Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Down-Home Upper-Midwest Vegan Potato Salad

OK, so here it is. Finally, the potato salad recipe.

Like I've said before, if you grew up eating omnivore potato salad and you want a (cholesterol free) blast from the past, make this. It has pot-luck written all over it.

Down-Home Upper-Midwest Vegan Potato Salad

* 5 lbs. red potatoes, chopped (about thumbnail-sized cubes ... if your thumbs are sort of big)
* 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (I use a chopper)
* 4 stalks celery, chopped (I use the chopper on these too, but that's because I don't like big crunchy things in my potato salad)
* 2 1/2 cups soy mayonnaise (I used Vegenaise)
* 4 tablespoons plain yellow mustard
* 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 1 block firm silken tofu, cut to rectangular pieces (to simulate chunks of eggs)
* 2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
-Boil chopped potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft, but not crumbly.
-Let potatoes cool to room temperature (or if you don't have time, at least let them cool to where they're not steaming anymore).
-Gently mix all ingredients except tofu (you don't want the potatoes to crumble or get mashed).
-Gently fold in tofu pieces.
-Let it all cool down in the fridge.
-Sprinkle paprika on top to taste before serving.

-

And there it is. I'm not one to brag, but every single person who has tasted this has commented that it's good.

In short, I'm awesome.

But to give partial credit where partial credit's due - my recipe was adapted from this one. I sort of doubled it (because it keeps really good in the fridge and you can never have too much potato salad) and made it a bit more Upper Midwest. (Spicy mustard? How many of your grandmas ever used spicy mustard in their potato salad?! I mean really.)

I considered taking a photo of the potato salad and posting it with the recipe, but it just looks like regular old potato salad. Who hasn't seen potato salad?

OK, now you can make it. Enjoy!

Oh, and for those of you who didn't grow up in the Upper Midwest of the United States of America, if you make this let me know what you think. I'm curious what an "outsider" would make of it.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

All Work and No Blog...

...makes Al go something, something.

Crazy. I'm going crazy. Because not only am I not blogging, I'm not reading blogs either. I feel like a part of my life is missing.

But I'm working on the house and I'm actually taking some photos for money. And I'm out of town for the next three weekends. So it's busy.

I feel like a broken record, but sorry again for the lack of blogging.

I promise I'll post the potato salad recipe tomorrow. Maybe.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Sliver

Not only is it my favorite Nirvana song, but it's also something I removed from Anna for the first time ever today.

She had a moderately sized sliver in her palm for who knows how long and Mrs. Piggy saw it tonight. So I got out the tweezer and Anna held still and let me pull it out. She's such a trooper.

Anna's new word today (there are, in fact, many new words every day, but this is the one I like best): Cooperate.

Friday, July 11, 2008

North Dakota's State Dish

I'm on vacation in North Dakota.

I made vegan potato salad. If you grew up an omnivore in the midwest and you are now vegan, you need to make this potato salad. Even if you didn't like potato salad.

I'll post the recipe soon. Then you'll make it. And you'll thank me.

That is all. Sorry for the lack of posts. Like I said ... vacation ...

Friday, July 4, 2008

Hi.

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans!

"Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it."

-Mark Twain

I interrupt this blogging hiatus to apologize for the lack of posts recently. It's going to be a couple weeks more until I get back on the blogging wagon. So, sorry.

And here are a couple quote for you this Independence Day from Mark Twain's successor:

"There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president."

"1492. As children we were taught to memorize this year with pride and joy as the year people began living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America. Actually, people had been living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America for hundreds of years before that. 1492 was simply the year sea pirates began to rob, cheat, and kill them."

-Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.