Brazilian Potato Salad

This is one of the very first recipes my dear friend, Donna, shared with me.  Donna grew up in Brazil.  She tells me that the addition of beets to potato salad is in the western part of Brazil (where all kinds of vegetables are added to their salads), not in the Rio/Sao Paulo regions.  I had never heard of such a potato salad, but loving beets, I knew I had to try it.

The recipe has everything I love in a dish....texture, color, and flavor.  You get the crunchiness of the cucumber, squashes, onion, and celery and the creaminess of the potatoes, peas, and carrots.  The sweetness of the beets and carrots versus the saltiness of the olives.  The the gorgeous colors: red, yellow, green, orange!  It's a party in your mouth!

BRAZILIAN POTATO SALAD (makes approximately 6 cups....adjust ingredients to your liking)

2 large red potatoes, cooked and diced
2 medium beets, cooked and diced
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1-2 pickling cucumbers, partially peeled and diced
1/2 large zucchini, diced
1/2 large yellow crookneck (summer) squash, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced small
1/4 cup celery, diced small

Dressing:
Mayo
Greek Seasoning
lemon pepper

Mix all vegetables together for the salad.  Season the mayo with the seasonings to your taste (I like to go a little heavy on the seasonings).  

I like to add the mayo to the salad just before serving.