Pickled Red Cabbage

Pickled Red Cabbage

Years ago we drove to Solvang and

found ourselves, like many do in that touristy haven of Danish delights, in a side cafe eating a simple breakfast. It was the first time I'd had eggs benedict and the first time Holly had tried pickled red cabbage. I can remember the look on her face as she ate it. She was delighted and in flavor heaven. "You have to try this!" I did, and didn't like it much. Knowing that it pleased her, however, I decided that I'd make it for her on occasion. Over time I've grown an affinity for it but I still make it "for Holly". In fact, I made a big batch of it for her graduation party a few years ago and it was a enjoyed by all.

We're having a friend over for dinner tonight so yesterday I whipped up this batch to go with the lamb meatballs we'll be making. Yum!

Ingredients:

1/2 large head of Red Cabbage

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Vinegar (I use Red Wine Vinegar)

1/4 cup of water

* I had already chopped up half of it when I took this picture.

Directions:

Thinly shred or neatly chop the cabbage, add sugar, butter, vinegar and approximately 1/4 cup of water. Cover and simmer for about 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. About 15 minutes from the end, taste and add more vinegar or sugar to your liking.

I speak from experience when I say this dish is decidedly better when reheated. I like to make it a day in advance. Let it steep in it's own flavorific existence, you know?

Calories: About 225 in 1 cup... but 1 cup is a lot if this is a side dish.

Pad Thai with Chicken and Red Bell Pepper

Pad Thai with Chicken and Red Bell Pepper

Those of you close to me know that I've never minded cooking but it wasn't until Holly came home from Thailand that my cooking bug took over. She'd been in an environment where almost every food she ate was new to her and when she came home her desire to try new foods, any kind, was peaked. I have taken advantage of this reality without reservation. Of everything I make around here, stir-fry is probably the most common thing and the easiest.

It's Tuesday and I'm not really into making anything complicated, so out comes the wok and in goes the tasty. Speaking of the wok, check out that beautifully seasoned one down below.

The format of this one looks odd because I copied my own recipe from another site I use.

Ingredients:

4 4oz Chicken Tenderloins, cubed

3 small shallots, sliced

.25 cup raw scallions cut into 1" strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp chicken broth or water

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced

1 tsp palm sugar (or regular sugar)

200g Rice Noodles

2 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)

2 tbsp crushed peanuts

Cooking Instructions:

Heat oil in wok on medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and stir for 30 seconds.

Add chicken and crushed red pepper. Stir until chicken is cooked about 4 minutes.

Add water/broth and red bell pepper slices. Cook for about 3 minutes. You want the bell pepper to be nice and hot but still crunchy.

Include the oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Immediately add the cooked rice noodles (I suggest boiling them for 2 mins prior to use) and stir vigorously. 2 mins.

Add scallions and stir for 30 seconds more.

Serve. Once plated top with coriander and crushed peanuts.

Serving Size: Makes 3 servings (the way I eat)

Nutritional Info

Fat: 18.4g Carbohydrates: 58.9g Calories:538.1 Protein: 39.2g

Baked Salmon with Breaded Topping and Falafel

Baked Salmon with Breaded Topping, Falafel and Steamed Veggies

Holly and I were down at our local Greek market and as she was picking up her beloved apricot

jam when I saw this box of falafel mix and thought "This will go great with that salmon in the freezer".

"Have you ever had Falafel?," I asked.

"I don't think so."

"Well you're about to have it for dinner."

The Falafel was incredibly easy to make. I bought the Casbah brand and all you do is add water and fry them. So simple and tasty. I'm not going to detail the prep for it here other than to indicate that you should heat your oil and your oven at the same time. It paired very well with a baked salmon recipe I obtained and slightly modified from www.cooks.com and I think you'll like it.

Step One:

a) For Salmon: Pre-heat oven to 450F

b) For Falafel: In a sturdy frying pan, heat about 1" of oil vegetable oil at medium heat. Don't get fancy and try and use Olive Oil. It's more acidic than vegetable oil and will likely strip any coating off your pan. These only take about 2 mins to cook so fry them up about halfway through the

salmon bake time.

Step Two:

A) Spray a coat on non-stick onto shallow baking dish and lay your salmon fillet down on it.

B) Sprinkle the following ingredients onto the salmon and then rub them in for good measure:

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
Pepper to taste
2 tbsp. herbs de Provence

Step Three:

Now in a separate bowl mix together:

1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Top the fillet generously with the breading.

Step Four:

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until the fish is nice and flaky. The topping should also turn a beautiful tanned color and get a little crunchy.

Step Five:

Serve with the falafel and steamed veggies. You win.

Paired up with my Belgian Ale (Straffe Hendrik) very well. Definitely had leftovers that reheated nicely for lunch the next day.

Calories: Only about 550 calories (if you don't include the beer).