Thursday, July 8, 2010

Kids Love It! Potato Salad

Here is my world famous (okay, my home famous) potato salad that is the absolute bestest, most favoritest, most gobbledededed up salad in our home by our children. Now, I have some other salads that come a close second, like my Tropical Seitan Pasta Salad, but this one takes the cake, er, kid-fork. I think why it goes over so well is its simplicity. The higher the number of ingredients in a dish, the higher the likelihood that my children will turn up their noses at it. Plus, I have one outright potato addict - thank you, S.R. Anyhow, I made this for the Fourth of July, and I will list our menu below. Also, just a tip from my mom - yes, I still get cooking tips from my mom: In the past when I drained the potatoes in a colander, they inevitably got mushy. And then they got even mushier when I added the ingredients and stirred together. Mushy potato salad really doesn't cut it, even when you're a kid who likes it. So, my mom suggested I put a lid on the pot, leaving a slight crack, like I do when I drain green beans or such. Then, just drain the water into the sink, leaving the potatoes in the pot. Once drained, let them completely cool on a cookie sheet. I tried this a couple of potato salads ago, and it worked perfectly, so I highly suggest that method. Also, the quantity of this recipe is enormous, but with my kids, it is gone in a couple of days, if it even survives the "taste testing." How come they never seem to know on the first or second or tenth taste, if the salad is right? Hmm. Anyways, onward with the menu and the show!

Fourth of July menu with my parents:

Chips and Salsa
Burgers with all the fixin's
Kids Love It! Potato Salad
Three Bean Salad from my mom
Pasta Salad from my mom
Relish tray from my mom

Dessert:

Soft Ginger Cookies (recipe on next post)
Homemade Strawberry Soy Ice Cream from my mom!


Kids Love It! Potato Salad with a pickle friend.

Boiled potatoes cooling on a cookie sheet.

Kids Love It! Potato Salad
Ingredients:

8 lb. bag of russet potatoes (or approx. 15)
Water to cover
1 and 1/2 cup chopped baby dill pickles (quartered lengthwise and then chopped)
1 cup of McCormick's Bac'n Pieces, Chips style - UPDATE: I now use SmartBacon fried and chopped, instead, to avoid the artificial colors
2 and 1/2 cups of Vegenaise
1 and 1/4 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Peel the potatoes, and cut them into bite-sized chunks. Put in a large pot with water enough to cover the potatoes at least an inch. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling for eight to ten minutes, or until the chunks are fork tender. Drain water out of pot into sink, carefully holding a lid about 90 percent in place. Be very careful not to get a steam or hot water burn. Spread the potatoes on a cookie sheet, and let cool completely. When the potatoes are cool, add them and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Sometimes I will put everything in the boiling pot instead of a bowl to do my mixing, so I can be sure that nothing will fall out of the bowl. This also ensures that your serving bowl won't be super messy. Once all the ingredients are in the bowl/pot, gently stir them together. If you've got kids around, count your fingers if they were near the salad while the kids were taste-testing! Feeds five hungry vegans, plus a couple of grandparents.

26 comments:

  1. That sounds perfect. I love pickles! In Guam we would add pimentos and olives too!

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  2. It's nice that your parents eat vegan! That plate is so pretty:)

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  3. Its fabulous...the recipe is simple and it will satisfy a very hungry vegan and all her kids...I must try this one sometime...I copied the recipe. Thanks Bmama.

    http://nuestracena-vegancuisine.blogspot.com

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  4. Hi, Carissa, Those sound like good additions. I can experiment around with a new salad, if I leave this one untouched. :-)

    Janet, my parents are actually carnivores (omnis, I know), but they are extremely accomodating to us. The plate is actually from a China collection. It's from my paternal grandmother, and is from Occupied Japan. I love it! Thanks for noticing it.

    Millie, so glad to see you again! I look forward to your sweet comments every time. Let me know if you like the recipe.

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  5. Must make this (drooling)!!!!

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  6. I love the pickle friend. That made me smile. :)

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  7. All the vegan bloggers are making potato salad and cookies this week! I didn't get the memo!

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  8. Marja, everyone needs a pickle friend, am I right?

    S.V., I'll have to check those out! I'm posting my cookie recipe next. :-)

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  9. That sounds great...I remember loving my mom's potato salad on the 4th of July and on summer picnics, as well as bean salad. You're taking back to my childhood in a yummy way!

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  10. You had good food and I am sure a good time for the fourth.

    I love, love, love potato salad. I collect potato salad recipes.

    Yum, yum, yum!

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  11. Hi, Rose, I'm glad you got to reminisce a little. :-) Food always brings up good memories for me.

    Wild Magnolia, we had a great time - I hope you did, too.

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  12. Hi,thanks for stopping by.

    It is so darn hot, I saw this recipe and the picture, and wanted everyone to feel as "cool" as I did when i saw it. Years ago I made this pie.

    Let me know if you veggie it up! :))

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  13. Thanks for the draining tip. I'll have to try that.
    Vegenaise is a little too sweet for me so I always add a little mustard as well.

    And I also add a handful of peanuts. Like the olives and pimentos (yumm!) it adds some salt and crunchiness to the salad.

    Thnaks for sharing your recipe. :)

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  14. Ooo, that reminds me I FORGOT to buy Vegenaise at Whole Foods today - phooey! You know, I think I've only made potato salad once...maybe twice...I need to do so more. Thanks for the potato tip!

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  15. I was certainly inspired by this post. Too much stress over the past week and I was craving potatoes like crazy. I gave in and had potato salad for breakfast this morning. Bless you! I feel SO much better now. =)

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  16. Oh, hello, Wild Magnolia, Jenn, Jenny, and Fayinagirl! I was gone all weekend at a retreat and just got back.

    W.M., I will let you know. :-)

    Jenn, peanuts sound good too. Thanks for the idea.

    Jenny, go out and buy it, girl! And make some potato salad!!

    Fayinagirl, potato salad for breakfast - just like my kids. :-)

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  17. Whoops, I got Fruitful Words mixed up with Fruitful Vine! Sorry, Susan! I'll have to try your peanutty potato salad, now that I know it's local. :-)

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  18. The potato salad looks so delicious and like something my kids would love!

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  19. Thank you, Morgan, and thanks for stopping by!

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  20. I have never been a very big fan of potato salad, but this sounds awesome. I can't wait to try it!

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  21. Thanks, Michelle. It goes over pretty well here. :-) Thanks for checking out my blog, too.

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  22. I love potato salad so much, I can eat it all by itself in a huge bowl with lots of onion in mine please! I have never heard of making a cold potato salad with bacon in it, but I bet it is good! I will have to try it sometime. I am sick of the grass diet I am on....lol
    I want some real food!

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  23. Wow, Brandi, I've only eaten cold potato salad! I wonder if it's a regional thing? Do you have a recipe you'd like to share for a warm salad?

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  24. We're big potato salad fans. However, the 'kids' are so used to us making it at the last minute and it not having time to cool, that they prefer it hot! I never thought of adding dill pickles (to which I have recently become addicted - I eat them straight from the jar - and no, I'm MUCH too old to be pregnant!) so I must try this!

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  25. Oh, good, Penny, let me know what you think. We eat pickles straight from the jar all the time, and even the pickle juice rarely survives!

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