8.26.2012

Potato salad made clean

I have been remaking recipes in order to clean up what we put on our plate this year. Some of my recreations have been good, others have wound up in the trash can. This is the way we find out what works and what is disastrous! We have to stop being so hard on ourselves when it comes to trying new things. We are not world class chefs; our efforts do not have to match that level.

This year has been full of ups and downs. Discovering the deliciousness of fresh juicing and the side benefits of health it brought along with it has been an up. Sitting by my husband in the emergency room after his stroke was a humbling low. And all the ranges inbetween, feeling blessings and losses, being encouraged by the way people around us have responded to us, wondering what we are to do with our experiences over the days to come, have made us grow in character and understand ourselves and others more.

I do know that we cannot let go of eating right. Sometimes it is a big challenge to not let the guard down and just run through a drive up to get something quick. Let's face it, eating right takes work. It needs attention. My generation has always had fast food available to them. The chain restaurant business is bigger and more popular than ever, and you have no idea what they are putting in your food and what you are really eating.

Why potato salad? What's so great about cleaning up something insignificant as potato salad? Just ease up on the mayo and there you go, it's cleaned up. No. It's not as good as it can be. I like cold vegetable salads but they typically include milk, mayo, or buttermilk as the goo that everything sticks to. This goo is not heart friendly. Dairy products are not the best thing going for you when it comes to eating clean.

The other day, we were going about our day, doing lots of stuff, and realized that we were hungry, really hungry. So I had to come up with something to hold us over until dinner that was somewhat substantial and tasty. I rummaged through the fridge and came up with this fabulous remake of potato salad. We ate it up so quick, I never even had the chance to take a picture.

Gnocchi Salad
6 side servings

Cook one bag of potato gnocchi (the frozen kind that is low sodium, not the kind on the store shelf that is high sodium). Drain and rinse. Place back in hot pot. Put a splash of veggie stock in pot (or a TBSP olive oil), add 2 entire stalks of chopped green onion, one diced medium (or several cherry sized) tomatoes, garlic powder, and one small shredded carrot. Mix, top with parsley, and serve hot or chill to serve cold later.

This was a happy accident! It is full of flavor. I hope you try it. If you want to make it more potato salad like, cut the gnocchi into smaller pieces. Try adding other vegetables in it. Take it easy on the oil, if that is what you decide to add. It doesn't need much! This is a delicious, low sodium, low fat, high nutrient alternative to the fatty original that will be dished up at all the labor day parties next weekend. And this one won't spoil in the heat.