Half Healthy Potato Salad

or a healthful remix for hot Summer days

Summer is here and grilling weather has officially arrived!  With so many fresh veggies getting ready to sprout in the garden, it's easy to overlook the weight of the items that make up a typical grilling day spread (heavy meats, cheeses, buttery rolls, potatoes, cookies, and ice cream to name a few).  So how can you enjoy all this without the stress of healthy eating weighing you down?  By lightening up a dish or two, cutting some of the fat and calories without any of the taste.  I'm not a health nut, but I have been making a concerted effort to live a healthier lifestyle - after all a healthy body does help to make a healthy mind, and vice versa.  So I have been working on ways to improve the health factor without adding unpleasant flavors or textures to my dishes.  There have been some moderate successes, some less then pleasant meals, and here and there a truly delicious result.  One such result is my modified potato salad.

I posted a recipe last year for my favorite potato salad, and I whole heartedly stand by that recipe for all events BBQ, but as a daily side dish I would prefer it to be a tad more healthful.  So I took some advice from various chefs and adapted my recipe.  The vinegar and dill weed help to make up for the lack of relish, which very well make an appearance in this dish once we are better stocked in our house, to help keep a similar flavor profile.  Don't let the moderately healthy implications on this dish fool you, the flavors are still there - as are some of the calories and fat since I didn't opt for completely healthy on this remake.  But, it's a good compromise nonetheless if I do say so myself.  And it has repeatedly received my hubby's stamp of approval, considering how much he loves my other potato salad recipe this is a more significant statement than you might think.  Check it out:

4 med gold potatoes
⅓ of a head of cauliflower
⅔ cup of olive oil mayo or low fat mayo
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp low fat milk
1 tbsp dried minced onions
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp dried dill weed
½ tsp celery salt
Salt & Pepper

1. Dice potatoes into bite sized pieces and boil in lightly salted water for 10-15 min or until they are tender enough to pierce with a fork.

2. Dice the cauliflower and steam stove-top or in the microwave until soft*

3. Puree the cauliflower in a food processor or blender and then add the mayo, milk, onions, mustard, rice vinegar, dill, and celery salt. Blend until smooth.

4. Drain the potatoes once they are tender and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the cauliflower mixture and toss to coat. Add in the celery and hard boiled eggs and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

* You can steam an additional third of the head of cauliflower and reserve from the blending process. Add this to the potatoes before the pureed mixture to add volume and increase the healthy factor.