Avocado Tomato Grape Salad with Crunchy Potato Croutons

Somehow this morning I came up with an idea to make a salad. What was in my mind is a salad with croutons on top. Then I looked at the 2 russet potatoes in the fridge, What a perfection!

I could make potato croutons, dice them up, bake them and they’ll be crunchy. I don’t know how I came up with using potatoes as croutons, but I think it was when I wanted to make a salad but also wanted to add a crunch and I don’t have bread. I must admit it was a great decision!

Before I started to make the salad it best to prepare the potatoes first as it takes longer to cook, I started chopping up the veggies and making the salad dressing once the potatoes have baked for about 20 minutes.

To give the sweet flavor, I added grapes. My advice is don’t be afraid of mixing grapes in with the others, it flows very well and adds sweetness.

Avocado Tomato Grape Salad with Crunchy Potato Croutons
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 medium-small russet potato
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan/sea salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • A pinch red pepper flakes
  • A few sprinkles ground pepper
Salad
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • A small handful dried cranberries
  • A small handful green grapes
  • 2-3 sprigs cilantro
  • 1 avocado
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon pure maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan/sea salt
  • A few sprinkles ground pepper
  • A small handful roasted/toasted pecans
Instructions
  1. Potato Croutons: Peel the potato, then dice it into cubes (the bigger they are, the longer it’ll take to cook. Mine are sort of medium sized). Put the diced potato in water and a pinch of salt and let it sit for an hour. This will draw out some of the starch and make it crunchier.
  2. After about an hour, preheat oven to 450°F (240°C).
  3. Drain out all the water from the potatoes, then use multiple paper towels to dry them up. Be sure they’re as dry as they can be, then put them in a large bowl. Peel 2 cloves of garlic and mince them into tiny pieces and put it in the bowl as well.
  4. Then, add the olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, oregano, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and ground pepper. Stir it around until everything is mixed evenly with the potatoes.
  5. Spray a 9×13 inch oven tray with non-stick cooking oil (I used canola) and place the diced potatoes on the tray. Spread it out so that the potatoes aren’t overlapping, and give the top a spray of oil as well.
  6. Bake for about 30-35 minutes in total, taking the oven tray out half way to flip the potato pieces over.
  7. Salad: For the dressing, combine the olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and ground pepper in a bowl. Stir until everything is well combined.
  8. If the pecans are raw, put it in a small bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes, then use a knife to chop them into small bits.
  9. Slice some of the grape tomatoes in half if desired, put it in a large bowl with the cranberries and green grapes. Slice the cilantro in smaller pieces and add it in. Open the avocado and slice it into smaller pieces. Put it in the bowl.
  10. Assembly: Drizzle the salad dressing into the salad and give it a good stir, add the potato croutons and give it another stir. Finally, sprinkle the pecans on the top and serve.

Susanna

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