Potato Salad & My Parents

My parents are not too thrilled about my vegetarian "conversion". They try to be supportive, but I know they think I'll end up malnourished. I see them every Sunday, and although I'm not trying to start a vegetarian crusade...I do want to show them that vegetarian foods can be nutritiously complete AND delicious. I decided to ease them into this by including at least one vegetarian dish for our Sunday meals. I think they still see these dishes as "side" dishes, not worthy of being called a main course. My husband says I shouldn't try to "change" them, but it's not about changing them. I guess I just want them to approve of my choice to be a vegetarian. Yikes! How old am I??? I thought being over 30 meant I would outgrow this kind of thing. Ugh!

Anyway, this week, I made potato salad. Now, I know that potato salad is pretty common, even for non-vegetarians. But, hey, I've got to start somewhere...

I found the recipe for Potato Salad  in The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook by John and Mary McDougall.

Here it is as it appears in the book

2 pounds small red potatoes, cut into chunks

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Dressing:

1/2 cup fat-free mayonaise

1T. prepared mustard

1 T. soy or rice milk

1 T. parsley flakes

1/2 t. honey

1/4 t. dill weed

1/8 t. salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the potatoes in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over medium heat until just tender, about 20 minutes (Don't let htem get too soft)

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Set aside.

When the potatoes are done, remove from heat and drain. Add the onion, celery, and green onions.

Poor the dressing over the vegetables and mix well. Serve warm or refrigerate up to 24 hours before serving.

Believe it or not, I actually practiced making this recipe before making it for my parents. Approval issues, anyone? Anyway, here's what I learned.

The original recipe needed a little oomph...I like to feel that I'm chewing on something substantial. So, I added finely chopped raw carrots. They worked well with the crunchy celery. I also increased the salt, to taste. I don't need a lot of salt, but the recipe need a bit more since the mayonnaise and honey made it kind of sweet. I used rice milk, and I used raw honey instead of regular honey because it gave the dressing a thicker consistency. I found out--the hard way--that 30-60 minutes in the fridge is best. I kept leftovers in the fridge overnight for lunch the next day, and the dressing started to separate, which was not pleasant. It got all watery and gross. This is definitely the kind of recipe that works best when you eat it right away.

Most of the recipes in the book do justice to its title: it is a good introduction to quick and easy vegetarian recipes. The list of ingredients for most recipes is not too long, and the actual instructions are also short and to the point. I appreciate this since I'm not ready for long and complicated recipes just yet.

If I had any criticism to share about this book, it would be that many of the recipes rely on convenience/processed foods, which I'm trying to stay away from. I also find that many recipes are quite similar. This is good for starting out, but I know I'll outgrow this soon. I want to be exposed to many different flavors. I also find myself thinking about ingredients that I would either add to the recipe or substitute all together. I guess, in a way it gives me the liberty to play with recipes to suit my taste.

I had the potato salad for dinner with a few other things. I wish I would have taken a picture of the plate so I could post it here. I'm going to have to keep my camera with me when I'm cooking. Anyway, I put a bed of arugula on my plate. On top of the arugula, I had some wild rice. And, on top of the rice, I had the potato salad. It was a very, very, very satisfying and yummy dinner for me.

So...how did it go with my parents....Well, we never actually ate the potato salad together. during lunch. I ended up giving them some to take home. My dad called after dinner to let me know that he had liked it, but I didn't get to talk to my mom. He always tries to be nice about things like this, though. So, if I want to get a completely candid answer, I'll just have to wait until my mom gives it to me straight.