Dairy Free "Un-Potato" Salad

January 20, 2020

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, roughly 2 pounds,
leaves and large stems removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
10 cups cold water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil
½ large red onion, diced
2 large stalks of celery, diced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ large jalapeño, seeded
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the dressing

1 pound silken soft tofu, drained
1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 large lemon, juiced
1 cup garlic dill pickles, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Makes 12- ½ cup servings

Instructions

In a medium 4-quart stockpot, fill with 10 cups cold water and 2 tablespoons salt. Stir, cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove lid, and add cauliflower. Stir occasionally, for about 1 minute or until crisp tender. Drain in a large colander, rinse with cold water and allow for any excess water to drain before placing into a large bowl and chilling in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Dice onion and celery. Grate ginger, mince garlic and jalapeño. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt coconut oil. Once melted, add onion and celery and lightly sauté for about 1 minute or just until the onions have softened. Add ginger, garlic, jalapeño, cumin seeds and salt and sauté for an additional minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk tofu until creamy. (You can also do this in a blender or food processor). Add remaining ingredients and stir. Gently fold the dressing into the chilled cauliflower and add the sautéed ingredients. Combine and chill in the refrigerator 1 hour or overnight.

HEALTH NOTES

Cauliflower has become an increasingly popular vegetable due to its mild flavor, nutritional content and versatility in cooking with it. One cup of raw cauliflower has about 25 calories, 3 grams of carbs, 2.5 grams of fiber and is a surprisingly great source of Vitamin C. Mashed cauliflower is another alternative to mashed potatoes and can be used as a base or thickener for soups and sauces.
Eating a no or low sodium diet can have its challenges, but many can be remedied by cooking meals at home and finding other ways to draw out flavor from ingredients. In this recipe, you could omit all the sodium, even the entire 2 tablespoons which are added to help season and blanch the cauliflower and it would still be tasty. Like sugar, salt enhances and rounds out the flavors of ingredients so when we remove it, it's easy at first to miss it. It's an important part of cooking, but so too is watching your health so find ways to still enjoy your favorite foods and flavors by making substitutions and getting creative with herbs, spices and other ingredients.