Cole Slaw With A Surprise Crunch

For a small potluck, one of the ladies brought this surprisingly slaw.  No ordinary slaw by any means. Yes, it's built on the broccoli slaw, cabbage and carrots, but the twist?  Uncooked ramen.  That's right.  It's that college staple at 10 cents per package and the perfect snack at 2 a.m.  Don't be alarmed.  If you have never tried uncooked ramen, it's actually pretty delicious on it's own.  It brings a nice crunch and additional texture to the slaw.  What was even better is that the seasoning packet in the ramen package is incorporated into the vinagrette dressing.  Seriously, how brillant is that? 

This tastes better after the seasoning, dressing and veggies sit for a bit.  You'll find yourself getting a small bowl and then 20 minutes later, another small bowl, and then another 20 minutes later until someone tells you, you should stop. 

On a down side, this does not keep well for more than a few hours. The ramen crunch becomes soft and doesn't provided that great crunch. 

Asian Slaw

Serves 4

1/2 head of cabbage sliced thin

1 head of broccoli, sliced and cut into small pieces

1 bunch of green onions

seasame seeds

slivered almonds (I did not have)
1 pkg plain oriental ramen (blue bag) crushed into small pieces, uncooked

Dressing:

Seasoning packet from ramen

1/2 cup vegetable oil (olive oil doesn't work here, it adds an additional flavor that competes with the slaw flavoring)

3 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

S&P

1. Seriously, this takes just a few steps.  Chop and combine the slaw ingredients.  Put in a large bowl.

2. Combine the dressing ingredients and make sure to whisk well. 

3. Pour onto the slaw and mix.  Let it sit for about 15 minutes to let the flavors mix. 

Thanksgiving 2010 Part 3: Orange Green Beans

Green beans are a staple at every holiday meal. We've gone through our fair share of variations: canned green beans with cream of mushroom soup, with and without those delicious crispy fried onions, fresh green beans with simple garlic, oil and S&P, to roasted green beans. One year, I made green beans with orange rinds and while it was good, it didn't absorb the orange flavoring as much as I would have like. This year, I tried to cut the rinds smaller and crushed them a little more to really get that orange flavor and I think it worked. 

While I'm a fan of canned food and veggies (my pantry is consistently stocked with canned corn and numerous canned tomatoes), I think this dish is best made with fresh green beans and during the holidays, these are bountiful and reasonably priced.  - 1.29 a lb, yes please!

Orange Green Beans

1-2 lbs of fresh green beans, clipped and washed

2 tbsp butter

1 small handful of chopped bacon

3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

Rind from one small to medium orange, sliced into strips

Juice and orange segments from that same orange

1/3 cup of broth and white wine (whatever portion you would like)

S&P

1. Make sure your green beans are cleaned and washed.  

2. Get all the bacon, garlic (in the pic below, only the rinds and everything on the right is for this dish.  Trust me, not using all that bacon!) and orange rind ready before you turn on the heat.

3. Add butter to a pan big enough to eventually hold the green beans and liquid. Add in the bacon and let it cook to ooze out that bacon goodness. Then add in the garlic, orange rinds and let those flavors mix togehter.  Yum! 

4. Add in the green beans, orange segments and juice. Give it a good mix. Add in a dash of S&P (a little less on the salt since you do have bacon).

5. Turn the heat down to medium low and pour in the 1/3 cup of liquid. Cover and let this steam/cook for about 3 minutes. Then take the cover off and let it cook for another 3 minutes. Do a quick taste test and add more S&P as necessary.  If you had garlic powder, I'm sure a dash of that would be delicious too!

6.  It's nice if you let it sit a little bit so the flavors are really absorbed into the green beans.  I made this an hour before dinner started, took about 10 minutes start to finish and let it sit the remaining time. Enjoy!

What's the Chip without the Guacamole?

If you're from Texas, you best love guacamole.  If you don't, I don't know you.  Whether it's served with fajitas, toppings on enchiladas, part of a taco salad, one of the layers in 7 layer dip or as a dip on its own, you'll notice that it comes served in a variety of ways.  Smooth, chunky, lots of tomatoes and onions incorporated or just plain.  Me? Just give me a bag of chips and the dip and I'm one happy lady.

