Fiesta-slaw

I imagine that this actually won't be a terribly popular post. But who cares! This is my blog and I want to write about my new find/ creation/ revelation. My readers who choose not to read this are missing out! Anyways, I mentioned last week when I used thai peanut sauce on a red cabbage salad that I have been very into non-traditional salads lately. This week, it's another version on the same theme. Using these hardier greens lets me prepare a salad on Sunday and take some for lunch on Thursday, when I'll still be able to enjoy the crispiness. Traditional salads get soggy when you try to prepare them the night before! Anyways, I've been strapped for time lately so I chose the easy out this week: bags of pre-shredded green cabbage and carrots from Trader Joe's. Green cabbage doesn't have quite the antioxidant profile of red cabbage, but it's still chock full of fiber as well as vitamins C, K, and B. Green cabbage is also more mild, so spiced it up with chili pepper, cilantro, and lime and pared it with the fiesta flavors of corn, green pepper, and scallions. To top it off, I prepared a simple, spicy black bean mole sauce as a dressing, which enhances the flavor as well as the protein content. I hope you give this recipe a try!

Fiesta-slaw

For the salad...
1 package shredded green cabbage
3c matchstick carrots
1c sweet frozen corn (or two small ears of fresh corn)
1 large green pepper, cubed
3 scallions, cut into thin slices
1 bunch cilantro, diced
juice of 1/2 lime

For the mole sauce...
1 can black beans, washed and drained
1c water
sirracha sauce (~3T or to taste)

In the food processor, combine the ingredients for the mole sauce. Food process until smooth. In a large bowl, combine all vegetables and cilantro. Toss to mix. Top with lime juice and mole sauce and stir to mix. Serve alone as a side, or over wild rice with black beans as a complete meal. Enjoy!

Thai Peanut Cabbage Salad

I've been very into what I've been calling "super salads" lately. This is not my original super salad, I'm saving that recipe to go with my long-awaited injury prevention post. My definition of a super salad is a salad based on a green other than lettuce, in this case it's red cabbage. I've been fascinated by red cabbage since Sam's guest posts, however, my local Trade Joe's doesn't routinely carry it. However, last week I went out of my way to find some and then I spent a few days brainstorming recipes. Last night, I was thinking about turning it into coleslaw, and even went to far as to figure out how to make home-made plant-based mayo, but in the end... my peanut sauce was calling and I fell for this thai-inspired flavorful salad.

Red cabbage offers a plethora of nutritional benefits. The deep red color comes from polyphenols, which are antioxidants that are protective against inflammation. Like other cruciferous vegetables, cabbage is a source of glucosinolates, a compound which is thought to help prevent cancer. To top that off, red cabbage offers impressive doses of vitamins A, C, and K. To top the salad, I made a gluten free, soy free peanut sauce which results in a very tasty sauce that I want to eat with a spoon. Instead of soy sauce and sugar, I use molasses, which adds a healthy dose of iron, potassium, calcium, and B vitamins. The peanut butter adds cravable flavor, as well as protein. However, for peanut allergies, I imagine that this salad would be good with sunflower butter! I complete the protein in this salad with chickpeas, however, in hindsight edamame may have been a more authentic choice.

For the Salad
one head red cabbage
5 carrots, peeled
2 cans chickpeas, washed and drained

Thai Peanut Sauce

1/2c peanut butter
1/3c rice vinegar
1/4c molasses
1/2c water
thumb-sized piece fresh ginger (plus extra dried ginger to taste)
4 cloves garlic
Siracha chili sauce to taste (~3T)

1. Peel carrots and shred in food processor. Transfer to large salad bowl.
2. Wash cabbage and cut into 8ths, removing the core. Food process to shred. Do this in stages, as it won't all fit in at once! Also, a disclaimer: this is tougher than it sounds. I made a mess. Once diced, transfer to bowl with carrots.
3. Add all sauce ingredients to food processor and blend. This will serve to mix the sauce, as well as pick up the shredded vegetables stuck to the sides.
4. Add peanut sauce to bowl of shredded cabbage and carrots. Stir to mix. Top with chickpeas to make it a filling one-pot dinner and enjoy!

Cranberry Kale Salad

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I sure did! I finished the first draft of my 3rd and final proposal, so today and over the weekend, I just need to work on "TOC" style images, presentation, finding typos, and refining my brilliance. After a solid, long work day, I shared Thanksgiving dinner with my two best friends. After dinner-- the menu was shared with you this week-- we ate warm gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (they work amazingly with oat flour!), a brandy drink I developed that we entitled Pumpkin Desirrrrre, and watched Legally Blonde. What a great celebration! I really look forward to hosting Thanksgiving at my house when I own one and am "grown-up."

To close out the week, I'm sharing the recipe for our Cranberry Kale salad. Kale salads can be a bit mystifying at first, since the leaves are so hearty in comparison to other salad greens and many people have trouble digesting it when it's eaten raw. However, a raw kale salad can be quite tasty! Kale also has the benefit that it keeps with dressing on amazingly: this is a salad you can make with dressing the night before and have no worries about finding a soggy mess in your lunch box the next day. Plus, at least once a week, I tell you about the nutritional benefits of kale and cruciferous vegetables, so you already know how much of a nutritional punch this salad will deliver! Paired with sunflower seeds and olive oil for the healthy fats, this salad is a real winner, especially if you feel you still need to recover yesterday's feast.

Cranberry Kale Salad

1 bag fresh kale
3T balsamic vinegar
3T olive oil
fresh cracked black pepper and garlic to taste
dash of fresh cracked sea salt
1/3c sunflower seeds
1/3c dried cranberries

In a large bowl, combine kale, oil, vinegar, and spices. Reach your hands in to vigorously massage the kale to help the leaves absorb the flavors. Top with cranberries and sunflower seeds. (They'll drift down anyways as your serve it, so don't mix it up or you'll get a concentration at the bottom.) Serve and enjoy!

The Buzz About Beets

This past weekend, we celebrated my fiance's birthday. This year, I decided that instead of going out to dinner, I would create a culinary masterpiece in my own kitchen! Dinner was served as a romantic setting for two on the porch. (Ok, it wasn't that romantic. We couldn't find matches, so once the sun set, we used an iPhone light app for illumination.)

In addition to fresh french bread, a beet and arugula salad with a sweet mustard dressing started off our evening.

This is a very quick and easy "fancy" salad and it is full of nutrition to boot! My favorite part of this salad is the beets. Why, you ask? Many well-controlled academic studies (such as this one) have shown that consumption of the nitrates in beets can significantly improve your athletic performance. For this reason, I'll make sure to enjoy another beet salad on Friday night before my last cycling race of the season!

Beet and Arugula Salad with Sweet Mustard Dressing

Salad:
6c arugula
3 large or two small beets, peeled and sliced
1/4c chopped walnuts

Dressing:
1/4c spicy mustard
2T brown sugar
3T warm water

In a large salad bowl, mix arugula, beets and walnuts. In a separate small bowl, add dressing ingredients and stir until smooth, adding more sugar or mustard to your taste. Pour dressing over salad. Serve & enjoy!