Red Cabbage Coleslaw with fresh Dill

The key to this coleslaw is to add more vinaigrette than mayonnaise (unless you like it the other way 'round.) The zingy vinegar & onion against the nutty cabbage & sweet carrot is nicely accented by fresh pepper and a touch of creamy mayonnaise.

• 1/2 small Red Cabbage Finely chopped
• 1 large carrot shredded (or add more to taste)
• 2 green onions finely chopped
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (or more to taste)
• 2 tbsp real mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp or more white balsamic vinegar (or dark balsamic or other vinegar)
• Liberal amount of fresh ground pepper (to taste)
• Handful Fresh dill-chopped

Mix everything.

Couldn't be easier. Chops well in a food-processor also. This is lovely the next day... the flavours marry nicely. You may find you need to add a little more dressing & vinegar to get the same flavour kick.

Other flavour options:

If you can get your hands on Kohlrabi, Fennel, or Celeriac try a little in here too. :0) Kohlrabi is amazingly yummy. It's not that hard to grow from seed either.

Dry mustard
Optional add fennel seed

Enjoy!
:0)
Mel

Roasted Beet, Avocado & Asian Pear Salad

This is YUMMMMMMy! It's easy, and very good for you too. It's even pretty. It's nicest prepared fresh, and tossing it just makes the redness of the dressing even more appealing. The thing I love about it is the contrasting/complimenting textures. The earthy smoothness of the beet against the crispness of the Asian pear. The slightly bitterness of the crunchy romaine against the creamy avocado and the buttery crunch of pine nuts. Tasty!

If you don't enjoy fruit in salads, you may very well still enjoy the Asian Pear. You'd be surprised how subtle it's sweetness is and its moist crispness can't be found in anything else.

Beets With a bit of Zip:

I love pickled beets, so to bring out the sweet note of beets & to add a zing, I thought why not bake them with vinegar:

1. Peel & chop beets; (baby beets are nicest)
2. Blanch them (drop into boiling water for 30 seconds then put into ice water)
3. Wrap them in tinfoil--drenched in vinegar, oil, sea salt & fresh pepper (to taste) Even white vinegar is great, but balsamic is lovely. (The tinfoil keeps the skins tender for the salad. If you want caramelized beets with a slightly drier skin, opt for a pan & no tinfoil.) :0)
4. Roast beets at 375 to 400 degrees until tender. (Depends on the size you chop them)
5. Chop them smaller for salad or eat 'em as is. They keep well.

The rest of the salad:

• Organic Romaine Hearts washed & torn (or any lettuce/salad greens but crunch is nice)
  
• Avocado diced (I half it, remove the pit, & dice it in the rind then scoop with a spoon=no washing up.) I think lightly salting the avocado is key.
  
• Asian Pear peeled and chopped
• Toasted pine nuts
• I like to make my own dressing, but in a pinch Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette is my favourite store bought dressing.

You can substitute roast carrots/sweet potatoes for beets.

Other delectable substitutions/additions could include:

• Cheese (A natural with this) Goat cheese, creamy feta, old cheddar, blue cheese... (or your favourite)
• Spanish Onion (was all out or it would have gone in finely sliced- for sure!)
• Cilantro or Italian Flat Leaf Parsley (nice against the creaminess & sweetness)
• Other Toasted Nuts: walnuts, pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts<--(one of my faves in salad)
• Other Fruits: crisp pear...granny smith or gala apples... Or plums/strawberries/raspberries (with a little lemon/lime/grapefruit juice)

Happy cooking,
:0)
Mel

Cheddar Brocolli Soup with a base of Cheese Sauce (made with White/Béchamel Sauce)

This Broccoli Cheddar Soup starts with white sauce to which you just add cheddar & broccoli. :0)

The BEST White sauce or Béchamel sauce:
(from "The Joy of Cooking")

Very Basic: used not only for creaming foods like vegetables and fish but as a base for many other sauces.

Melt over low heat:
2 tbsp butter
For a delicate flavour, even commercial establishments have found no substitute for butter. Add and blend over low heat for 3-5 minutes:
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp flour
Stir in slowly:
1 cup milk
[For better consistency, you may scald the milk beforehand; but be sure--to avoid lumping--that the roux (flour & butter mixture) is cool when you add it. ]

Add:
1 small onion studded with 2/3 whole cloves 1/2 small bay leaf
Cook & stir the sauce with a wire whisk or wooden spoon until thickened and smooth. Place in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes to cook slowly. (The oven interval also saves your time and hands for other kitchen jobs.) Strain the sauce.
Season to taste.
When I'm making cheese sauce, I add V.E. Giardino salt blend & four pepper blend. A grating of whole nutmeg, a sprinkle of paprika, 1/4 tsp dry mustard, and the tiniest pinch of Cayenne.

[For creamed dishes, use about 1/2 as much sauce as solids.]

Cheese sauce:

Prepare White/Béchamel Sauce
When it is smooth & hot, reduce the heat & add:
1 cup or less (or more) ;0) grated cheese
Stir the sauce until cheese is melted.