My colleague, Sarah Bodenman "Bodie," is an excellent cook and we tend to share recipes or simply talk food.  In fact, this morning, she gave me a recipe for a Peach Shortcake with Vanilla Whipped Cream dessert!  The torture of having to read the recipe, realize it's only 9:00 am and yet you still desperately want to eat dessert before breakfast or lunch. 

Sigh.

Bodie shared this recipe with me last year, and the first time I made it, it was a major hit.  I've added/omitted a few things just based on my preference, but I haven't used another recipe since. Read the steps first before you buy the ingredients.  I've put in comments on what Bodie's recipe calls for vs. what I've changed/omitted so you can make it based on what you like!  For instance, you may love red onions and green onion while I do not (I use shallots intead).  I also use double the avocados and tomatoes so the recipe below makes a lot more.

You will be hard pressed to find leftovers after two days.  If you make this recipe, let me know if you change it up. I'm always looking for new ways!

The Best Guacamole Your Chips Will Ever Meet, Seriously

Adpated from Bodie's recipe

5 cloves of garlic

2 large jalapenos

2 large roma tomatoes

Big bunch of cilantro (tips/leaves only)

6-7 small/medium ripe Haas avocados

2 large shallots (you can substitute w/1/2 of an onion if you don't like shallots)

1 orange (zest and juice)

2 lemons (zest and juice)

Olive oil

S&P

Dash of hot sauce

1.  Be prepared for lots of chopping.  If you do not have a food processor, start chopping the garlic cloves, jalapenos, one bunch of cilantro, shallots and one tomato.  I like to roughly cut them into smaller pieces and them put them all together on the board and chop them together.  For the tomato, I cut in half, squeeze the juice into the bowl where you'll be making the guac. so you only chop the meat.  Halfway through chopping the mixture, I add in a tsp of salt and then continue chopping.  You want the mixture to be a pesto-like consistency and once done, I push this mixture to the side of my cutting board.

**Bodie calls for only 1/2 a roma tomato. I love tomatoes and always like to add more.  Also, she uses 1 jalapeno instead of 2 - again, it's all up to preference and how much of a kick you would like.  I added in shallots in this step. Bodie uses a red onion and does not incorporate the onion until later.  Personally, I dislike the taste of raw onions but find that using two shallots adds that necessary flavor without being as overpowering as an onion.  Again, what makes this recipe so great is that you can easily adjust to what you like!

2. Peel and core all the avocados. Take 1/3 of the avocado halves and mush them in the same bowl with the tomato juice you squeezed out.  The other halves, chop up into cubes - whichever size you like to eat with your chips. 

**Bodie uses about 3-4 avocados.  I tend to make a bigger pot having a Ross and a mother who loves avocados =)

3. Chop up the other tomato into cubes similar in size to the avocado.

**Bodie puts in the other 1/2 of a roma tomato here.

4. Add the pesto mix to the mushed avocados and mix to incorporate. You can start by adding 1/2 to 3/4 but I end up using the entire mixture.

5. Fold in the cubed avocados and tomatoes. Add in some chopped cilantro here too if you like the taste, which obviously I do.

**Bodie adds in the chopped red onion as well as chopped green onions (light green/white parts only).

6. Add in the zest of the orange and one lemon.  Then squeeze in the juice of the orange and lemon.  I taste and then almost always squeeze the other lemon as well, but you should taste and add to your preference. 

**Bodie does not add in the zest (I have an odd fascination with zest and whenever I can, I find myself automatically adding it) and uses juice from 1/2 an orange and 1 lemon.

7. Add in a good swirl of olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt.  Be careful with the salt.  Add, taste and then add more if you need to.  Also, if you know what chips you are serving with, taste the guacamole with the chips if they are salted.  I like to add in a few dash of hot sauce here too. :) 

8. While it will be hard to resist, I like to cover and let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour. This really lets the flavors of the cilantro, jalapeno, shallots and juices mesh. 

Tomato & Egg

This may look a little perplexing but this was one of my favorite side dishes growing up.  It's so simple and when you eat it with a hot bowl of rice, so good!  My mom has made this dish since we were itty bitty.  I know the combination is a little odd but for as much reason why wendy's frosties and french fries or sea salt and chocolate go so well together, cooked eggs and tomatoes do too.  These are best when the tomatoes are nice and juicy - not the firm ones.  What makes this dish so good is when the tomato juices ooze out while cooking and then mix with the eggs.  Also, green scallions make this much tastier and add a nice hit of color to the dish as well.

