June 2011 Daring Cooks' Challenge

Healthy Potato Salad

Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounces) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

Sounds like a super food, right? It is! In fact, the potato is a healthy staple to many diets. However, because they are frequently prepared with high-fat and high-cholesterol ingredients, many people have sworn off potatoes as an unhealthy, starch that will only make those love handles easier to grip. Sorrento challenged us to prepare healthy potato salads with fewer total calories, processed food, and fats.

Sorrento supplied a few different recipes, but I chose to try the Creamy Yogurt and Dill Potato Salad which calls for Greek yogurt. Homemade Greek yogurt is a daily part of my diet, and I'm always excited to learn of recipes that incorporate the yummy yogurt packed full of probiotics, protein, and calcium.

The result? Served along with lemon-pepper, grilled chicken and cantaloupe, the Creamy Yogurt and Dill potato salad was a taste sensation. I forgot to snap a picture before leaving on vacation. I guess that means I'll have to make it again. Just for the blog. ;-)




Creamy Yogurt and Dill Potato Salad


Servings: 8
Ingredients:
2 pound (900 gm) small red creamer potatoes or any other baby reds
½ orange bell pepper (capsicum) (Can use other colored peppers – I find yellow and red to be the sweetest)
½ red bell pepper (capsicum)

Dressing Ingredients:
3 tablespoons (45 ml) (10 gm) fresh dill
1 cup (240 ml) (¼ kg) Greek yogurt (natural-set yogurt)
1 teaspoon (5ml) (3 gm) sea salt
Juice of ½ fresh lemon juice

Dill for garnish

Directions:
1. Scrub potatoes and leave on skins
2. Boil potatoes till tender, about 20-25 minutes
3. Drain and cool. Once cooled, cut potatoes in half
4. Wash and dice peppers
5. Mix dressing, then add to cooled potatoes
6. Garnish with dill sprigs and chill