This afternoon I wrestled two tiny heads of red cabbage out of the garden. They’d stayed about the same size for two weeks now so I assumed they were DONE. Since all I had in my cupboard were some carrots, onions and a ginormous bag of CA grown garlic (COSTCO!!! wink wink), I looked on the internets and found this mayo-less slaw. You remember a few weeks ago I posted a mayo-friendly broccoli slaw. G did not like that one. Here’s this one, G. Just for you, Baby!
You need:
Looks like I am plumb out of maple syrup but I had another full one in the cabinet. Also, forgot to put the sesame seeds in the pic.
INGREDIENTS:
Slaw
1/2 a red cabbage (I used a whole one since my cabbages were so teeny tiny), sliced thin
2 medium carrots, shredded (I used 4 small ones)
1 small onion, sliced thin
3 green onions, sliced
Dressing
2-1/2 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP maple syrup
1 TBSP crushed red pepper (OR hot chili paste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds
1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust anything to your wildest desires! It will be kind of thick due to the sesame seeds. Yum!
2. Combine slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle 3/4ths of the dressing over it and toss to coat. Add more if desired!
3. Let your slaw sit for about 15 minutes before serving if you have the time!
This morning Maddie was eating this dish (yes, for breakfast) and I remarked, “When I was a kid we didn’t eat pesto.”
She asked me what we ate instead.
“Oh, we ate Spaghettios, Fluff-N-Nutter sandwiches on Wonder Bread, Steak-ums, American Goulash (homemade Hamburger Helper), Campbell’s Tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches (on Wonder bread with Kraft singles and margarine). I could go on.
All that sodium, those chemicals & preservatives and look how great WE turned out!
If I’d known how easy this stuff was to make I’d have made it years ago. Try it – it’s very easy and beautiful and you’ll love the results. (Note to Libby: you can get all the ingredients at Trader Joe’s.)
All you need is:
INGREDIENTS:
30 large leaves or 60 small leaves fresh basil
generous pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 TBSP pine nuts, toasted
4 TBSP olive oil
4 TBSP parmesan reggiano, grated
1. Add basil, salt & garlic to blender and blend into a thick paste. You might find you need to add 2 TBSP of the olive oil to get it going.
I used coarse sea salt but I prefer using fine sea salt as the coarse didn’t chop up well in my blender and I got a few bites of it when I ate. If you have a powerful blender or food processor you’ll have no problem!
2. Add pine nuts and remaining 2 TBSP olive oil & blend some more. Add cheese and blend till you have a creamy pesto sauce.
Serve on pasta, as a pizza topping, smeared on crusty bread, or tossed in a salad!
Shock of shocks – both my kids love this! Even G loves it. Holy cow.
Add last 2 TBSP olive oil & cheese and blend until smooth & creamy.
Toss with pasta, salads or smear over crusty bread. YUM!
Notes
This recipe yields 1 cup of pesto.
NOTE: If you don’t use it all at once, store covered in fridge with a light coating of olive oil to keep it from turning brown. If it DOES turn brown, you can still eat it!! It’s just not as appealing visually…
Pesto can be frozen. Simply omit the cheese and freeze. You can add the cheese later when it’s defrosted.
Freezing methods: freeze (without the cheese) in tightly wrapped ice cube trays OR as dollops on a cookie sheet. If you use the cookie sheet method, be sure to wrap the dollops as soon as they’re frozen, really well in plastic and then in a Zip-Loc freezer bag. When you defrost you can add the cheese.
Normally I spell yogurt without the “h” on account of I’m an American. But since I made it (the yog[h]urt) myself, I feel it needs an “h” to impart some sort of artisanal value to it.
This can be a pretty spicy dish but the yogurt cuts the spice beautifully! Or you can halve the chili pepper amount. YUM I love this salad! Next time, when I’ll surely have my wits about me, I plan on serving it with the pilaf Yotam recommends. But at this point in life, I’m a single course meal type of gal.
Yotam tends to use “exotic” ingredients so I’ve adjusted this recipe to what I can get without visiting 3 more shops.
