Hummus Slaw

I am not a big fan of most coleslaw recipes. I don't like mayo, so any recipe that uses that as a base is a definite no-go, and I don't really care for sugar-y/vinegar based dressing that accompany lots of other coleslaw recipes. When I saw this simple version of slaw, that is dressed with hummus and lemon juice, I knew it would be something I liked. I ended up just making the slaw part of the recipe and not the chicken part, but I think that the full recipe would probably be really good. This was a great side dish and also made a delicious lunch.

Here is the recipe I took the Hummus Slaw from

I also made this recipe for Roasted Pork with Lentils.
from the same issue of Food Network Magazine, but the picture I took was too hideous to share. It was a great dinner. We had collard greens on the side.

Seared Cod with Grapefruit Slaw

I was really happy when I saw some cod on sale at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. I had seen this quick dinner in Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine and wanted to give it a try. In actuality, I always make a trip past the seafood area in my grocery store to see which types of fish are on sale- fresh or frozen. Then I can stock up or plan a fresh dinner with fish or some other type of seafood.

Slaw is something that pairs really well with fish and this particular slaw has fresh grapefruit in it, which is perfect this time of year since citrus is ripe and yummy right now.

I should let you know that usually I am not a fan of mayo-based slaws. That is why I really liked this one, because it was simply dressed with a little oil and lemon juice.

This was a quick and easy dinner that we really loved. The best part was how the cod cooked up golden brown and crisp on the outside. It was so delicious!

Recipe for Seared Cod with Grapefruit Slaw
* I used less oil than called for in the slaw and omitted the red onion
* I used packaged angel hair coleslaw

Butter-Almond-Crusted Fishwiches

This is what I made the night my son told me I should open a restaurant. This sandwich is the reason my son thinks I am amazing. Well, one of the reasons.

I saw this recipe in Everyday with Rachael Ray and thought it would be a good dinner. The kids love fish and I want to like slaw. The fact the the slaw here uses dijon mustard, dill pickle relish, a little honey & oil, (none of that gross white stuff), made me very hopeful.

I decided to follow the recipe as closely as I could. (Of course, I had to get rid of some of the fat, like the butter which I reduced almost to nothing to cook the fish in).
I bought some freshly baked Italian sandwich bread from a local bakery and got to work.

I used fresh breadcrumbs, which I made with whole wheat bread, in the breading.

The combination of flavors was really great. The fresh thyme stood out. The almonds in the breading were really delicious.

My kids and hubby raved about this. I really like it too.

I don't really know what else to say about it besides it was absolutely fantastic. Definite repeat.

Recipe for Butter-Almond- Crusted Fishwiches * I used 1 Tbls of oil in the slaw
and 1 1/2 Tbls dijon mustard
* I made my own breadcrumbs, using 3 pieces of whole wheat bread
* I didn't use the all that butter when cooking the fish

Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Cabbage with Roasted Shrimp

On one of our recent trips to the Farmer's Market, we were able to get some beautiful swiss chard, kale, red leaf lettuce, and bok choy. All from the same farmer. He was so grateful for our business or maybe just thought my girls were so cute, that he threw in another bunch of bok choy, free of charge.

I decided a simple stir fry was in order and found the perfect recipe.
I had also been wanting to try Ina's method of roasting shrimp in the oven and it turned out to be a perfect meal. I added some brown rice to round out the meal.

My kids loved this shrimp.
The stir fry was mild enough for them too, so this was a really kid friendly dinner.

Recipe for Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Cabbage

Recipe for Roasted Shrimp

Pork (Turkey) Meatball Banh Mi

I have developed a "like" for spicy food. It has been fairly recently that I have enjoyed spicy food more than I used to.

This is one spicy sandwich.

I have never had a Banh Mi, so I am definitely not an expert on what they are supposed to look like or taste like. I saw this recipe for a Meatball Banh Mi in a recent issue of Bon Appetit and I thought it looked delicious, plus it was really interesting.

I finally got around to making this sandwich a couple of weeks ago. I halved the recipe for everything except the meatballs, because I knew just from looking at the ingredients that this was going to be a little too spicy for my kids. I thought they could probably handle the meatballs though, so I decided I would make them little noodle bowls with the meatballs included. (This is not something I usually do- making the kids a separate little dinner, but this time the heat was too much for them to handle.)

I used lean ground turkey for the meatballs and greek yogurt instead of mayo for the hot "mayo" spread. I also used a whole wheat baguette for my sandwich.

This sandwich definitely had a really spicy hot bite to it, but it was really tasty! I really liked it and I thought of my younger sister when I took that first spicy bite because she would love this sandwich.

For the noodle bowls, I just sauteed a big head of napa cabbage and some matchstick carrots, then added that to some noodles and topped it with the meatballs.

If you like spicy sandwiches or love Banh Mi, you will definitely want to try this recipe. Or if you just are intrigued and want something new for dinner- give it a shot!



