Not Your Mother's Potato Salad - A Nutritious Spin on a Summer Classic

Savor the essence of summer and maximize nutrition with a rainbow of vegetables! If you are looking for more “nutrient density” in your daily diet, the best way to do that is to include a colorful variety of whole foods. This recipe takes a healthy spin on a caloric summer classic - potato salad.  Rather than using cups of mayonnaise (or bacon, as in the German iteration) this potato salad features a beautiful bouquet of garden herbs and vegetables in a simple, delicious grilled side dish.  Potatoes, colorful bell peppers, red (purple) onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and asparagus come together in a vibrant medley, while the zesty parsley-cilantro chimichurri adds a burst of flavor and powerful phytonutrients. It’s a perfect rainbow of flavor for any summer meal! 

Active Prep Time: 20 mins ∙ Cook Time: 25 mins ∙ Serves: 6

Grilled Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

3 red, gold or medley potatoes, cut into thick slices

2 bell peppers, cored and cut into wide pieces

1 red onion, peeled and cut into thick slices (save the ends for the sauce)

2 zucchini, sliced thick, lengthwise

2 yellow squash, sliced thick, lengthwise

1/2 pound asparagus, ends trimmed

Avocado oil spray

Salt and pepper

Directions

Keeping the vegetables separate, spray all generously with avocado oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper.

Note: To ensure you don’t lose any vegetables between the grates, grilling baskets or trays are recommended, especially for the asparagus.

Preheat an outdoor grill, indoor electric grill, or large (2-burner) grill pan to medium for 5 minutes.

Place the potatoes on the grill and let cook, without flipping, 15 minutes to soften up.

Flip potatoes and raise the heat to medium-high. Begin adding the other vegetables starting with the bell peppers, then the onion, zucchini, squash, and finally asparagus.

Flip the vegetables as they are marked by the grill, removing them as they have a nice amount of color and are crisp-tender. The vegetables in the ingredients list are in the order of how long they take to grill from longest to shortest. Bell peppers will take around 8 minutes, while asparagus may only take 3–4 minutes.

Once all are cooked, arrange on a platter and serve drizzled with chimichurri sauce. Alternatively, cut up vegetables and toss together with chimichurri sauce in a large serving bowl.

Helpful Tips

Choose any variety of vegetables, using this recipe as a guide to grill your own assortment. It is fun to experiment with which vegetable combinations you like. The more, the better! There are many factors in grilling and your own judgment is crucial when it comes to temperature and cook time.

Working in batches helps to better control the ingredients on the grill. Potatoes take the longest to cook, which is why we start them at a lower temperature for 15 minutes. After raising the grill temperature, you can cook and remove each vegetable as it is done to your liking.
Transferring the vegetables to a pan on a warming rack on the upper level of the grill will ensure they hold their temperature. You can also transfer them all to a large sheet pan and place that under a broiler for 1 minute before serving to ensure everything is hot.

Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/4 packed cups Italian parsley

3/4 packed cup fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped red onion (ends of the onion from above; can use chopped green onion as well)

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Calories per serving with sauce: 240 ∙ Fat: 6g ∙ Net Carbs: 36g ∙ Fiber: 7.5g ∙ Sugars: 9g ∙ Protein: 8g