Italian potato salad with ripe olives is a vegan combination of the two potato salad recipes.
About these recipes
Here are two potato salad recipes based on mostly the same ingredients. Small changes of a few ingredients will give one potato salad traditional Italian flavors and make the other a Greek-style salad. Use your imagination and available herbs and vegetables for even more variations.
Both recipes are vegetarian and contain grass-fed cheese. It is very easy to make both of these potato salad recipes vegan by simply leaving out the cheese. The salads are also gluten-free and grain-free.
Always leave the skins on potatoes to maximize the amount of fiber, nutrients, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in the final dish. The fiber in particular slows absorption of the simple starches in the potatoes, reducing blood glucose and insulin spikes and aiding the digestive process. Cooking the potatoes whole, rather than cutting them before cooking, also helps to retain more nutrients.
Steaming is the best way to cook potatoes to preserve the most nutrients.
Ingredients
Salad base: 15-20 small red potatoes, depending on size
1 cup diced sweet red pepper
2/3 cup thin sliced celery stalk and leaves
1/3 cup diced sweet green pepper
5-6 cloves garlic, fine diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lemon
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For Italian potato salad: 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup black Bella Di Cerignola olives, diced
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese if desired
For Greek potato salad: 1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, diced
1/2 cup crumbled grass-fed Feta cheese
Ingredients for the salad base of the two potato salad recipes
Basic preparation
1. Steam or boil the whole red potatoes until just done through and allow to cool and dry.
2. Prepare all of the other ingredients while the potatoes cook and cool.
3. Cut the cooled potatoes into eight pieces each and place in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the red and green peppers, the celery and the garlic. Toss well to mix.
5. In a second bowl, place the salt, black or red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil. Whisk together well.
6. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and toss again to coat all of the vegetables.
Kalamata olives
For Italian potato salad
1. Add the Bell Di Cerignola olives, basil and shredded cheese to the salad and toss until well mixed. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary.
For Greek potato salad
1. Add the Kalamata olives, oregano and Feta cheese to the salad and toss until well mixed. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary.
Try these potato salads with a grass-fed burger and fermented pickle.
Notes
This is a nice light and fresh salad for summer. It is great for picnics because there is no mayonnaise to spoil in the heat. The flavors of the two potato salad recipes are best when the salads are chilled in the refrigerator for thirty minutes and then allowed to warm up to room temperature before serving.
