This salad has potatoes in it, but it’s not a potato salad as most people know it. The potatoes are roasted, but in a non-oily-dressing, that nevertheless leaves them with an amazing texture—healthy and delicious; the best of both worlds. And the rest? We’ve got colorful vegetables, we’ve got protein, we’ve got seasonings full of healthy spices, and more.

You will need

• 1½ lbs new potatoes (or any waxy potatoes; sweet potato is also a great option; don’t peel them, whichever you choose) cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 can / 1 cup cooked cannellini beans (or your preferred salad beans)
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• ½ small red onion, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• We didn’t forget salt; it’s just that with the natural sodium content of the potatoes plus the savory flavor-enhancing properties of the nutritional yeast, it’s really not needed here. Add if you feel strongly about it, opting for low-sodium salt, or MSG (which has even less sodium).
• To serve: 1 cup basil pesto (we’ll do a recipe one of these days; meanwhile, store-bought is fine, or you can use the chermoula we made the other day, ignoring the rest of that day’s recipe and just making the chermoula component)

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Preheat the oven as hot as it goes!

2) Combine the potatoes, white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, black pepper, and red chili powder, mixing thoroughly (but gently!) to coat.

3) Spread the potatoes on a baking tray, and roast in the middle of the oven (for best evenness of cooking); because of the small size of the potato chunks, this should only take about 25 minutes (±5mins depending on your oven); it’s good to turn them halfway through, or at least jiggle them if you don’t want to do all that turning.

4) Allow to cool while still on the baking tray (this allows the steam to escape immediately, rather than the steam steaming the other potatoes, as it would if you put them in a bowl).

5) Now put them in a serving bowl, and mix in the beans, vegetables, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice, mixing thoroughly but gently

6) Add generous lashings of the pesto to serve; it should be gently mixed a little too, so that it’s not all on top.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• White Potato vs Sweet Potato – Which is Healthier?
• Eat More (Of This) For Lower Blood Pressure
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits?

Take care!

So-called for its gut-healthy ingredients, and its flavor profile being from the Maghreb (“Sunset”) region, the western half of the N. African coast.

You will need

• 1 can chickpeas (do not drain)
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sauerkraut, drained and chopped (yes, it is already chopped, but we want it chopped smaller so it can disperse evenly in the soup)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp harissa paste (adjust per your heat preference)
• 1 tbsp ras el-hanout
• ¼ bulb garlic, crushed
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ tsp MSG or ½ tsp low-sodium salt
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Optional: herb garnish; we recommend cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Heat a little oil in a sauté pan or similar (something suitable for combination cooking, as we’ll be frying first and then adding liquids), and fry the onion and carrot until the onion is soft and translucent; about 5 minutes.

2) Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, harissa paste, and ras el-hanout, and fry for a further 1 minute.

3) Add the remaining ingredients* except the lemon juice. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.

*So yes, this includes adding the “chickpea water” also called “aquafaba”; it adds flavor and also gut-healthy fiber in the form of oligosaccharides and resistant starches, which your gut microbiota can use to make short-chain fatty acids, which improve immune function and benefit the health in more ways than we can reasonably mention as a by-the-way in a recipe.

4) Stir in the lemon juice, and serve, adding a herb garnish if you wish.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← today’s recipe scored 5/5 of these, plus quite a few more! Remember that ras el-hanout is a spice blend, so if you’re thinking “wait, where’s the…?” then it’s in the ras el-hanout 😉
• Making Friends With Your Gut (You Can Thank Us Later)
• Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More ← not to be underestimated!

Take care!