Picnic Time - Classic Coleslaw

I see these 16 ounce containers of prepared coleslaw in the market. $4.99 seems like a lot of money for cabbage. You can make it fresh yourself for less than a dollar. It's about .20 cents per serving. This recipe makes 4 to 6 servings. Double the recipe if you need more.

1/4 head green cabbage, sliced thin
1/2 large carrot, grated
2 rounded tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Remove the hard white core from the cabbage. Slice the cabbage as thin as you can.

Grate the carrot on a box grater or in a food processor. Place all the ingredients in a container.



 



Apple cider vinegar and cabbage work well together. Sprinkle in the vinegar. Toss by hand. Add the salt and pepper and toss again.

Finally, mix in the mayonnaise. Mix well.

You can eat it right away. It will be better if you keep it in the fridge overnight. The vinegar will soften the cabbage slightly. The salt will pull some water out of the cabbage. Mix it again. It will be nice and creamy.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I made this the way I had it in an authentic Irish Pub. Everything was cooked separately.

How did  I know it was authentic? Well, the staff cursed in Celtic. I picked up the occasional "fookin". My barmaid's name was Grainne pronounced nothing like it looks. It was something like "grawn-ya".

I haven't made corned beef and cabbage in years. How hard can it be? Hunk of meat, cabbage and potatoes. Sadly, the label on the hunk of meat recommended a three hour cooking time. THREE HOURS! What kind of show leather did I buy?



I was ready to season this myself and I saw there was this tiny seasoning packet. Okay, let's use that too. In a big pot, place the meat, water halfway up the sides, add salt, black peppercorns and bay leaves. Bay leaves are the key flavoring during a long simmer time. Set the timer for 3 hours and forget it. Simmer covered

Cut a green cabbage in half, from root to top. Remove the hard white core. Quarter one of the pieces as shown below.



Season with salt and pepper. Simmer covered with two cups of water and half a cup of apple cider vinegar. Simmer for about 45 minutes.

The potatoes. Clean some small Red Bliss potatoes and cut them in half. Boil uncovered in water with salt and turmeric for about 30 minutes or until tender.



I like my corned beef and cabbage with mustard and horseradish. The idea here was to combine the two into a sauce.

Two tablespoons Dijon mustard, one table spoon prepared horseradish and a teaspoon of water. Whisk together and drizzle over the final dish.

Soup as a Meal

Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a peasant for dinner. Do I believe that? To an extent, yes. I think it is not a good thing to have a big meal at night and then go to bed. Seems like a surefire way to gain weight. Having broken that rule many times, I do feel better when I have a simple meal for lunch or dinner.

 

Sour Purple Cabbage Soup

• 1/2 head of a large purple cabbage


• 1 medium carrot


• 1 medium potato peeled (or several new potatoes)


• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar


• 1/2 cup sauerkraut


• 32 oz water or chicken stock or vegetable stock


• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Remove as much of the white core of the cabbage as possible. Shred the cabbage. Cut the potato into chunks. Slice the carrot. Put all ingredients in a big pot. Add the cider vinegar, sauerkraut and stock (or water) and simmer 30-40 minutes. Let cool.

In batches if necessary, add everything into the blender and blend until smooth.

Serve a big hot or cold bowl with a big dollop of fat free Greek yogurt and a hunk of crusty bread.

With the antioxidants and probiotics in this dish, you will feel strong. Strong like Russian bear. Strong like bull? Or was it strong like Polish ox? Anyway, it's delicious!