My first week of gluten free, sugar free diet was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I got to eat GF chickpea crepes lasagna, GF parantha made from ragi flour, tandoori chicken with zucchini noodles and a black bean corn tortilla casserole. But from today onwards I go raw for a week. I have been posting about my adventures in gluten free and sugar free cooking on my Facebook page and this week you will see how my Going Raw cleanse works out. Today I made homemade almond milk and had it with some crushed cardamom, saffron and pistachios. For lunch, I made a raw cauliflower "couscous" salad which was pretty good, although I have to admit I miss eating something warm and cooked. It's just my first day and I have six more to go. This week is going to be difficult. And posting pictures of this potato salad is not helping. Not helping at all! I know I am late posting for this time's swap. I really thought I would get my act together and post in time for the swap (since I missed out on the last one), but somehow like always I left everything to the last minute! For this month, Christianna asked us to post our takes on a recipe for Russian salad that she got from a vintage cookbook find of hers. My mom used to make this really creamy russian salad when I was younger and serve at parties. It would always get rave reviews. She never put potatoes in the salad, which now I find odd because Russians love their potatoes, so I am assuming a salad called Russian, should have that starchy root. Anyway, my mom's didn't but it was still really good. I called my mom to ask for the recipe. I also remember her making this potato walnut salad and somehow the conversation went to that salad, and how good it was- the end result, I ended up making a potato walnut salad instead of my mom's russian salad. My mom used homemade mayo in the recipe, but I used store bought and reduced half of the amount with hung yogurt. I also added a little parsley and toasted the walnuts, both adding to the flavors in this salad. Its a quick and easy salad that is a prefect side to plenty dishes. Potato Walnut Salad Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Serves: 3 Ingredients 1 potato, boiled 1/4 cup hung yogurt 2 heaping tbsp light mayo 1 tsp mustard 1 tsp vinegar 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp parsley Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 3-4 tbsp walnuts, halved and toasted (instructions on toasting below) 1/4 cup chopped red onions Instructions Boil the potatoes till tender when pierced with a sharp knife; set aside to cool Preheat oven to 425 F. On a baking tray, line the walnuts and bake at 425F for 8-10 minutes. In a bowl, mix the hung yogurt, mayo, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, parsley, salt and pepper. Once the potatoes have cooled, peel and chop them into quarters. Add to the yogurt-mayo mixture. Add in the chopped onions and walnuts. Mix well. Refrigerate for an hour to let all the flavors meld. 3.1.03 … Read More →