I have never been a fan of traditional potato salad. In my circle, that makes me an odd minority. So, when I saw this recipe on Twitter a while back, I was intrigued by the mayo/mustard-less possibilities. It turns out my instinct on the yumminess of this was right on.

I planned to whip this up as part of our Memorial Day BBQ but we ended up getting home too late for that much fuss and instead opted for take-out. Holiday Grillfest – Take 2, was yesterday and this was a great addition to the meal.

The one downside here, as always with avocado based dishes, is that it can’t be made too far in advance and can’t be kept for leftovers. Still, I think it’s good enough (and easy enough) to warrant some on-site prep for your next family get together.

Vegan Avocado Potato Salad
Recipe courtesy of Post Punk Kitchen

Ingredients

2 lbs fingerling potatoes (or whatever you can find), cut into 3/4 in. chunks
2 avocados
2 tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 small red onion, diced small
1 small cucumber, diced very small
Scallions for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Put potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Cover pot, bring water to a boil. Lower heat to a rolling boil and cook for 15-20 min, until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside to cool
• Once potatoes have cooled, prepare the dressing. Split the avocado in half, remove the seed and scoop into a food processor. Add the lime juice, salt and cayenne (if using) and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed. Once smooth and creamy, add the tomato and onion. Pulse until they are incorporated but not completely blended. You should still be able to see the tomato and onion
• Put the potatoes and cucumbers in a large mixing bowl and mix them. Add the dressing and mix well. Taste for salt and spice
• Wrap tightly and chill until ready to use*. Top with scallions, if you like

*This can sit for a couple of hours, at most, before the avocado will brown.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

With Memorial Day just around the corner, I’m on the lookout for yummy ideas for the grill. Just in case you are too, here’s something you might want to try out this weekend!

Infused with the complementary flavors of chili and lime, this recipe is a nice twist on an old fave.

Chili Lime Corn on the Cob
Recipe courtesy of Sunset

Ingredients

4 tbs Earth Balance, at room temp
1 tsp finely shredded lime zest
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
6 ears sweet corn

Directions

• Combine butter, zest, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl
• Pull back husk from each ear of corn without detaching from bottom of cob. Remove as much silk as possible and fold husk back over ears. Soak ears in water for at least 30 min and up to one hour
• Drain ears, open husks, dry ears with paper towls and spread evenly with butter mixture. Fold husks back over ears and tie in place with kitchen string or strips of husk*
• Prepare grill for indirect medium heat (you can hold your hand above the grate only 5 to 7 seconds). If using charcoal, bank coals evenly on opposite sides of the firegrate, leaving a cooler center section. If using gas, turn all burners to high, close lid and heat 10 min. Then turn off one burner and lower others to medium.
• Grill corn over cooler spot, covered, until tender and charred, 20 min. Serve with salt

*They say that cooking these in the de-silked husks keeps the kernels moist and adds a nice grassy flavor (whatever that means). For less fuss, you can fully husk the corn and wrap it in foil. Guess which one I did?

I don’t know what it’s like where you’re at, but around these parts, grilling season has officially arrived! I find that people are continually surprised to learn just how much use a vegan can get out of an outdoor grill – being as heavily associated with sauce-covered meat as they are. Aside from old standbys like veggie burgers and hot dogs, grilling can be used to delicious effect on vegetables and fruit of all kinds!

This is a new recipe I picked up a while back that puts a yummy twist on basic grilled asparagus but complements standard grilled fare just as nicely.

The original recipe directions recommend threading two skewers horizontally through sets of 4-6 stalks of asparagus (one about an inch from the top of each stalk and one about an inch from the bottom) for easy handling and even cooking on the grill. I think they’re right about the even cooking part, but this turned out to be a little more trouble than it was worth. Feel free to give it a try or just place each stalk directly on the grill, as usual.

Sesame Asparagus
Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light

Ingredients

16 thick asparagus spears (about 1 lb)
1 tbs Tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp dark/toasted sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of salt

Directions

• Prepare grill to high heat
• Snap off tough ends of asparagus
• Combine Tamari or soy, oil and garlic; brush evenly over both sides of asparagus
• Grill 3 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender
• Remove from heat and sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds, pepper and salt

Yield: Serves 4