Spicy Coleslaw

This stack of new to me cookbooks is making me so happy! They are all by my all time favorite cookbook author, Mark Bittman. I have been cooking from his various incarnations of How To Cook Everything for over 20 years. I have made literally, dozens of his recipes of over the years and many of those recipes have made it to my favorites list. One of my cooking goals is to have every cookbook Mark Bittman has ever written. Adding these cookbooks to my collection gets me really close to accomplishing that goal.

I made a BBQ Bison roast last night and needed a quick and easy side dish so I made this coleslaw from one of my new Mark Bittman cookbooks. This is not your typical Midwest coleslaw recipe as there isn’t a drop of mayonnaise to be found. Instead Mark Bittman uses a basic vinaigrette to season and sauce the coleslaw. Its a refreshing change from the waterlogged, stodgy coleslaws that I grew up with.

You can use any type of cabbage here. I had some Napa cabbage so that is what I used.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From How To Cook Everything The Basics

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sugar

3 cups cored and shredded cabbage

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

salt and pepper, to tast

Whisk the mustard and vinegar together in a small bowl. Slowly, whisk the oil into the the vinegar/mustard mixture. Once the oil is combined add the sugar and whisk until dissolved.

Combine the cabbage, peppers, and scallions, toss with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Cabbage Hashbrowns (Whole 30)

Today I had my first, and hopefully last, video class room training. I have so much respect for all the students, teachers, businesses people and other employees who do them on a daily basis. They are quite a challenge.

I tried this recipe because I had all the ingredients and wanted some vegetables with my eggs and bacon one morning. Do the patties really taste like hash browns like all the blogs said? I don’t think so but they are a really tasty way too get some vegetables into your meal.

Cabbage Hashbrowns

• Difficulty: Easy
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From Yummly

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 large onion, thinly sliced

2 cups cabbage, finely shredded

1 TBS olive oil

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, garlic powder,salt, pepper. Add cabbage and onion and mix well. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, use 1/4 cup measure to scoop out the cabbage mixture and drop it into the pan. I only do 2 patties at a time do there is room to flip them. Once you have two mounds of the cabbage mixture in the pan, use a spatula to press each mound flat. This will help the patties stick together. Cook 3 minutes on one side, flip, then cook 3 minutes on the other side.

Crispy Eggs And Cabbage (Whole 30)

I usually don’t post two recipes from the same source in a row. I like a little variety. Although in this case, the recipe is too good not to. It’s simple. It’s quick, delicious and indefinitely adaptable. You could add any left over vegetables you have in the fridge. You could use any seasonings you like. I used a little Everything Bagel spice in the one in the picture.

Crispy Eggs And Cabbage

• Difficulty: Easy
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From The Made Whole Cookbook

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 medium head cabbage, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 slices bacon, proscuitto, or ham

2 large eggs

Salt, to taste

Heat an 8 inch skillet over medium heat. When hot, add oil.

Spread the cabbage evenly over the pan. Cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes, until the bottom of the cabbage begins to brown. Move the cabbage to one side in a little mound.

Add the protein of your choice to the other side of the skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, flipping once. Push the protein up against the cabbage.

Crack the eggs into the remaining space in the pan. Sprinkle salt over everything. Let the eggs cook 2-3 minutes, until the whites are cooked.

Whole30 Day 3 — Weight Watcher ‘s Vegetable Soup

When I decided to do the Whole30, I spent a lot of time thinking what times I might be vulnerable to making bad food choices.  The biggest danger zone I could think of for me is when I get off of work.  I get home from work anywhere from 7 to 9 pm.  Depending on how I slept the night before and how stressful my day was there are a lot of times I stop by the deli on my way home or toss a bowl of oatmeal or some other grain into the pressure cooker for dinner becauseI just don’t want to cook.  I can’t do that on while I am doing a Whole30 so I need another plan.  I decided to make a pot of soup on my prep day and eat it as needed throughout the week.  The first soup I made was Weight Watcher’s Zero Point Vegetable Soup.

Back when I was a Weight Watcher, I wasn’t much of a cook.  I lived on Smart Ones tv dinners, Boca Burgers and Weight Watcher’s zero point vegetable soup.  I ate gallons of the stuff.  The soup got me through a lot of times when I had no points left for the day and I  was starving. I think it is going to do the same for my Whole30.

A lot of my friends are asking how I am feeling since I started my Whole30, so I thought I would post my response here.  Day two and three, I woke up feeling like I was coming down with something.  I had a vague headache and felt kind of achy.  The literature said that is normal and should go away soon.  I also started having very vivid nightmares and dreams.  I wake up in a terrified and in a sweat or crying or ecstatically happy and I don’t know why.  I don’t know if these dreams are connected to the Whole30 or not, but they started the same time as I started my Whole30.  The literature says that vivid dreams about eating noncompliant foods and ruining your Whole30 are common.  That is not what these dreams are.  I usually don’t remember what I have dreamed so this is just weird.  I don’t mind the crying or being ecstatically happy but I can totally do without the flop sweats and my heart beating so hard it feels like it is coming out of my chest.  The only other physical symptom I have is I fart alot.  This isn’t suprising since I have eaten more vegetables in the last three days than I have in the last three months.  I am sure this  will pass as my body gets used to eating more good stuff.

Weight Watcher's Zero Point Vegetable Soup

• Difficulty: Easy
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2/3 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup diced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
1 1/2 cups diced green cabbage
1/2 cup green beans
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced zucchini
In a large saucepan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, sauté carrots, onions and garlic over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add broth, cabbage, green beans, tomato paste, basil, oregano and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for around 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Lastly, stir in the zucchini and continue to heat soup for 3-4 minutes.

 

Tangy Coleslaw

I don’t mind mayonnaise based salads when they go directly from the refrigerator to the table but mayonnaise based salads freak me out if they have to travel any distance.  Even if I have just seen the salad come out of a cooler packed with ice, I am sure it is going to give me food poisoning.  I know it isn’t logical but mayonnaise based salads bring out my inner hypochondriac.  Whenever I am asked to bring coleslaw to an event I bring a vinaigrette based coleslaw.

You can use any vinaigrette you like on this salad so use your favorite.  I like to embellish my salad with a handful of Craisins and sunflower seeds just before serving it.  I really like that salty, sweet pop of flavor.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

3 cups shredded cabbage

½ cup shredded carrot

dressing:

2 ½ TBS white vinegar

2 TBS sugar

2 TBS vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

1 TBS grated or minced onion

Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Put the shredded cabbage and carrots in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and toss.