Monday, September 2, 2013

Labor Day Eats

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Aren't three day weekends the best?!  I finally feel caught up on everything.  We ran a billion errands, cleaned the house from top to bottom, mowed the lawn and did some gardening, bought a new mattress, and still had time to see some friends, go on a couple of date nights, and have a family cookout!

My aunt and uncle from Florida (and their super cute dog, Mike) are driving across the country from Florida to do some hiking in Colorado, and they planned their route so that they could make a stop in OKC to hang out for a while and have some lunch.  We don't get to see them very often, so it was fun to be able to show them our new house and catch up!
We knew we wanted to grill since the weather was going to be nice, but I wanted to make something a bit healthier than typical cookout fare.  I picked up some chicken sausages at Sprouts for the meat-eaters, along with a package of my favorite veggie alternative.
The Field Roast hot dogs and sausages taste delicious and are made simply from whole grains and vegetables.  While they do list pressed safflower oil as ingredient number three, the fat content isn't too overly high, and all of the ingredients are natural and wholesome.  (You should always look closely at the ingredient list even for vegetarian and vegan foods...don't just assume they are good for you!)

On the side, I decided to make a vegan potato salad recipe that was given to me by my mom.  I am not a fan of traditional mushy, creamy potato salads at all, but this recipe tastes NOTHING like what you would find in a tub at Wal-Mart.  I hate to even call it potato salad for that reason.  It is light, lemony, flavorful, and refreshing without an ounce of mayo or any other dairy products.
 
Lemony Dijon Potato Salad

2-3 pounds red, yellow, or new potatoes
Juice of 1.5 lemons
6 tbsp. dijon mustard
8 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste (quite a bit)
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley (or you can use dried)

Chop up the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and boil in water for 10 minutes or until cooked (but not too mushy).  Whisk the remaining ingredients together.  Once potatoes have cooled down a bit, add the dressing to the potatoes and toss.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

My mom also made a regular salad, and we cut up some juicy watermelon for dessert.  It was a great summer meal!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the healthy and super delicious lunch! I may be Laura's aunt but the "A" rating on the lunch is totally unbiased. I love to eat healthy and it is so difficult on the road - it was so nice to have a healthy delicious meal. McDonald's salads only go so far. My husband will eat anything also, so no problem eating healthy at home, but on the road he turns into a junk eating machine. It's hard not to follow him down that path.

    Of course it was great company too!!

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