Here’s what you need:
and this:
INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs carrots, sliced into 1/2″ thick coins or semi-circles
1/3 c olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 tsp sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium green chilies, finely chopped (I used Jalapeños)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sweet paprika (I didn’t have this so I omitted it)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 TBSP chopped preserved lemon (I used 2 TBSP lemon juice instead)
2-1/2 c cilantro leaves, chopped Greek yogurt, chilled (I made my own yoghurt!)
1. Slice carrots into 1/2″ thick coins or semi-circles, for even cooking.
Put carrots in large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Carrots should be tender but crunchy.
2. In a large pan, heat the oil and sautee onion for about 12 minutes on medium until onion is browned. Be sure to stir every few minutes for even cooking.
3. Add everything else EXCEPT the cilantro & yogurt.
Stir and remove from heat. Salt to taste and allow to cool.
4. Just before serving stir in cilantro.
Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of yogurt.
Spicy carrot salad served warm or cold. Adjust spices to your liking!
Ingredients
2 lbs carrots, sliced into ½” thick coins or semi-circles
⅓ c olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 tsp sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium green chilies, finely chopped (I used Jalapeños)
⅛ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sweet paprika (I didn’t have this so I omitted it)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 TBSP chopped preserved lemon (I used 2 TBSP lemon juice instead)
2-1/2 c cilantro leaves, chopped
Greek yogurt, chilled (I made my own yoghurt!)
Instructions
Slice carrots into ½” thick coins or semi-circles, for even cooking. Put carrots in large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Carrots should be tender but crunchy.
In a large pan, heat the oil and sautee onion for about 12 minutes on medium until onion is browned. Be sure to stir every few minutes for even cooking.
Add everything else EXCEPT the cilantro & yogurt. Stir and remove from heat. Salt to taste and allow to cool.
Just before serving stir in cilantro.
Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of yogurt.
Notes
Adjust the amount of chilis (I used jalapeños) you use to achieve the spiciness you like. You can also remove the seeds from the jalapeños to cut the heat. Wear gloves while doing this so you don’t get the spice on your hands like I did.
I know, it’s wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too early in the year to start making potato salad. Hold on a minute? Says WHO? I felt like making this salad in March and so I did.
Lord knows, G will gag and possibly need to be hospitalized if he so much as smells mayonnaise. Also, although I love almost ANY kind of potato salad, I wanted to try a brighter, lighter version. This one is AMAZING and can be eaten room temp, warm or cold.
This salad has NO mayo.
All you need is:
and these: Please excuse that basket of junk in the back.
Here’s a gratuitous shot of the parsley from my garden:
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz green beans, trimmed & cut into 1-1/2″ pieces
3 lbs small red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, halved (if yours are medium-sized, then quarter them)
2 TBSP dry vermouth
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
1 large shallot, chopped
1 TBSP coarse-grained Dijon mustard
2/3 c olive oil
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1. Boil beans in large pot of salted water until crisp/tender, about 4 minutes.
Drain. Transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain. Pat dry with a towel. (Or let drip dry, like I did!)
2. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large bowl (I put them back in the pot to save dishes!) Sprinkle vermouth over hot potatoes. **NOTE: I had medium sized potatoes so I ended up cutting them into quarters. I think I overcooked them a tad but they were still excellent.**
Toss gently and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, shallot, and mustard. Gradually whisk in oil.
Uh, YUM!
4. Pour over potatoes and toss gently to coat. Obviously, pre “tossing to coat.”
Cool completely. Mix in green beans and parsley. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
I love this salad!! It’s a little more “refined” maybe? Fresher & definitely lighter than the mayo based potato salad we all know and still love. (Except for those of us who gag and throw themselves on the floor at the sight or even thought of mayo ((Christina Lynch & George, you know I’m talking to you…))) Wow, those parenthesis are blinding me!
Yesterday in L.A. it was cold out. And grey. What I mean is, we had to wear socks & jackets. But we didn’t – we wore flip flops.
