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.

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 ...

Vegan MoFo Day 23 - Lazy Links

I spaced the MoFo today, so here's a round-up of food posts/recipes I've done since starting this here blog.

A bunch of food I made last New Year's Eve.

Grab Bag o' Food.

Punjabi Chhole in 17 Seconds.

Anna munching on an tomato.

My recipe for Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Marshmallow Rice Krispie Bars.

I review a couple restaurants in the Denver area.

A post in which I am enthusiastic about a fully vegan cafe opening in Fargo (still haven't been there, by the way).

Better than Cinnabons!

Recipe for Down-Home Upper-Midwest Vegan Potato Salad.

Mocha-Vanilla Soy Cream With Chunks of Chocolate Covered Pretzels in it Right There, See?

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.

What The Hell Do I Do With... Carrots? (and a lot of things to do with kale)

I know, carrots are pretty basic. But hey...

First though, here are some things you can do with kale. 

Lisa suggests colcannon puffs and suggests this recipe for kale chips.

Jacqueline says, "Kale chips are great! Just wash, pat dry, tear into chip-size pieces, removing stems, then toss with a tablespoon of olive oil. Lay them out flat on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little salt and nutritional yeast. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees, turning over once mid-way, and watching so they don't burn near the end. Yummo!"

Erin says, "For a super easy side, I tear it off the stem into a boiling/salted pot of water. Let it double double, boil and trouble for a few minutes, drain, and top with Cajun or Chipotle seasonings and/or garlic salt and/or hot sauce! Also tasty with a chopped fresh tomato on top."

Another Erin (the one I know personally and am friends with) said, "Separate the leaves from the tough stem. Simmer kale in a sauce pan with water for about 10 min (depending on how tough it is), drain it in a collander, then in the empty frying pan, heat up some oil (sesame adds the best flavor), add a bit of garlic for about 30 seconds, toss in the kale and saute a bit, until it dries out a bit and the oil has infused the kale. Then treat it with a squirt of tamari/soy sauce (less tamari if you have less kale; start with a little, taste and build from there to avoid really salty kale) and finish with about a tablespoon or so of sesame seeds."

That's actually the recipe that we make all the time. Because Erin gave it to us a few years ago. It's great, we love it and the kids love it. Thanks Erin!

Radioactivevegan suggests the Garlicky Kale With Tahini Sauce recipe from Vegan With a Vengance which can also be found when you click this here text.. 

Whitehairedveg can only stomach kale with this Mustard-Crusted Tofu with Kale and Sweet Potato recipe from Epicurious. 

Samantha made this Indian-Spiced Kale and Chickpeas and it was fabulous. 

Patrick throws it in smoothies. 

GreensPlease said, "Using whatever kind of kale you prefer (we rotate with whichever looks most fresh at the co-op), chop leaves into medium sliced shreds (like a thick cole-slaw). Chop thinner near the base as you ad more stem - we use as much stem as possible). 

We use a very hot wok, ad a bit of grapeseed oil then chopped garlic for a second then half the bunch of kale. Toss fast to keep the garlic from staying on the bottom. Cook tossing constantly for about a minute and a half. Add a bit of white wine vinegar or lemon juice to taste and remove right away to a serving dish. Repeat with the rest of the kale. If you do too much at once, you'll boil it which we would NEVER do. We like it with some crunch and as much nutritional value as possible. Finish with some sea or kosher salt and enjoy!"

And finally, Anonymous said, "I love the Kale-Potato Soup recipe from Laurel's Kitchen. It's just potatoes, onions, garlic, soy butter, kale, water, salt and pepper, but the simple flavors and hearty texture are really satisfying, especially during the cruelest months of winter."

Thanks everyone for all the ideas! Now I'm hungry for kale. 

So what's your favorite thing to do with carrots? I usually end up eating them raw with some ranch dill dip that we whip up (I'll post the recipe for that next time). Or I shred a couple and throw 'em in a scrambled tofu or a salad. But we're getting a lot of carrots from our CSA these days and I'd like to branch out a bit, so ... 

... what the hell do you do with carrots?