Tasty Cole Slw

Janet here: I know I made the best cole slaw in the world last summer and blogged about it here. (If you love blue cheese — and really, aren't you suspicious of people who don't? — make it NOW even before this recipe; in fact I might make it tonight since I just finished the last of this red cabbage slaw before writing this post and now that I've reminded myself of the blue cheese version, I am craving it.)

Anyway this recipe is pretty damn tasty too, and is minus any of the cheese issues for calories or lactose-intolerant types. (and let me just say you have my sympathies. I'm not sure I could live in a world without coffee yogurt or ice cream.)

This slaw is super easy to make and quite satisfying. It's the perfect summer side dish and features another of my favorite veggies: red cabbage. Hope you like it!


Red Cabbage Slaw

ingredients
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small or 1/2 a large head of red cabbage, thinly shredded
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 scallions, chopped

method
Whisk together all the ingredients except the cabbage. Shred the cabbage. Add to a large bowl and toss. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so all the seasonings can meld together.

Simple Supper: Stir-fry

Rachel here: Stir-fry is such a great easy and healthy dinner. I had a really nice trip to the grocery store the other afternoon with M. She looked around and I told her about the different fruits and vegetables. In the process, I picked up fresh, local and seasonal vegetables to throw in a stir-fry for dinner. I think that that's my favorite thing about a stir-fry. Once I've decided that that's what I'm cooking, I can go to the grocery store completely open to whatever is freshest and from the closest farms and, in doing so, cook both a meal that is healthy for both my family and the planet. The following is what I cooked up for John and myself. We had a little bit of leftovers, so I'd say this meal will serve three.

ingredients
1 large carrot, sliced
1 summer zucchini, halved and sliced
half a medium eggplant, cubed
half a bunch of kale, chopped
2-3 T. fresh ginger, minced
2 T. whole grain mustard
soy sauce
olive oil
kosher salt

method
Heat skillet with olive oil and add eggplant and zucchini. Once they start to soften, add the carrots, ginger, mustard and soy sauce to taste. When the carrots are nearly done add the kale and cook until it wilts. Add salt if needed for flavor and serve with rice or couscous. Yum!

Janet here: The wok I got from my childhood friend, Michele, for my first wedding is with me today, very seasoned and lovely after nearly 30 (!) years of use. I think it's the best way to go for stir fry. Something about the quick cooking is different than with a frying pan, so that's my two cents there. I will also add that I got out of wokking a bit when our children were younger just based on who didn't like what veggies (see post on feeding kids here) but now that we are going to be empty nesters very soon, I anticipate getting to know my wok again much more intimately, and I can't wait.

The Best Blue Cheese Cole Slaw EVER!

Janet here: I have always been a fan of good cole slaw, i.e. the stuff that allows enough of the crunchy tasty deliciousness of the cabbage to come through rather than the glop that so often passes for cole slaw in restaurants. I figured the Barefoot Contessa, one of my culinary goddesses as regular readers know, was probably on to something with the addition of blue cheese. What I did not expect was to be transported into blue cheese rapture. If you love blue cheese, you will. love. this. Make it now.

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa at Home
makes enough for 6 unless you go crazy and eat most of it yourself

ingredients
1/2 small head green cabbage
1/2 small head red cabbage
3 carrots grated
1 1/2 cups maynonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup blue cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley

method
Slice up the cabbage however you want to make it look like cole slaw. I cut the cabbage in half and then into slices and then into bite-sized pieces. People who have food processors can use that. The key is not to include the cabbage core and not to make the pieces too thick. Add them to a large bowl. Grate the carrot however you want. I used an old-fashioned hand grater. Fancy people will use food processors — and get done a lot quicker. Add to the bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, cider vinegar, celery seeds, salt and pepper. Add the cheese and parsley. Add to the veggies and toss. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature

Rachel here: Ok, so obviously I love blue cheese (it's mentioned in my post about foods I couldn't wait to eat once M was born) and I definitely love cabbage and so this cole slaw sounds nothing short of divine. Unfortunately, as John and I learned the hard way one evening a few weeks back, M doesn't do cabbage (supposedly lots of babies don't...and though she's a big spitter upper anyway, the fireworks after I ate cabbage caught our attention and have been avoided since I've steered clear of it). So anyway, I guess I'm going to have to add this recipe to my NEW list of foods I can't wait to eat once M and I are no longer attached at the breast. (I know I wrote yesterday that I love a good list, but I am getting a little tired of making lists of foods I love but can't eat...just so you all know).

