Colorful Coleslaw w/ Honey-Mustard-Lemon-EVOO Vinaigrette

1/3 lg. head of cabbage

several leaves of kale

3 red mini peppers

3 sm.-med. carrots

1/3 med. purple onion

Wash the kale well, remove the rib. Thin slice the cabbage and all the ingredients shown into a big glass bowl.

Poppy seed dressing is usually my go-to for coleslaw, but this time I made a honey-mustard type variation of my Lemon-EVOO Salad Dressing adding some Maple syrup, stone-ground mustard and substituting Italian seasoning for the rosemary.

This is always a good choice for a salad. It can be made a day or two in advance and keeps well for 4-5 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. . .Lin

Duck Primavera With Skinny Noodles

Oh Boy!

I can't remember when I've made a better casserole from odds + ends leftovers! With just a little-bit-of-this and a little-bit-of-that, after eating this three times, I'm already wishing there was more! All the ingredients combined perfectly to bring out the best flavors in each other!

Simmer 3oz. Asian wheat (or rice) noodles until only half done. Drain then rinse in icy cold water to chill them and wash away the surface starch.

Slice-chop the vegetables shown on the board in the first photo and saute in single source EVOO. When these are translucent and about half done, add a couple handfuls of sliced fresh spinach.

Pour in about 1/3c cooking Sherry and half a jar - 8oz± - of Alfredo sauce. Cover and barely simmer, on low heat until the spinach wilts. Stir in the chilled, drained noodles. Mix gently.

I chopped then weighed the leftover roasted duck and was surprised to find it was only 2.5oz! Although it was a small amount, it was just right for the flavor and texture it provided. 

Serve this with some fresh sliced vegetables. . .Lin

Potato-Corn (+ Lots of Vegetables) Chowder

I always love making soup. All kinds of soups. . .
However, Chowders and Bisques are especially interesting to me ever since my first Crawfish Bisque. I bought some crawfish recently, so another big pot of that'll be happening again soon. . .

This was a good combination of ingredients, but of course, if I make it again, I'll add and subtract various things - usually depending on what's in my 'fridge. 

 

Today I started by sauteing 4# of scrubbed, rough-chopped potatoes in some of the rendered bacon fat, but there wasn't much. Then adding the chopped carrots and celery and a big spoonful of ghee. 

Later I also poured in about 1/3c of cooking Sherry.

It was soon clear to me that this wasn't all going to fit in one pot, so after the chopped onion, garlic and mini peppers were added, I divided it between 2 big pots. Then to each pot I added half of the total: corn with the liquid, cream of mushroom soup, coconut milk.

Simmer about 15 minutes before checking the flavors. I added garlic salt, smoky paprika and my mix of cayenne + black pepper, then finished with a big spoonful of chicken Better Than Bouillon. Top with a little crumbled bacon for texture and great flavor.

This turned out really well. . .Lin

Buckwheat Tabouli

Did you know that buckwheat is gluten free? I sure didn't, and wouldn't have guessed that of something called buckWHEAT! 

As I've stated before, Tabouli is one of my absolute favorite salads. I've been making it ever since first discovering it in Mollie Katzen's 'Moosewood Cookbook' back in the 1970's, but with lots of changes over the years.

Tabouli is a cold Lebanese salad usually made with bulgar wheat, but I love substituting other grains. Sorghum, Quinoa, Buckwheat, are all good gluten free options. Farro is another I've used, which is not gluten free. I'd like to try making it with rice, as well as an interesting combination of bulgar wheat and toasted vermicelli, popular in Palestine, that I discovered at an international market in the cities.

1c buckwheat

2c fresh cold water

Simmer this over low heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Gently stir in a couple tablespoons of a good single source EVOO to keep it from clumping.

Chop then put all the vegetables in a large glass bowl with the remaining ingredients.

5 tiny cucumbers

3 cloves of garlic

3 mini orange peppers

1 lg. Vidalia onion

1 lg. tomato

1/2 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley

1-2T Swad Coriander Chutney

~ (omit if you don't like cilantro)

Lowry's Garlic Salt and finely ground black pepper

1 can garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed

1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

1 can of corn - drained

Make a dressing with EVOO, lemon juice and a garlic vinaigrette. Pour over everything, add the cooled buckwheat and toss gently. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. . .Lin

Clean Out The 'Fridge Coleslaw

2/3c apple cider vinegar

1/2c EVOO

2T turbinado sugar

1/2t fresh ground black pepper

1/2t garlic salt

1/2t dry dill

Whisk all this together in a 2 quart pot. Bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat.

1/4 head of cabbage

3 floppy carrots

1/4 sweet onion

2 red mini peppers

2 tired stalks celery

Scrub the carrots then soak a while in ice water. Lay them on the counter to peel. Slice or chop all the vegetables then stir into the dressing. Cover and let stand 5-10 minutes.

Stir, strain, discard the dressing - or save it for a salad.

Put the coleslaw in a covered container, chill in the 'fridge. This goes well with a hot, heavier dish to balance the richness. . .Lin

Pepper, Ham and Onion Manchego Egg Bake

Preheat your oven to 350° In a big, well buttered or oiled baking pan, put the following chopped-sliced ingredients you've sautéed for 5 minutes:

3 mini peppers + 1 green bell pepper

1 lg. onion

2-3 big garlic cloves

Add 6oz. smoked ham cut in small pieces or some cooked, crumbled bacon.

In a large bowl combine the egg mixture:

1 dozen large, pasture raised eggs

6oz. sour cream

3/4c chopped sun dried tomatoes in EVOO 

1/2T - 1T crushed Italian Sofrito seasoning

1/2c corn flour 

1-1/2t baking powder

Whisk these together until everything is well combined. Pour this over the vegetables in the pan, then top with cheese.

8oz. Manchego (sheep's milk) cheese - cut in small cubes

Bake 25-30 minutes, until browning at the edges, the egg are set and the cheese has melted. Cool 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with fresh fruit, toast, crackers or just as is. This makes a lot, but you can also freeze any leftovers. . .Lin

Cabbage Vegetable Medley

1/2 sm. head of green cabbage
2 stalks celery
2 big cloves garlic
2 mini peppers, red and orange
EVOO

Chop-slice everything the way you like into a big non-stick pan. Add EVOO, season with Rosemary Seasoning, cover and sauté over low heat until everything's sizzling. Uncover, stir until the vegetables are. cooked the way you like them. Add some chopped walnuts, or almonds if you like, or serve just as is, as a side dish for chicken or fish. . .Lin

Everything Avocado Chip Dip

24oz. (3c) sour cream
1 lg. clove garlic
2 mini peppers
1-1/2 ripe avocados
1 oz. sun-dried tomatoes

2T Everything Bagel Seasoning
1t± fresh ground pepper
1 pkg. dry onion soup
1/4t sugar

Weigh or measure the sour cream into a medium bowl. Add finely chopped-minced pepper, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

Wash, peel and mash the avocado, add that to the bowl. Sprinkle on all the spices and combine everything well with a silicone spatula.

Serve with your favorite chips. . .Lin