Anyway, what better meal to come home to at the end of the day than a thick, warm soup with homemade croutons? Try this for your next Meatless Monday (since it’s now Tuesday…)
I made a barley vegetable soup a few month ago and it was really good but this one is WAY better. I had bought a bag of dried split peas a few weeks earlier because I thought they’d be tasty but I wasn’t sure exactly what to do with them. Since I still had some barley in my cupboard, I looked for a recipe combining the two and VOILA! With some adjustments I had a hearty, thick and really tasty soup. It called for croutons and since I didn’t have any I made ‘em! This is the first time and I want to tell you – make croutons as often as you have soup. They are REALLY easy to make & add that extra something that soup sometimes needs.
Here we go! You’ll need these items:
SOUP INGREDIENTS:
2 c dried yellow split peas, rinsed & drained
6 carrots, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 c pearl barley, rinsed & drained
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP bouillon (I used vegetarian chicken flavored – you can also use vegetable broth or whatever you have on hand!)
10 c + 8 tsp water (adjust for desired thickness)
Let’s get started!
1. Saute chopped onions in the olive oil until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add crushed garlic for another minute. Be sure to stir occasionally to coat with oil.
2. Add carrots and celery. Stir to coat with oil and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add split peas and powdered bullion/water to pot OR vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat, add bay leaf and barley.
5. Simmer covered for about 2 hours.
No, it’s not 1:20PM. 60 minutes + 60 minutes.
D’OH!!! That’s a long time.
6. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add water/broth as needed. I like my soup sort of thick so I didn’t. Sprinkle some croutons on top & serve.
How to make the croutons??
You’ll need:
CROUTON INGREDIENTS:
6 oz whole grain bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Olive oil
2 TBSP butter (or, you can just use 2 more TBSP olive oil which is just as tasty)
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
NOTE: I used one of my homemade breads that I froze a few weeks earlier. If it doesn’t get eaten within the first day or so, I freeze it for croutons. I hadn’t actually made any croutons, EVER, but I knew I would! That said, you can use any old bread you have – so next time you have a couple of heels from your Oroweat sandwich loaf – wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or a ZipLoc and freeze ‘em!)
This is so easy!
1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut bread into 1/2″ cubes.
2. Heat olive oil in saucepan. Melt butter in oil over medium heat. (Incidentally, you can also just use oil if you prefer.)
3. Pour heated oil/butter and mustard over bread cubes & toss to coat.
4. Spread bread cubes across a cookie sheet evenly.
5. Bake for about 12 minutes. Taste one – it should be crunchy, not chewy. If it’s chewy return it to the oven for another 2 minutes.
Author: Christina Cox (soup adapted from Food.com, croutons from Annie’s Eats)
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Hearty, thick soup topped with crunchy croutons. Perfect for a chilly afternoon!
Ingredients
SOUP INGREDIENTS:
2 c dried yellow split peas, rinsed & drained
6 carrots, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¾ c pearl barley, rinsed & drained
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 TBSP olive oil
5 TBSP bouillon (I used vegetarian chicken flavored – you can also use vegetable broth or whatever you have on hand!)
10 c + 8 tsp water (adjust for desired thickness)
CROUTON INGREDIENTS:
About 6 oz whole wheat (or whatever you have on hand) stale or frozen bread, cut into ½” cubes
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP butter (OR skip the butter and just add 2 TBSP more olive oil)
salt
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
Instructions
SOUP INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil for about 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic & sautee for 1 minute more.
Add chopped carrots and celery, sautéing for another 4 minutes.
Add split peas and water/bullion OR broth (depending what you have on hand.) Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and add bay leaf and barley.
Simmer for about 2 hours. Soup will be thick and cloudy (not clear.) Add water/broth to achieve your desired thickness. Or just leave it alone!
CROUTON INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in small saucepan. Add butter (or just double the olive oil and omit the butter). When butter is melted, in a medium bowl, pour over bread cubes. Toss to coat.
Spread bread cubes evenly on a cookie sheet, salt to taste & bake for 12 minutes. Cool and test one cube. It should be crunchy. If it’s chewy, bake for another 2 minutes.
Notes
This actually might serve more than 6. Good in refrigerator for 3-4 days. They will stay good in the freezer up to 3 months.
