I have never liked potato salad. I think it’s the mayo, the white potatoes, the lack of flavor and mush that usually accompanies it. I wanted to try to make something different this year for Father’s Day and celebrate the men in our lives with some flair. I remembered making a sweet potato salad before from an old Bon Appetit recipe. I searched for it, and found it. It had mayo, a higher percentage of oil, and brown sugar. I cut those items and added my own flair. So move over potato salad…here comes the new kid on the block. Sweet potatoes combine with ginger, garlic, and peanut butter to make you lick the spoon you use to mix it, the fork you eat it with, and the bowl it’s in. Watch out…
We served this at our Father’s day cookout. We had an Asian theme, since we love the flavors of Asian foods and never get tired of them. We served shish kebabs both tofu and chicken (for those who wouldn’t go the tofu route), Cold Asian Noodle Salad, and our Red Cabbage Slaw. It was a meal of colors!
Grilled Tofu Shish Kebabs Over Asian Noodles
Red Cabbage Slaw
*We didn’t use all of the dressing. We saved a little and added it to our cold noodle salad. It’d also be great on top of left over quinoa, rice, or use it as a dressing for a salad.
Serves 14-16 side dishes
Ingredients:
Asian Peanut Dressing:
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves (about 1 tbsp chopped)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tsp honey
Remaining Salad Ingredients:
- 3 #s of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized-cubes
- 5 cups of spinach
- 1/2 cup of chives, minced
- 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts
Instructions:
- Puree dressing ingredients in a blender, like a Vitamix
- Place sweet potatoes into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until fork tender, about 8-10 minutes, making sure not to let them get overcooked. Drain and place back into pot.
- Mix in spinach while potatoes are still warm, stirring as it wilts. You will have to do this in batches.
- Pour dressing on top of potatoes and spinach, and chill until ready to serve. We didn’t use all of the dressing since we didn’t want it to get soggy. Save a little to be used as a dressing for a salad, to spruce up some rice, or top it on some cucumber noodles.
- When ready to serve mix in chopped peanuts and chives. This is even better the next day!
Nutritional Benefits:
- Sweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A; an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that strengthens bones/teeth, skin and eye health, and circulatory system functions; as well as potassium, a nutrient that helps to lower blood pressure, regulate kidney and nervous system function, lowers bad cholesterol
- Spinach: great source of iron, helps with oxygenation of blood, calcium for bone/dental strength
- High in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory
- Vegan/plant-based; no cholesterol
- Gluten Free
- Potassium 331 mg, Vitamin A; 292%, Vitamin C; 11%, Iron 8%, and Calcium; 5% per serving
- Asian Peanut Dressing:
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp fresh ginger
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp of tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves (about 1 tbsp chopped)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- Remaining Salad Ingredients:
- 3 #s of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized-cubes
- 5 cups of spinach
- ½ cup of chives, minced
- ½ cup of chopped peanuts
- Puree dressing ingredients in a blender, like a
- Vitamix
- Place sweet potatoes into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until fork tender, about 8-10 minutes, making sure not to let them get overcooked.. Drain and place back into pot.
- Mix in spinach while potatoes are still warm, stirring as it wilts. You will have to do this in batches.
- Pour dressing on top of potatoes and spinach, and chill until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve mix in chopped peanuts and chives. This is even better the next day!
