CLASSIC PLANT-BASED POTATO SALAD

My husband loves potato salad so I made him some for our St. Valentine's Day dinner. It was an awesome success. A couple of my patients and my staff tried the leftovers and loved it...one patient said it was the best potato salad he had ever eaten. Healing food can be delicious food! Thanks to Molly Patrick of “Clean Food Dirty Girl” blog: Ode to My Dad With Congestive Heart Failure + Plant Based Potato Salad

I did not have to make changes to this recipe but want to add a few comments:

I used gold potatoes since I didn't have red potatoes and it was still great. I cooked mine in an Instant Pot for 15 minutes.
Use fresh parsley.
Best to soak the cashews in hot water for a minimum of 10 minutes but longer is better. As an alternative you can soak the cashews in regular water overnight. You want the nuts soft so your dressing is creamy.

Everyone knows that potatoes are high in starch, but did you know that chilling your potatoes increases "resistant starch." Resistant starches resist digestion in the small intestine so pass through undigested into the large intestine. In the large intestine they become food for our good bacteria through fermentation. Our good bacteria then produce substances that improve our overall physical and mental health.

Here is an animation showing how resistant starches help reduce the risk of colon cancer by feeding our good bacteria: The Hungry Microbiome: why resistant starch is good for you

Dr. Greger provides information about fiber and resistant starches in this video: Getting Starch to Take the Path of Most Resistance

Ingredients

6 large red potatoes, cut into quarters about 3lbs / 1.4kg (I leave the skin on, you can take it off if you want)
1 cup chopped celery 115g
1 cup diced red or yellow onion 130g
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley 20g
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped dill
Dressing:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 10 minutes 135g
2 dried dates, pit taken out and soaked in super hot water for 10 minutes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1/4 cup nutritional yeast 20g
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water 235mml

Instructions

1. Add the quartered potatoes to a large pot and cover them completely with water by 1 or 2 inches. Place a lid on the pot at an angle and simmer over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, or until you can pierce them with a fork. Drain the potatoes and set them aside to cool.

2. Make the dressing by draining and rinsing the cashews and placing them into the blender, along with the rest of the "dressing" ingredients (dates - make sure to drain the water and remove the pit before adding the dates to the blender - garlic, mustard, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, salt and water). Blend until totally creamy and smooth, about a minute. Set aside for now.

3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-sized pieces and place them into a large mixing bowl, along with the celery, onion, parsley, dill, and all of the Dressing that you just made.

4. Gently stir until everything is combined and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least an hour before you devour.