To make this into Broccoli Cheddar Soup, just add an extra cup of milk & gently steamed broccoli that has been diced. It's also great with Chinese Broccoli, Cauliflower, or Spinach.

Mel's Taco Supreme Salad (my favourite Guacamole & Salsa recipe)

This satisfying (low-carb) salad has 3 easy parts and it makes great left-overs, 'cause the ingredients can also be served as soft tortilla wrap fillings or crispy taco stuffings (or go crazy! and have a crispy taco inside a soft one)

Victorian Epicure Products this salad uses are: Taco Seasoning; Guacamole Dip Mix; and Salsa mix: choose your heat: Poco Picante (Medium) Caliente (hotchacha); sea salt and pepper. Optional time savers: toasted onion and red bell peppers.

The three parts are:

1--The Salad & Toppings
2--The Dressing
3--The Tortillas

1--THE SALAD & TOPPINGS

Chop or tear:
Iceberg lettuce (for the crunch; you can add the greener/more red varieties for flavour and vitamins)

Dice:
a red pepper (or use V.E. red bell peppers to save time)

Grate:
old cheddar (or your choice of cheese)
Season to taste with V.E. Sea Salt & V.E. Pepper to taste

Chunky fresh salsa--"kicked up a notch!":

Mix:
2 tablespoons V.E. salsa mix (Poco Picante (medium) or for the brave: Caliente (hot)
1/2 a finely chopped Spanish onion
2 fresh tomatoes (chopped coarsely)
1 can of tomatoes drained and chopped
1/2 a pepper finely-chopped (green or yellow look best)
fresh cilantro chopped (to taste)
1/2 a lime juiced
salt and fresh pepper to taste
Optional for heat and flavour: fresh jalapeño

Let flavours marry and seasonings hydrate for 1/2 an hour. This keeps very well and is a fantastic low-fat, lycopene-filled topping/filling for: wraps, sandwiches, Mexican recipes, meats, eggs, hot dogs, hamburgers. Salsa's also a vegetarian's best friend for flavour.

P.s. This makes a large amount of salsa; half it if you need to.

Meat or Vegetarian Taco Topping:

Brown prepared mix of:

2 tablespoons V.E. Taco seasoning

1 lb lean ground beef/chicken/turkey... or 20 medium-sized finely chopped mushrooms. (adjust

the seasoning to taste.)

1 clove garlic

1/2 a finely-chopped medium onion

--If you immediately mix all ingredients above with the seasoning (before the meat/mushrooms are cooked) it tastes much better, I swear; something about already cooked things not absorbing flavour--don't know the technical name ;-)

salt and pepper to taste.

2--THE DRESSING

This dressing is also topping! It's a Creamy Guacamole Dip set free!
(use light products if you like)

My ultimate favourite Guacamole recipe:

Mix:
2 tablespoons guacamole dip mix
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Let this mix sit for 1/2 an hour (or you can leave it in your fridge overnight, or until you need it.)

Before serving add the sour cream mix to a bowl with:

2 ripe avocados (leave some chunks if you like em.)
1/2 a fresh green jalapeño pepper finely diced (optional of course) You can always try a wee bit for great flavour or add a lot.
and the Juice of half a small lemon

To turn into a dressing just add 2-3 tablespoons water; that way, you can have both guacamole dip and dressing on hand by only adding liquid to the amount of dreesing you need to dress your taco salad.

3--THE TORTILLAS

My favourite to serve with this is white or yellow taco shells heated in the oven and broken into triangles. The warm crunch is a great texture against the smoothness of the guacamole dressing and the fresh bite of the lettuce and they make perfect scoopers: a fun party food and an answer to the messy eating of 'normal' tacos.

Other options are tortilla chips, warmed or not. Low-fat versions include any crisp bread, toasted pita or thinly sliced toasted baguette.

OR Try making Cajun Tortilla Chips

(Yield 32 chips) A low-fat treat that pairs well with spicy salsa. Spray vegetable oil instead of butter to reduce the amount of saturated fat (or coconut oil: it doesn't turn into a trans fat when heated & the flavour is heavenly!):

4 - 8" (20 cm) tortilla rounds1 Tbsp (15 ml) melted butter1 - 2 tsp (5 - 10 ml) VE Cajun Seasoning
2 tsp (10 ml) Parsley, Sea Salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C).

2. Whisk together melted butter (or oil), Cajun Seasoning and Parsley.

3. Cut each pita round into 8 even wedges and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with prepared butter and sprinkle with Sea Salt.

4. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until chips are crisp and slightly browned. Serve with taco supreme salad or a selection of prepared Dips.

ALSO,

This salad is just as easily served as a layered dip:

Simply mix 1 8oz pkg of cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream with a tbsp of herb and garlic dip mix and spread in a dish, then pile the goodies on top.

Leave your guacamole as a dip (instead of the dressing) and voila!

I layer in this order:

cream cheese base-->guacamole-->salsa-->lettuce-->(and save some diced peppers and cilantro to top with; green onions is another optional addition).

E.T.A: If you're avoiding red meat, chicken makes a great substitute for the hamburger.

Enjoy!
Mel