Sautéd Red Cabbage Salad (with tasty Greek influences)

I've made a solemn salad vow that is turning out to be scrumptious. This one was especially differently yummy.

I love cabbage and it's incredibly good for you, but sometimes when it's raw it's just too much. I wanted some colour in this salad for vitamins and cabbage keeps so well that it's a good standby. If you sauté it in a wee but of butter it makes a lovely salad topping. (Butter, I know 'bad,' but this salad is best enjoyed with a miniscule amount of salad dressing, so it's okay.) ;0) A little butter goes a long way in this: it lends the nicest creaminess to the nutty cabbage.

Sauté cabbage until it's al dente & adding sea salt helps keep the colour and pepper is wonderful with cabbage.

• Start with your favourite green (this has romaine hearts & spinach-both organic)
• Add the teeniest amount of finely-diced feta & spanish onions
• Red cabbage goes on there too
  
• Top with a hit of your favourite herb (I had basil on here & it was wondrously good)

Dressing suggestion: Greek. Nice. :0)

Happy eats!
Mel

Ingredient of the Day: Infused Oil & Vinegar

Infusing oils & vinegars is so simple it'd be laughable if it didn't add so much to cooking. They add such a depth of flavour to salads, vegetables, or anything you use oil or vinegar for, (hahaha.) They also make lovely gifts. You can tailor your recipes to the favourite tastes of friend & loved ones.

This particular oil blend has:

• Lots of lemon zest
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
  
• Lemon scented thyme (crushed to release oils)
  

This 'recipe'--if you can call it that ;0)--was born, because I really wanted garlic flavour on some roasted potatoes, but I didn't want the burnt taste of overdone garlic pieces. If you use it right after mixing it is very subtle (garlic-wise.) If you want strong garlic flavour right away, or you aren't worried about burning, just chop the garlic cloves just mash 'em with a garlic press or fork.
You can use different oils, of course, so it's adaptable and healthful.

I've tried a spicy rendition for Christmas gifts that was very well received just by combining:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• A few chili pepper flakes
• Garlic cloves (peeled & crushed)
  
• & Rosemary

Any herb you like is great. The woody herbs (like rosemary, thyme, sage...) seem to keep longer but tarragon, dill, cilantro, chives, green onions...and so on...impart lovely flavours. I've been salivating over the idea of an oil infused with my new curry plant (though I've read it's more fragrant than flavourful...we'll see. I'll let you know...)

Other great flavours are: ginger, lemon grass, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, dill seed, fennel seed, celery seed, Fenugreek, cumin, clove, cumin...well really any spice, heehee :0) Many will be best cut (lemon grass) crushed or grated.

Keeping your concoctions in the fridge ensures there's no unwanted bacterial business from the herbs...The vinegars are naturally antibacterial so they last longer unrefrigerated.

Vinegars, even the cheapest, are really improved by adding aromatics. Blends are nice too: A mix of white vinegar with red wine vinegar gives you that rosé colour, but is clear enough that it still lets the herbs show to their best advantage. I really like the flavour too. White balsamic vinegar is simply dreamy and so attractive. You can choose all kinds of pretty bottles for gifts--or for you! :0)

Happy easy culinary alchemy,
:0)
Mel

Homemade Roasted Peppers & Yogurt cheese in a Sandwich

The star of this ultra fresh-tasting sandwich is an orange roasted orange pepper. Roasted peppers are easy to make at home & they're juicier as well as sweeter than the jarred variety (the jarred ones always seem to go moldy on me.)

With fresh ones, you control the texture, since you can cook them as much or as little as you like. Plus--obviously--you can roast orange or yellow ones (or even hot peppers) for different flavours. I would find green bitter, but whatever floats your culinary boat...

It's also a great way to save those almost wrinkling peppers from certain doom. I just roasted this orange one (who was in his old age) in the oven at 500 degrees (while I was cooking turkey.)

The skin peels right off (easier when cooled-I tried it when hot, ooouch! ) You don't even need to blacken the pepper (unless you want it really roasted-- I like it just brown it in spots because it leaves the teensiest crispness to the pepper. Once roasted, they save nicely in the fridge for a day or two. You can freeze your roasted peppers, marinade them, or immerse them in a jar of oil.