Tomato & Eggs

recipe from my mom

2 large tomatoes, cubed

4 large eggs

1 green scallion, chopped - white and green parts (I didn't have when I made but definitely add it if you have)

Sugar

Salt

1. Clean tomatoes and cut into small cube sizes.  Heat pan with a little bit of oil.  Once hot, add in the tomatoes including all the tomato juice.  Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the tomatoes.  Let it cook down until they are soft and start sizzling.  Sprinkle with a tad of salt. 

2. Beat the eggs together - well.  Then when the tomatoes are ready, pour the eggs into the pan.  Let it sit to cook for about 30 seconds and then lightly scramble the eggs with the tomatoes.  I take my spatula and move it from the outside in and make a J.  When the eggs are almost cooked, turn off the heat and add in the chopped scallions.  Lightly incorporate and then serve!  I love this with hot rice. 

Brussel Sprouts w/Proscuitto

What is the perfect side dish to so many chicken dishes, spaghetti or steak? Or even a great complement to mashed potatoes? Brussel sprouts spruced up with some yummy crunchy bits of proscuitto.

Side note. Since I mentioned mashed potatoes, I have to talk about a recent experience of some of the best I've had in quite a long time. Last Sunday was my cousin's wedding and for the dress rehearsal dinner, we had these amazing potatoes that I can hardly explain. It was creamy but thick at the same time. Had a significant substance to them but no lumps. No apparent herbs but incorporated a type of cheese that I can't exactly pinpoint.  This was one of those moments where you immediately start comparing any future mash potatoes tastings to that one little pile of yummy goodiness on your plate. Agh.

I digress. Back to brussel sprouts. I didn't always like to eat these little suckers. It hasn't been until the past few years where I realized that simply cooking brussel sprouts with a little salt, pepper and olive oil in the oven was so delicious. And healthy! This is a quick side dish to complement rice or meat. Its a little salty and lightly crunchy due to the proscuitto. Yum!

Brussel Sprouts with Proscuitto

Serves 4-6

1-1.5 lbs brussel sprouts

4 slices proscuitto

pinch of garlic salt

S&P

1. Thoroughly clean the brussel sprouts and slice them into strips. Slice the proscuitto into small strips (I like to roll a slice of proscuitto into a log and then slice)

2. Heat pan with a little bit of olive oil and quickly cook the proscuitto. Add in the brussel sprouts and let it cook for a little while longer. Add a pinch of garlic salt and pepper. Take a quick taste check and if needed, add some salt. Serve while still hot!

Mushroom & Jicama Salad

I've been on a side dish, salad, quick and easy kick for a few weeks now. This is one of the easiest salads to make and watch out, you may end up eating the entire dish in one sitting! I've had jicama before, and at the time, it was served in slices with no additional seasoning. Honestly, I wasn't impressed. It's a type of food that is good while you are eating it, but not exciting enough to make you run out and buy several to eat again for the next few days. (Like I do often with mushrooms, tomatos, squash, cheese....) It wasn't until a recent trip to Hawaii with my sister that I had jicama again - cut into cubes with other raw vegetables in a citrus dressing. We couldn't figure out every ingredient in the dish. It was good enough that we went back for tres servings each - good thing it was a buffet!
I saw this recipe from Giadda a few weeks later - pretty perfect in that it included cheese and mushrooms. Fresh from Hawaii, I thought Jicama would make a perfect addition to this dish - and I was right! White button mushrooms have a contrasting light vs. dense consistency so the jicama adds a juicy and sweet side to the dish. I pretty much ate half - 2 servings - in one sitting and skipped my main dish since I was full on this salad. The below recipe is the original recipe from Giadda - I just added in Jicama slices and lemon zest.
Fresh Mushroom & Parsley Salad

Recipe from Giadda

1 pound large button mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I squeezed approximately 2 large lemons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-ounce piece Parmesan

(I added in 1 half medium sized Jicama sliced)

(I added in the zest of one lemon)

In a medium salad bowl, mix together the mushrooms and parsley. (Add Jicama here)

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and lemon juice until smooth (also added in lemon zest here). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the oil mixture to the salad bowl and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Shave the Parmesan on top and serve.