*I used Greek Yogurt for the hot, spicy mayo sauce
* I used lean ground turkey instead of ground pork

Recipe for Pork Meatball Bahn Mi

Roasted Green Cabbage Wedges

Okay, this is soo easy, it almost seems ridiculous to post about.
But, I never would have thought to roast green cabbage on my own, so when I flipped through the January issue of Martha Stewart Living and saw these gorgeous pieces of cabbage that had browned edges, I couldn't believe it.

This has got to be one of the simpliest recipes ever.
Cut a cabbage into wedges. Brush the wedges with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, turning halfway through. Eat.
I mean, it really is just that simple.

My kids and I went crazy for this. We were all eating it with our fingers, holding the little piece of core and just gobbling it down.
The outside leaves were a little bit crunchy, but the inside was so tender, it basically just melted in your mouth.
It was really unbelievable how delicious this cabbage was.

Just be sure to leave the core intact when you are cutting your cabbage into wedges, so that your cabbage leaves don't fall off all over the place.
This is one that we are going to enjoy over and over again.


Roasted Green Cabbage Wedges from January 2010 Martha Stewart Living
Serves 8

1 small head green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds), cut into 8 wedges, core intact
1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Arrange cabbage on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides of wedges with oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast, flipping half-way through, until edges are brown and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.
Squeeze lemons over cabbage.

Mexican Street Salad

This is my new favorite food.

Nancy, shared the link for Mexican Street Salad from Jamie Oliver, when I sent out a tweet asking for ideas for side dishes to take to a dinner at my MIL's.

She said she was going to make it that night and I have to admit, after looking at the beautiful picture of all the colors and veggies, I was intrigued.
I decided I was going to make it and take it as a side dish for this dinner.

Nancy told me that she and her husband enjoyed it but that it had a little bit too much heat for some of the other people that tried it.
When I made it, I decided to cut back on the jalapenos a little bit, so that it would be crowd/kid friendly.
It is made with white cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, radishes, cilantro (fresh coriander), jalapeno, red onion, and then dressed with lots of fresh lime juice, a little olive oil and sea salt.

Jamie also notes that whatever veggies are in season would be a great addition to this salad.
So, I added 1/2 of a finely diced green pepper, chopped fresh green beans, and the celery hearts with their leafy tops that I was saving for soup.
I also shredded my carrots, so they would be the same thickness as the cabbage. I used angel hair coleslaw mix, which comes in a bag by the lettuce, because it is very finely shredded and easy to use.
I left out the red onion to reduce the heat a little bit and added a sprinkle of garlic powder and cumin.

The fact that this takes literally minutes to throw together is wonderful, but it is also one of the most delicious things I have tasted. The simplicity of the lime juice/olive oil/ coarse salt dressing (kind of) just really brings out the great flavors of the cabbage and other veggies. The radishes add a nice touch of heat.
When I was mixing this up, I took a bite and was blown away. It was soo good.
I took it to the dinner, to share, and the kids, as well as adults, loved it.

I actually made a very large bowl of it saturday night and ate it for dinner while everyone else was eating pizza. I had some last night and will have some today too.
I know Nancy has made it again as well.
The great thing about it is that you can make it super spicy and hot if that is what you like, or you can hold back a little bit on the spice depending on how much jalapeno and red onion you use and totally make it great for whatever taste you prefer. And it is so fresh.
Did I mention I love it?

Recipe for Mexican Street Salad

One Year Ago-Edamame Soup with Feta Croutons and Shrimp or Chicken Summer Rolls with Honey-Lime Dipping Sauce

CEiMB-Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza

The recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly this week was Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza. This recipe was chosen by Joanne and you can find the recipe over at her blog- Apple Crumbles or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. Joanne amazes me every week because she cooks so many variations of each recipe to satisfy the people in her family. Make sure you check out her blog.
I was excited to try this recipe because the black bean dip that you use as the spread for this pizza sounded really tasty. I made these for dinner last night and luckily, Kayte made them for lunch, so she tweeted about how good they were, just the way the recipe was written. Since she raved about them as is, I didn't change anything about these when I made my first batch.

I even got out my little cookie cut and made tiny little tortilla circles and I think this would make a great appetizer or party dish. Very delicious.
I could not keep my fingers out of this black bean dip. It was good. Plus the whole thing took maybe 20 minutes to make- blending up the dip, throw the pizzas together, cook and clean-up. I can handle that.

For my hubby and kids, I added some shredded chicken before I put the cabbage (I used angel hair coleslaw from the bag, which is just cabbage, but already thinly sliced) on top and then melted a little cheese on top. No complaints from any of my family members. They actually really liked this dinner too.
I will be making the dip again and hope that maybe there will be some left to make another pizza. I am not making any promises about that. Go to the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about these Mexican Pizzas!

Recipe for Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza


One Year Ago-Lunchbox #3