You say potato, I say potato salad

Hey, y'all. So, if you're following my blog (all 3 of you), you have learned how to make your own mayonnaise, fermented veggies, and fermented mustard. Well, what can you do with all that stuff? A lot of things, but here is one SUPER easy application that uses all of them!

This came about because I had a couple of extra cooked potatoes from another dish (if you don't, just cook some!), and I needed to throw something together for a picnic at the lake. It can't get much easier than this, folks. I provide a recipe just for reference, but you can change it up quite drastically to make it taste the way you like. For me, potato salad doesn't need too much more than potatoes, mayo, and a pickled element.

This recipes uses 2 small potatoes and makes enough salad for a 1-person picnic.

2 small potatoes, cooked whole and unpeeled until easily pierced with a fork and cooled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp chopped fermented vegetables of your choice (I used carrots and beets)
1 Tbsp fermented mustard
Pinch of dried dill (or other herb of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste

*You could also add some chopped bell pepper, some paprika, some celery, celery salt... however you like your potato salad.

1. Cut the potatoes into small cubes.
2. Mix everything together.
3. Put in a jar and take it to the lake. The end.

Does anyone get the thrill I do from making a dish with only elements that I have made myself? This is the healthiest potato salad I have ever had, which also makes it the most delicious. No gross chemicals in store-bought mayonnaise for this lady. No yucky preservatives from store-bought pickles, or weird artificial colors from storebought mustard. Plus a ton of probiotics! Not doing potatoes because of their high starch (aka sugar) content? Cooked cauliflower florets would work fantastically too!

Whole Food, Fudgey, PALEO Brownies!

Listen. Not to toot my own horn, but I know my way around a brownie. I once held the title "Assistant Pastry Chef", and have made some sweets in my day. The kind of sweets that give you diabetes with all their white sugar and white flour, and sometimes even CORN SYRUP. I used to be a different person. As much as I hate to admit it, that is what "good" means to most people ("Former Me" included) when it comes to desserts. If you were to ask most people if they wanted a sprouted whole wheat croissant made with date sugar, they'd probably look at you and politely decline, right?!

Here is a real paradigm-changer when it comes to desserts. I promise you, there is no way you'll take a bite of this and even realize it's healthy. You can bring this to a normal ol' party and really pull the wool over your friends' eyes. They won't even know they're not eating processed sugars or refined carbohydrates! You can look at them with the twinkle of a secret in your eye thinking, "HA! These are not going to kill you!" Honestly, sometimes it's like the worse something is for us, the better it tastes. Guess what! We don't have to be naughty to have a fantastic treat!

Dates! Bananas! Both whole foods, with all their fiber in tact to help your body digest their sugars slowly. Almond butter provides the structure as well as the fat! Bittersweet chocolate is balanced out by some maple syrup (yes, aka sugar, but UNPROCESSED), a couple pastured eggs, and a few more basics and voila! Plus it's mostly made in the food processor (you could do it with a stand mixture or a handheld mixer as well), which makes it a breeze!

PREHEAT oven to 325. Gather the following Equipment:

Food Processor
small bowl
large bowl
rubber spatula
8 x 8 square baking pan
parchment paper
coconut oil for greasing pan

Gather the following Ingredients:

1 cup almond butter (homemade or store bought)
2 large eggs
4 dates, pitted and soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
1/2 ripe banana
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper and grease with coconut oil. You'll have the best luck with edges of parchment that are longer than the sides of the pan. Accomplish this by using two pieces of parchment cut to the width of the pan.

In a small bowl over a pan of low-simmering water, get your 1/3 cup chocolate chips melting. In your food processor, blend together the almond butter, eggs, soaked dates, banana, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the cocoa powder and *STIR IN BY HAND* before turning the machine back on. The cocoa will explode everywhere otherwise! Add your salt and baking soda, and blend until incorporated. Add melted chocolate and pulse just until combined. Pour this mixture into a large bowl and fold in 1/3 cup whole chocolate chips.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until edges are cooked and middle is not raw. Cool in pan. Remove from pan by pulling up the edges of the parchment paper and slice into squares. YUM!