This sandwich also includes another easy easy easy 'gourmet' gem:

Homemade Yogurt Cheese

Did I mention this was easy?:

1. Just take yogurt (with no settling agents in it.) I used a natural Balkan style & it turned out lovely (smoother than other yogurts.)
2. Put the yogurt in cheese cloth and set that in a sieve.
3. Set the sieve over a bowl & Let the water drip out (refrigerating all the while)
4. When the water is out and the yogurt is firm it's done (overnight is perfect, but you can check the texture & taste it
   

Cream cheese consistency is how like it. Yogurt cheese is great for those who like a rich tzatziki (me!) and it is a fantastic tangy but light tasting addition to wraps / dips / mashed potatoes / wraps / sandwiches...Which brings me to the actual sandwich; It's on buttered white toast (gasp!), but that's all I had, and I needed a sandwich fix. Its fillings include:

• Yogurt cheese (herbs added to this are loverly)
  
• Roasted orange pepper
• A little mayo
• Salt & Pepper
• Sorrel (lemony wonder) & iceberg lettuce (or your favourite greens)
• a sliced left-over chicken thigh
  

If you're a vegetarian, you could add avocado for a little richness instead of the chicken.

Happy cooking adventures!
:0)
Mel

Club sandwich Salad (a crunchy green take on the sandwich)

This picture is a cheat, because it's a bread-less version of this club salad recipe--with red pepper as a substitute for the tomatoes. Hardly the same, but kinda perty, no? It also has fresh dill and sorrel. (Sorrel is an unusually lemony perennial green that is delightful. I grow it in a pot.) :0)

Being a club sandwich fiend this is my favourite salad:

• Lettuce (a mix of Iceberg or Romaine for crunch with organic salad greens like mescaline mix or baby spinach is scrumptious and a good way to introduce greener varieties of lettuce to kids)
• Bacon Cooked 'til it's the crispness you like (avoid bacon bits like the plague--> they are evil! Muhahaha!)
  
• Tomatoes (if you don't have fresh canned finely diced are nice)
  
• Chicken or Turkey (For best results, put poultry in a ziplock bag and flatten it with a meat hammer until even. Cook 'til tender & moist, but not overdone of course!) ;0)
• Havarti or old /medium cheddar (or your favourite cheese)
• Green onion (fine chop)
  

You could use shrimp/crab/scallop as well or instead of poultry (seafood club, right?)

Avocado is awesome too (large cubes lightly salted.)

For entertaining friends who are Vegetarians: You could make a salad bar that includes the above, but also has chickpeas (Garbonzo beans--which are lovely toasted.) Other options include pine nuts, spiced pecans, pomegranate seeds...

Dressing:

I love this best topped with Ranch dressing (to which I add a shot of white balsamic vinegar & fresh herbs) or a with any mayonnaise-y vinaigrette. The pow of vinegar is the best! (TIP: If you can let your homemade dressings sit for at least an hour/overnight for flavours to marry.)

Homemade Sourdough croûtons:

If you hate store bought croûtons, like I do, you may be pleasantly surprised by making your own tasty morsels.

Butter & a little cooking oil
Sourdough (or other fresh bread)
Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pinch cayene
Paprika/other spices you like
Lemon/lime zest
Flat Leaf Italian Parsley/Cilantro/Dill or finely chopped Herb of your choice
Garlic

Add the ingredients in the order above (most important is the garlic last to avoid burning it bitter.) Toast it. This makes crispy croûtons with a soft warm inside. Mmmmm....

Thanks for looking. Happy Cooking,
:0)
Mel

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

Lemon Walnut Bread

This lemon bread recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book It can have subtle lemon flavour, or you can boost it by adding more lemon zest & juice. It makes 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves (16 servings.) I love to serve it with lemon zest sprinkled all over the plate, so I can get as much lemon as possible.

TIP: If you're using the juice of a lemon but not the zest in a recipe, zest it first anyhow. If you zest onto a piece of plastic wrap you can freeze it for later. Also, rolling a lemon on the counter will make sure it gives up all of its juice. :0)

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  

• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup 2% milk
  
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel (I like 3 or 4)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans/almonds) , toasted

Glaze:

• 1 tablespoon sugar (either granulated or powdered icing (confectioners) sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Grease 8x4x2-inch loaf pan or two 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch loaf pans. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients :

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• & 1/4 teaspoon salt

3. Make a well in dry ingredients
4. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup 2% milk
  
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

5. Add to dry ingredients (in the well you made.) Stir until just mixed. Batter should be lumpy, otherwise it'll be tough.

6. Fold in nuts and lemon zest:

• 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel (I like more: 3 or 4)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans/almonds) , toasted

7. Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and spread evenly. Bake in a 350 degree F. oven about 50-55 minutes for 8x4x2-inch loaf and about 45 minutes for 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch loaves or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center(s) comes out clean. (If necessary, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning.)

8. The sauce: While baking the bread, in a small bowl stir together 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar until sugar is dissolved. Right after the bread comes out of the oven--while still hot--spoon glaze over top(s). Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack. Wrap in plastic wrap and store overnight before serving.

Make-Ahead Tip: Bake loaf or loaves. Glaze, then cool completely. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Or, place cooled loaves in freezer containers or bags and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Happy Baking,
:0)
Mel