Summer Salads

Janet here: One of the stories of my childhood that was told repeatedly around family gathering dinner tables — sometimes to great embarrassment, depending on my age and who was at the table — was of me and my grandmother Doree's potato salad. I really loved my grandmother's potato salad. I mean really loved it. One day while visiting my grandmother when I was around 4, I decided I didn't want to wait until it was time for dinner to dig into this delicious concoction. So I wandered out to the kitchen, climbed up on a chair and dug in, using the serving spoon that was already in the salad. I was a happy camper ... until my grandmother discovered me and put a stop to the dining — and promptly told all the relatives who were there what I was doing. And so a family tale is born.

I've basically been trying to recreate that potato salad ever since. I pay attention to potato salads at restaurant and am quick to dismiss the substandard mayo-y glop that passes for potato salad after one bite. My mom made a good version, but nothing has quite equaled the ambrosia I remember from my childhood. I'm not sure I've recreated Doree's version, but I'm pretty happy with the one I have created. I hope you enjoy it too. As with many of my recipes, these measurements are approximations. You should feel free to add or delete, depending on your taste. After all, isn't tasting what you're making part of the fun of cooking?

Potato Salad
makes about 8 side servings

Ingredients
4 Russet potatoes, skins on, and diced into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, diced
3 celery stalks, slit lengthwise and diced
2 kosher dill pickle spears, slit lengthwise and diced
1 tablespoon kosher dill pickle juice
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2-3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Boil the potato pieces until just done, about 5-10 minutes. You don't want them overcooked or you will have potato mush

While the potatoes are cooking, dice the onion and celery and place into a large bowl. Add the other ingredients except the salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are done, drain and rinse immediately in cold water to stop the cooking. Add the cooled potatoes to the other ingredients, toss and add salt and pepper to taste. I like my potato salad crunchy so at this point, I take the first of a few (okay maybe several) bites to make sure I've got enough celery in there. If not, I add another diced stalk.

This is best served cold so make it ahead of time. I always taste again before serving to see if I want to add more caraway, mustard or mayo — at least that's my story and I'm sticking with it.


Rachel here: Ok, so before I go any further, I just have to say that my ma makes seriously grubbing potato salad. Growing up, I used to eat it with my fingers out of the fridge when I'd walk through the kitchen. I think I'm going to have to make her make it for me when she comes out to visit and meet the baby.

But anyway, I didn't make potato salad and so, though I'm dreaming of my mom's, I guess I'd better share the salad that I did make. I'm calling it Spring Bean Salad, though if you live in a less temperate climate it might really be a summer bean salad depending on when the various ingredients I use come into season. Regardless, it's a super easy and delicious dish. And, though it's not my ma's potato salad, I've still been picking at it when I walk through the kitchen all day.


Spring Bean Salad
serves 10 generously as a side

Ingredients
3 c. cannellini beans (if using canned, rinse and dry well; if cooking them yourself, be sure not to overcook)
1/2 c. kalamata olives, halved
2 medium cucumbers, chopped
1 smallish red onion, diced very small (but not minced)
4-5 large basil leaves, torn (I tear basil instead of cutting it because cutting it releases its delicious oils onto your knife and cutting board. When torn, everything ends up in your food.)
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. feta, crumbled
8 oz. mozzarella, chopped
juice from 1 large and 1 small lemon
salt and pepper
olive oil
apple cider vinegar


Method
Put all of the ingredients from the beans through the mozzarella in a large bowl. Toss by hand (this is a gentler way to combine ingredients and will help everything hold up since there are largely soft foods involved). Add lemon juice, salt and pepper, olive oil and apple cider vinegar to taste. Toss well and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate for a few hours so everything settles. Enjoy!