Fruits & Veggies Monday #33: "Rustic Potato, Leek & Tomato Salad, with Garlic Coleslaw & Roast Butternut Squash"

Here in north-west Ireland winter seems reluctant to give way to spring, and though the days are brighter there's still a lingering chill in the air.  So a favourite for these kind of days are warm salads... 'fresh and cosy' if you know what I mean!  Most of the components are cold, but this one I served with hot oven-roasted butternut squash to make sure we're not shivering by the end of dinner.  It looks quite a mish-mash of different ingredients, but I hope you think it looks tasty because boy oh boy is really is!

The dressing for both the potato salad and the coleslaw is the same, only the former is flavoured with wholegrain mustard, and the coleslaw is rich with garlic.  I used to rely on mayonnaise for both these things but after a few experiments with various plant-based dressings, mayo is now redundant!  The quantities below are rough as it really depends on how many people you're making it for, and what size of portion you eat.  So feel free to make adjustments as required.

Once again I'm grateful to Lena for encouraging me to make these delicious vegan meals, and motivating me to share the recipes.  It's funny but I always seem to forget this contest has prizes, because I'm so focused on the chance to celebrate once a week all the beautiful plants that sustain us, and because of that it's my favourite Steemit contest ever!  So here is my recipe for you... a really nourishing meal to tuck into :-)

Ingredients (organic recommended):

500g baby new potatoes

1 leek

1/4 savoy cabbage

2 large carrots

1 large red onion

1-2 bulbs garlic

1/3 butternut squash

1 carton chickpeas

1 carton edamame beans

1 avocado

400g cashew nuts

1 carton coconut cream

1 tblsp sweet paprika

2 tsp unrefined salt

2 tsp black pepper

1-2 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbslp parsley

1 tsp chilli flakes

Coconut oil (for roasting)

Directions:

Chop the baby new potatoes into small chunks and steam for about 15 minutes until tender (but retaining some firmness so they don't turn to mush).  Cool immediately under cold water and gently pat dry on a clean tea-towel.

Slice the leek and rinse in a colander/sieve to remove the dirt from between the layers.  Pat dry with a towel.

To make the dressing: soak cashews in water overnight and blend to make a smooth paste.  Add the avocado and coconut cream, and mix to the desired consistency (I like it quite thick).  Stir in salt, black pepper and sweet paprika.  I used half of this dressing on the potato salad, and half for the coleslaw.

Mix together the potatoes, leek, chickpeas, edamame beans and dressing, along with a teapoon of wholegrain mustard, freshly chopped parsley and chilli flakes.

For the coleslaw: Finely slice the savoy cabbage into ribbons, dice the onion and grate the carrot.  Finely dice the garlic and add to the remaining dressing.  Mix the veg and dressing together.

Peel and dice the butternut squash into bite-size chunks.

Put the squash into a roasting tin along with a little coconut oil.  Pop into a pre-heated oven at about 200 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally so they brown evenly.

Arrange all the components in a shallow bowl...  I added some fresh baby plum tomatoes and roasted pumpkin seeds to give it that yummy finishing touch.  Enjoy!

Many thanks to @lenasveganliving  for continuing to host this wonderful contest, and thanks also to the sponsors, judges and supporters!  For details how to join in, see here. 
 

For more health information, tips, recipes (vegan/vegetarian), crafts, photography, and more, please follow me!
 

To find out what my "Make It Healthy Project" is all about, and how you can be involved in growing this project, please click here. 

("5 Cs" shared with kind permission from @kiwideb)