KOSHER RECIPES FOR GLUTEN-FREE LIVING



Friday, February 22, 2008

Herbed Cauliflower & Green Bean Salad A/K/A German Potato Salad Without the Potatoes


I've been having quite a hankering for German potato salad - Specifically, my "famous" Herbed New Potato Salad with Green Beans. Unfortunately, potatoes are super high-glycemic and are not considered "good" carbohydrates, and thus are verboten on the South Beach Diet, any low-carbohydrate diet, and the Glycemic Index / low-gylcemic approach to eating. What's a serious potato lover to do? Cauliflower!

I love cauliflower. I always have. Since eating a lower-glycemic diet I've been cooking my Lemon-Roasted Cauliflower with Dill and other roasted cauliflower recipes quite a bit. Another favorite cauliflower dish is my Aloo Gobi Mattar (Indian Potato, Cauliflower & Pea Curry) which I will also try making without potatoes one of these days.

Simply by replacing new potatoes with small florets of cauliflower boiled until tender, I was able to re-make this recipe into something healthier, more nutrient-dense and dramatically lower carbohydrate, without compromising the taste. I loved this salad, and it was even better a day and two days later when the cauliflower and beans had absorbed more of the marinade overnight.

I make a lot of salads and vegetable dishes that can be eaten cold on Shabbos since I don't cook on the sabbath. So I made this Friday to eat with my dinner, but also ate it for part of my lunch on Saturday. Heck, I even ate it for breakfast!

HERBED CAULIFLOWER & GREEN BEAN SALAD

[ Vegan / Dairy-Free / Pareve / Soy-Free / Gluten-Free ]

2 large heads of cauliflower
2 1/2 cups green beans, cut in thirds
2 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
3 Tbsp minced fresh dill
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 tsp agave nectar, sugar or equivalent non-sugar sweetener
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional: Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley to taste

Combine all ingredients except cauliflower and beans in a large bowl. Wash cauliflower well and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Cover with water by several inches in a large pot, and add 2 Tbsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower are tender without being mushy. Do not turn heat off, but transfer cauliflower into a colander immediately, and rinse with cold water several times. Allow to cool just until they are warm but can be comfortably handled.

Turn the heat up under the pot of water and add green beans. Cook uncovered for just a few minutes, until green beans are tender but still crisp and bright. Remove from water and drain. If you want to retain the brightness of their color, submerge them immediately in ice-water until cooled.

Add beans and cauliflower to the large bowl that contains dressing. Toss very gently to combine, stirring from the bottom to coat cauliflower and beans with the dressing. Allow to sit for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional chopped herbs if desired. Serve while still warm, or at room temperature.

This recipe is part of the Weekend Herb Blogging event, hosted this week by Swirling Notions.

10 comments:

Kalyn Denny said...

I just love cauliflower so definitely it sounds just delicious to me. We're just starting to see some green beans in the store here and I have them on my shopping list!

Anonymous said...

This looks great! I'll add it to my online "recipe box" and try it soon. I make cauliflower mashed potatoes (without the potatoes) and they almost taste like the regular stuff. And cauliflower is SO good for you. Nice idea!
Melissa

Anonymous said...

How do you prepare the cauliflower? The recipes still includes potatoes. Sounds delicious. Thanks!

ByTheBay said...

Anon: I am the BIGGEST DORK EVER! I totally forgot to change the recipe from potatoes to cauliflower. I have made the changes now so it should be accurate. I feel so silly. This is an old post I never published, and I guess I forgot it was incomplete. I appreciate you noticing!

K Allrich said...

Nice idea! I've made mashed cauliflower with dill, but never a salad. Sweet!

Anonymous said...

This looks fantastic! I love how creamy cauliflower is . . . brilliant idea to swap it in for potatoes!

Anonymous said...

This recipe looks delicious! I often use cauliflower in place of potatoes --cauliflower makes an especially good sub for mashed potatoes.

Good luck on your low GI diet. The GF/low GI diet combo has worked out very well for me and I hope it does for you too!

Elana

Anonymous said...

You are determined to change my mind about cauliflower, aren't you? :)

I'm trying to like it, honest! I realized I wasn't entirely sure if you do dairy, but if so, you might like my latest post involving... yes! cauliflower! It's a Book of Yum first. ;)

Thank you for the event shout-out... can't remember if i posted at the time but I thought it was great!!!

-SEa

Killlashandra said...

This sounds great! My husband loves cauliflower and I'm always trying to think up a new recipe to have.

Gaile said...

Wow! I just made this for a barbecue we're having this evening, and all I can say is my friends will be really lucky to get here in time to have some. This is AWESOME! I'm going to have to make this with the 4 colors of cauliflower they had at the grocery sometime just to gild the lily. :) Thank you so much!!