Potatoes - Not the enemy

One of the most freeing things about going plant based is not feeling guilty about eating potatoes. Lots and lots of potatoes.  I love them. Any color, any shape, any way.  I probably should explain the guilt thing though.
You’ve probably guessed that I was an Atkins person at one point after my first statement.  Oh, the forbidden potato on Atkins. Or any carb reduced diet.  The poor potato was, and still is, made to be the enemy of so many diets.  I get the concern over white potatoes and how we prepare them.  I’m not here to tell you that you now have free reign to eat as many fries and milk based mashed potatoes as you want.  Sorry, frying food and adding dairy isn’t good for you even when the base food is.  I can tell you that I’ve never eaten as many potatoes in my life as I have in recent months and the scale sure thinks it’s a good thing.
My go to way to eat potatoes these days is to oven roast them.  I try to buy a variety of different colored potatoes.  These typically are smaller and thinner skinned than Idaho white potatoes.  My local bulk grocery store carries a bag of red, gold and purple potatoes that are 2” or less in size.  Depending on their size, I may halve or quarter them.  I toss the potatoes in a bowl with the slightest drizzle of avocado oil and then a seasoning (without added sugar) to taste.  I go a little crazy with seasoning these days.  Put them on a cookie sheet and into the oven at 375 or 400 degrees or so.  I have yet to time them because I’m usually doing the rest of the meal prep at this point and can check them regularly.   If I’m feeling particularly spicey that day, I’ll dump a generous helping of salsa on top of them when they come out of the oven warm.  
The other favorite way to prep potatoes these days is my modified version of potato salad.  I’m German descent and luckily never favored the mayo based type salads.  I’m a vinegar girl through and through.   Don’t get me started on coleslaw.  Again, I start with any variety of potato on hand and boil them until they are cooked.  In a mixing bowl, I combine an italian dry seasoning mix, red wine vinegar and capers (no juice).  When the potatoes are done, drop them into the bowl immediately and start mixing. My trick is to be rough with the spoon.  A little bit of mashing helps the potatoes soak up the seasoning and be extra tasty.  I love this both warm and cold.  Notice, there’s no oil in the mix but if you aren’t leaving it out you could substitute your favorite italian dressing if you’d like.  That’s too oily for me and I like my taters super flavorful.  

Again, I eat a lot of potatoes these days. No exaggeration.  A few weeks ago, we had a crazy busy family week.  I ate roasted potatoes for 4 dinners, had some in the bottom of my salad (see blog on salads+) and then my potato salad recipe for 2 lunches.  Yep, my weight dropped that week.  The best way I know to make the guilt go away is to see the positive effect on your health and waistline.    And these are just “regular potatoes,” more on sweet potatoes later.  

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