Side Dishes

Potato Salad with Silken Tofu Mayo

karenwpullen Salads, Side Dishes
Potato Salad with Silken Tofu Mayo

I love potato salad. This version is improved with a lot of crunchy colorful vegetables. The mayo dressing is made from silken tofu so it’s no-oil and low-calorie.

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Print Recipe

“Improved” Potato Salad with Silken Tofu Vegan Mayo

Add some crunchy vegs to a family favorite.
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Servings: 8

Equipment

  • blender

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds potatoes Yukon Gold or small red
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrot diced
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 1/2 red onion chopped small
  • 2 medium dill pickles chopped
  • 1/2 cup green olives chopped
  • 1 Tbs dried parsley or 2 Tbs fresh
  • 1 Tbs dried dill or 2 Tbs fresh
  • 1/2 tsp paprika to garnish

Vegan Mayo

  • 16 oz silken tofu
  • 1/2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 pinch kala namak salt optional

Instructions

  • Place the potatoes into salted water and bring to a boil. Whole potatoes: cook 10 – 15 minutes. In bite-size pieces: cook 6 – 9 minutes. They are done when a fork pierces them easily. Drain and cool.
  • Put all the mayo ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy-smooth. The optional kala namak salt (black salt) adds an eggy flavor. Refrigerate. Makes about two cups.
  • Prep the vegetables. Mix them with the potatoes and one cup of mayo.
  • Sprinkle the finished salad with paprika, if desired. Refrigerate.

Notes

Other vegetables could substitute, like radishes, zucchini, beets.
The remaining mayo should be refrigerated and will keep for about a week. You can mix it with other herbs and spices for a unique salad dressing.

Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

karenwpullen Recipes, Sauces and dressings, Side Dishes, Snacks, Dips, and Smoothies
Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

These are fun to make. There’s little cooking, other than a quick boil of the rice noodles. Kids like to participate and everyone likes to eat them. The sauce is finger-licking good!

Print Recipe

Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Rice paper is wrapped around crisp veggies, dipped in flavorful sauce. No cooking required.
Course: Appetizer, Sauces and dressings, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Spring rolls

  • 2 oz thin rice noodles
  • 12 sheets rice paper spring roll wrappers
  • 1 cup cabbage red or green, sliced very thin
  • 2 carrots cut into matchsticks
  • 1 cucumber sliced very thin
  • 2 green onions chopped
  • 12 pieces butter lettuce
  • 1 jalapeno pepper thinly sliced

Dipping Sauce

  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 Tbs soy sauce
  • 2 Tbs maple syrup
  • 2 tsp Siracha adds heat; to taste
  • 2 Tbs rice vinegar
  • 3 Tbs water

Instructions

Spring Rolls

  • First cook the noodles according to package directions. Should take only a couple of minutes. Drain and rinse.
  • Fill a cake tin that is larger than the rice paper with an inch of water.
  • You will make each spring roll one at a time. Lay the rice paper in the water until it is pliable, about 20 seconds. Take it out and place it on a towel.
    If you leave it in too long, it will disintegrate. You'll get the hang of it!
  • Leaving about an inch on each side, layer a little bit of each filling ingredient, lettuce first, on the bottom third of the wrapper.
  • Roll up the wrapper from the bottom about half way, then fold in the sides. Continue rolling all the way.
  • The wrapper might stay closed; you can also dampen the very top with some water to help it stick.

Dipping Sauce

  • Whisk all the ingredients together.

Notes

Recipe makes 12 spring rolls.
Other optional ingredients include slivers of baked tofu, cilantro, and mint.
Normally my recipes are no-oil but sesame oil adds such great flavor that I’ve included it.
If you take these as your contribution to a meal, better make a lot more – they will go fast!

Traditional Colcannon

karenwpullen Main Dishes, Recipes, Side Dishes , , , , , , ,

A perfect St. Patrick’s Day dish, made of mashed potatoes mixed with steamed chopped cabbage and leeks. I plan to serve it with corned “beef” that I make from tofu!

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Print Recipe

Traditional Colcannon

Course: Side Dish
Keyword: no-oil, plant-based, vegan, wfpb
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 4 medium potatoes preferably Yukon Gold
  • 4 cups cabbage chopped
  • 2 leeks, white and pale green parts cleaned and chopped
  • 2 green onions sliced
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1 Tbs nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 Tbs chopped parsley or 1 tsp dried

Instructions

  • Wash the potatoes and dice them. Not necessary to peel them, though you can. Place in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook about 15 minutes, testing to see when they are no longer raw.
  • Sauté the leeks for about 10 minutes until they begin to brown.
  • Add the cabbage and green onion to the sauté pan and cook until the cabbage wilts.
  • Drain the potatoes, put them back into the pot with the milk, nutritional yeast,, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Mash until you get the desired consistency. I like some lumps myself. I use an electric mixer, or you can use a food processor (if you like them very creamy) or a potato masher.
  • Add the cabbage-leeks mixture to the potatoes along with the parsley and mix all together.