What's for Lunch

And dinner, and quite possibly breakfast tomorrow...

 I've been enjoying a number of ongoing conversations with friends who are all on similar dining trajectories these days; dairy-free, low sugar, low-to-no gluten, mostly vegan (and for me, no soy whatsoever) meals that taste FABULOUS.  Because really, what's the point in eating anything that tastes like cardboard?  I refuse because my taste-buds like to be titillated, and yes that is exactly what I just said.  

So!

Today I give you my latest foodie obsession, the FRESH Potato Salad!  This is the second batch I've made in a week, as the first batch I served to a group of friends (meat-eaters all) and every last bite was slurped up and seconds had.

~ Fresh Potato Salad ~

(like most of my recipes, feel quite free to tweak quantities and ingredients to what you have on hand!)

You will need:

2 pounds Red Potatoes, cubed into bite-size chunks

2 Bell Peppers (your choice of color), cubed

1 Large Cucumber, cubed

1 1/2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved

A small handful of fresh Parsley (1/3 Cup minced)

An even smaller handful of fresh Thyme (2-3 Tbsp minced)

5-6 Green Onions, chopped

1 Can Black Olives, drained and rinsed

1 Can Beans (I prefer black, but kidney or even garbanzo would work just dandy), drained and rinsed

1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar

3 Tbsp Mild Flavored Oil (I've used both grapeseed oil and canola, and if you really wanted to, I'm sure olive oil would be fine too)

1 Tbsp Salt

A load of fresh cracked Black Pepper (this is an approximate amount ;)

And here's how:

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Place cubed potatoes in a large pot of water (enough to cover the potatoes by 2 inches), bring to a boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes (just until you can pierce them easily with a fork).  Drain off water, toss the potatoes in the biggest bowl you own, and pop in the refrigerator to cool for about 15 minutes.

*

While potatoes cool, chop the rest of your ingredients (peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, etc.).  In a small bowl, mix your dressing: oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh herbs.  Pour this over the potatoes, mix well, and allow to sit for another 5 minutes while the starches soak up all that deliciousness.

*

Add all veggies, olives and beans to potatoes, give everything a good stir, and eat up!  I prefer mine over a bed of lettuces, but of course that's optional.  Either way, load up a good size plate because that's how much you'll want as soon as you taste it!  Extra special bonus: this keeps really well in the fridge for a couple days too.

Nom it up!