By Anne Safran Dalin
Well, it’s (almost) summertime…
Fun in the sun inevitably includes that all-American staple, the barbecue. In fact, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans eat approximately 818 hot dogs every second, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. Considering that a hot dog, hamburger, or grilled chicken won’t affect your blood sugar, they’re an easy addition to your menu. (Minus that bun, of course!)
Barbeques also means being faced with many traditional favorites that aren’t so diabetes-friendly. This brings us to the new star of your summer menu: potato salad. Ok, not potato salad – faux-tato salad!
Raw cauliflower is crunchy and mild. This is perfect, because with a little bit of magic it transforms into a tender and tasty potato substitute. There are many recipes for faux-tato salad that use cauliflower. After trying a LOT of them, I decided to create my own recipe – which has been wowing everyone at my barbeques for years. Even the most diehard potato salad lover will eat it with gusto.
My secret ingredient is bottled Italian dressing. When cooking the cauliflower florets, add a bottle (or two) of Italian dressing to the water. Be sure to carefully check the nutrition facts label of whatever dressing you choose– low-fat or fat-free versions can often be higher in carbs and sugar. By adding the dressing into the water, the cauliflower absorbs the dressing, and add a burst of flavor that will separate your faux-tato salad from all others.
Cauliflower Salad:
~ 2 heads of fresh cauliflower cut into florets*
~ Italian dressing
~ Scallions – small bunch, cut small
~ Red onions – few TSB diced tiny
~ Celery – 2 stalks, large dice
~ Mayo – 16 oz
~ 1-2 Tsp Dijon mustard
~ Sour cream – 16 oz
~ Salt & pepper, to taste
~ Celery seed – about 1 tsp
~ Chopped dill, fresh (about a large handful)
~ 5 hard cooked eggs, diced or roughly chopped (optional)
Pour bottle of Italian dressing into a large pot. Add cut up cauliflower – add water to cover. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer until cauliflower is fork tender.
Scoop out cauliflower with a slotted spoon – this will help keep the seasoning on the cauliflower, which help add extra flavor to the finished salad.
Cut veggies: scallions and celery, and grate or dice small amount of red onion.
Mix equal parts of mayo and sour cream (for 2 heads of cauliflower use 16 oz each). Add salt/pepper, mustard, celery seed, and fresh chopped dill (generous hand full) to mix.
Add mixture to cooled cauliflower – there will be extra dressing. It will keep in the fridge for about a week to use for another small batch of cauliflower salad, or with any other veggie.
Per 1/2 cup serving: 141 calories, 5.4g carbs, 12g fat, 4g protein.
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