Potato-Less Potato Salad

I love potato salad. My mom made the best and I've always tried to duplicate it. But now I generally avoid potatoes except for a few recipes—like this Hearty Vegetable Stew. Why? Well they're starchy and quickly turn to sugar in your body. They're inflammatory as opposed to their beta-carotene cousin, the sweet potato or yam, which is anti-inflammatory.

So I decided to duplicate my mother's recipe, as best I knew how, with a healthier substitute. I've got to give my sis-in-law, Marion, credit. She gave me the idea when she served a mock-potato salad at Easter.

Did you guess cauliflower as the worthy stand-in for potatoes in this salad recipe? It's 28 points lower on the Glycemic Index, a numerical scale used to indicate how fast and how high a particular food can raise blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It's mildly anti-inflammatory (11) as opposed to potatoes, which are moderately inflammatory (-179).

So let's build a new standard for that summertime icon, formerly known as potato salad. Start with cauliflower cut into florets. Steam until firm. Don't overcook. Cool and then cut into bit-size pieces.

Mix all the veggie ingredients together and add chopped eggs. I always buy organic eggs thus ensuring the chickens were not given antibiotics, hormones or GM feed. And I try to source locally from friends with chickens or a store that carries local eggs.

The dressing is super simple. I use it for lots of purposes like dipping steamed artichoke leaves. Make sure you use a real food mayonnaise. I use the Organic Mayonnaise from Trader Joe's.

Potato-less Potato Salad

From Chris Pedersen

Yield 6-8 servings

Category Salad

Cuisine Vegetarian

Ingredients

Head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 organic hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1/3 C chopped red onion

1/2 C chopped celery

3 Tbsp chopped pickles

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

4-5 radishes, cut into half-moons

1/4 C organic mayonnaise

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Steam cauliflower for about 15 minutes until fork tender. Cool and transfer to fridge.

2. Prep the egg and veggie ingredients and add to large bowl.

3. Cut cooled cauliflower to bite-size pieces, add to bowl and stir.

4. Mix mayo, mustard and lemon juice together. Add to bowl and mix.

5. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Let's come up with a better name for this delicious potato-less salad. Leave your name ideas in the comments.