If you don’t like slaw, please don’t run away yet.  This slaw recipe is very different from your traditional cole slaw.  The dressing is made from peanut butter and thinned out with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and lime juice.  The veggie component is napa cabbage, a great alternative to regular cabbage, red and yellow peppers, carrots and green onions. 

I have made this slaw many times.  Most recently, I served it with pork and vegetarian pan fried dumplings, fried rice, and egg rolls.  Give it a try and you may learn to love slaw in a whole new way.

Asian Slaw

1 (3-inch) piece ginger, grated fine
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 head Napa cabbage, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, julienne fine
1 yellow bell pepper, julienne fine
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and membrane removed, minced fine
1 large carrot, grated with a box grater
3 green onions, cut on the bias,
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a small bowl, or food processor combine ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, oil, and peanut butter. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients and then toss with dressing.

adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/asian-slaw-recipe/index.html

I was almost ready to give up on eggplant altogether.  Until this recipe, I had never had a positive experience with the vegetable.  Good thing I gave it one final chance, since I loved this ratatouille.  The vegetables become tender and the flavors intensify baking in the oven.  Very simple ingredients become something magical simmering away in a bath of olive oil.  I served the ratatouille over a bed of creamy polenta for a complete meal. 

If you are ready to give up on eggplant or have yet to try the vegetable,give this recipe a try.

Oven Baked Ratatouille

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into wedges
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence (I used a combination of thyme, savory and oregano)
1 bay leaf
2 zucchini (about 10 oz each), cut into 1×3″ wedges
1 small eggplant (about 1 pound), unpeeled, cut into 1×3″ wedges
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1″ wide strips
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1″ wide strips
1-28oz can whole tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
Black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400°.  Heat oil in an ovenproof Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, herbs, and bay leaf, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, salt and pepper, to taste, breaking the tomatoes into rough chunks with a spoon.  Once the vegetables sizzles, put the ratatouille in the oven and bake, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and browning, about 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and stir in parsley.  Serve warm as a side dish or over polenta as a main dish.

Polenta

4 cups water (more or less, depending on desired consistency)
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter

Bring water to boil in a small saucepan, salt it, then turn the heat to medium.  Whisking constantly, add the cornmeal a little at a time until it’s all incorporated.  Turn the heat to low.

For the first five minutes, whisk often to avoid any lumps.  Then switch to a flat-bottomed wooden spoon, stirring often until the water is absorbed. Stir in butter and serve.

I love a good burger and fries, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I crave a healthy twist on a traditional meal.  These homemade veggie burgers in no way resemble the strange and unidentifiable brown patties that you buy at the local grocery.  These burgers are bursting with flavor.  Onion, ginger, curry powder, and cilantro flavor the lentils and barley, while the eggs and bread crumbs help hold it all together.  Please don’t skip the goat cheese topping for the burgers, please.  You will regret it.  And don’t skimp on it either.  Slather it onto the bun, you won’t be sorry.  It adds a great tang and contrast to the burgers.  We serve our burgers topped with lettuce and cucumbers. Even our dedicated meat-lovers enjoy this meal.

The fries in this picture are extra special to me, as they come straight from my garden; my first ever harvest of sweet potatoes.  Topped with my custom Potato Seasoning Mix, they make a perfect addition to the dinner plate.  I keep my seasoning mix in an old parsley container.  So the next time you finish off one of your spices, save the container to store spice mixes that you create.

Veggie Burgers
Serves 6
Adapted from Food Network

Burgers:

1 cup green lentils, picked through and rinsed
1/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (blend 2 slices of bread in the food processor)
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 burger buns or pocket pitas

Toppings:

1/2 cup goat cheese, (2 to 3 ounces) (I prefer herbed goat cheese if you can find it)
1/4 cup milk
Lettuce, sliced cucumber, radish
Put the lentils and barley in a saucepan cover with cold water by about 3 inches. Season with salt, and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, until the lentils and barley are tender, about 20 minutes. Add extra liquid during cooking if necessary.  Drain excess liquid and put the beans and grain into a large bowl. Cool.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, and ginger until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute more. Cool slightly and then add to the lentils and barley.

Stir the cilantro, bread crumbs, and eggs into the lentil mixture, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste. Puree 1 cup of the burger mix in a food processor until smooth. Return puree back to the bowl and mix well. Form mixture into 6 burgers (about 1/2 cup each). Place on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.  (MessyCook note: I have always skipped the refrigeration step.  Refrigerate if you have the time, since it will help the burgers stay together.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the burgers in two batches, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes in all. Transfer the browned burgers to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining oil and burgers. Transfer burgers to the oven, and cook until firm, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly toast buns or pitas. Mix the goat cheese and milk in a small bowl until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Put the burgers on the buns, and top with lettuce, cucumber, and/or radish, if desired. Serve.

Potato or Sweet Potato Wedges

4 potatoes or sweet potatoes
¼ cup vegetable oil
2-4 Tbsp Potato Wedge Seasoning Mix, recipe below

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut potatoes into wedges of equal size.  Toss with oil and seasoning mix and transfer to sheet pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning once.  (MessyCook note: I find that sweet potatoes take 5-10 minutes less than white potatoes.  If you are cooking both at the same time, place on separate pans and give the white potatoes a 5-10 minute head start.)
 

Potato Wedge Seasoning Mix
Makes about ¾ cup

¼ cup salt
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp pepper

Combine.  Store in an airtight container.