align in this post.
Toasted Udi’s bagel with Sunbutter Natural sunflower seed spread and raspberry fruit spread.
Delish! Sunflower seeds may not be my favorite in seed form, but in butter form are outstanding. I actually think it trumps almond and peanut butters. Now that’s a bold statement! [I’ll probably be singing a different tune tomorrow given my recent pattern of contradictory statements]
So what can we conclude from this? Making food generalizations seems to be pointless in my case. Hopefully I’m not quite as bad as Kelly Bensimon (who swears she doesn’t eat any processed food…as she is shoveling gummy bears into her mouth), but I think it’s safe to say, my food preferences are as unpredictable as her sanity. For the people who don’t watch The Real Housewives of NY, this reference may not make sense to you, but trust me, you aren’t really missing anything. After all, this is the woman who declared her support for PETA while wearing a fur coat.
Do you ever get surprised by foods you thought you disliked? Is there anything you hated growing up, that you now enjoy eating?
I hated nuts growing up, but nowadays I’m more of a fan. I still have a few issues (I rarely touch walnuts, pecans, macadamias, and some others), but cashews and almonds are practically their own food group in my current diet.
Stay tuned for the Larabar winner announcement on Tuesday!! [And in the meantime, make sure to enter]
I’m hopelessly addicted to SunButter! Recently I’ve become obsessed with dates and mangos too, which I never thought I would like. I might try some of those purple potatoes – they look so pretty.
Sunflower seed butter is definitely better than all the nut butters out there. I used to hate olives, mushroom, and most veggies…but now I love them all!
The “Little Miss Hawaiian Tropic” comment had me in stitches! What a nice guy to bring you home some yummy strawberries to wake up to. I’m also a potato salad hater but am coming around to it as well. I’ve never used purple potatoes.
okay i feel the way you felt about potato salad about cole slaw and i think mine is due to some movie i think its never been kissed? where they have a cafeteria coleslaw eating contest. ew gross
hmmm… what’s interesting is that my tastes as a kid have largely remained the same as i get older. i never really liked eating meat or cheese & i still only eat meat in small amounts and never cheese. one thing i like now is cottage cheese but i don’t know if i would’ve liked it as a kid because it was never in the house.
what i think is interesting is how much our preferences are determined by what our parents feed us & how they react to food.
also, currently loving sunbutter & nutzo!
I just had a sunflower butter and blackberry jam sandwich yesterday–SOO good. Definitely one of my fave nut butters.
I literally LOLd at the Bensimon comment 🙂
I hate classic potato salad too! It makes me wanna gag. But your version looks so so good! Yum! I used to hate raisins as a kid but now I love them–even in baked goods. Who knew? I also didn’t like pistachio nuts as a kid which is just plain insane, as they are so tasty they’re downright addictive!
I love those little purple fingerlings. I get excited every time I eat them. Also, I have to admit, I really like potato salad – but never eat it because my tum-tum doesn’t agree with it – but your vegan version would be perfect!
OMG no for real, I Lovvvvve sunbutter!! I Just got some for the first time ever yesterday, and it’s honestly the best “Butter” I’ve ever had!!! <3 And I'm with ya on how much it stinks that america is represented by all stinky foods; I'm definitely meant to be in the mediter. with hummus and chickpeas galore!
gross. they are on the same page kinda.
good point. although oddly enough i NEVER ate peas growing up bc my mom hated them and thus never made them, but once i went to college, i became obsessed with them. literally went through pounds (no, TONS) of peas in those four years.
i hate beets, but actually, apparently I don’t! I can say that I enjoy them shredded, not chopped. fair?
Also thank you for quoting RHONYC. it makes me feel less alone! lol
You have just solved a mystery for me…. Whilst living in Korea, my father in law used to provide me with purple root veggies and tell me they were potatoes…. Now I guess I have to conceded he was right… lol
I am not a fan of mayo either so I always pass on the potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, etc. Gag.
My mom has always made potato salad with olive oil, red onion, vinegar, a touch of mustard, a bunch of spices and lots and lots of fresh parsley. It’s so yummy and has a much lighter feeling than the mayo version, so now that’s the only kind I ever make.
Your version looks yummy but I’m still scared of Nayonaisse. Does it taste like real mayo at all? (I’m hoping not, even though that’s the point of it I’m guessing)
That purple potato salad is so beautiful! I’m now inspired to do something with purple potatoes, if I can find them. Yum.
i really love the fact you called kyle miss hawaiian tropic, for the record.
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I CAN”T believe I’m just now getting to this post! Grr!
Am I the only person in America that actually likes potato salad?? I mean, I won’t eat just any potato salad, but I actually prefer it over the other picnic essential, coleslaw. I make a really good “loaded baked potato” salad that my family always requests anytime we have a family get together…totally not vegan since it’s loaded with cheddar cheese, bacon, and sour cream, but it is amazing! I love how you added the dijon mustard for a little “kick”!
I am a total flip-flopper on so many things…one of the main reasons I haven’t updated my iPod in over a year! I will LOVE a song (or food) for a week and then all of a sudden, I won’t want to listen to (touch) it for months!
I was such a picky eater growing up! It’s actually amazing that I didn’t end up with some sort of nutrient deficiency! I think I pretty much subsisted off oatmeal (sadly, the overly processed kind) and mashed potatoes! In particular though, I used to HATE brussel sprouts and black-eyed peas and now I love them!
Kyle is SOOOOO sweet to bring you all those goodies! Those strawberries are gorgeous!
i used to hate any mayo-based stuff but now that i’ve discoveed veganaise i love these types of salad. will make this aSAP! is the fat free nayonaise good? i sthat what you use in all your mayonnaise recipes?
also, when you say dijon mayonnaise did you mean dijon mustard or is there actually a dijon mayonnaise product?
thanks!
oops. i meant dijon mustard. i prefer the fat free veganaise, because it tastes less like mayo to me. i never liked mayo, so thats just my opinion.
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