Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

 

This recipe was featured on Smitten Kitchen this week, and I realized I had all the ingredients so decided to try it right away instead of putting it in my well-meaning, ever-growing folder full of great sounding recipes that I really want to try.

 

Pickled vegetables have all sorts of nutritional properties, and they are really versatile.  I decided to pick up some containers and try it out.

 

This is a refrigerator pickling method - not the heated canning method, so any glass jar with tight lid will work.  You'll see I've started with plastic containers until I find the right sized glass ones that I'm looking for.

 

Deb from Smitten Kitchen suggests any firm, crunchy vegetable, but Deb's tip - she wouldn't use red radishes again because they turn everything pink. 

 

Suggested Vegetables for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

Radishes

Red, Orange, Yellow Bell Peppers

Carrots

Fresh Sugar Snap Peas

Kirby Cucumbers

Cabbage

 

But the list is really chef-preference.

 

 

Suggested Uses for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

On Sandwiches

Alongside Grilled Anything

As a Side Dish

On Top of Salad

On Top of Rice or other Whole Grain

 

 

I started with a mandolin but mine was not working well, so I just julienned the vegetables with a good knife instead.  Then I split them up into my 3 containers.

Next I brought distilled white vinegar, sugar, Kosher salt, and yellow mustard seeds to a simmer until the sugar and salt dissolved.  Then I added cold water and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

Poured the pickling mixture over my vegetables, made sure they were all covered, and refrigerated them for 24 hours.  They can be eaten within 1 hour though.  They last up to a month in the fridge.

 

So far I've just eaten them by themselves, or with lunch.  But I think they'd be great on a pulled-pork sandwich - julienned even thinner.

 

Very tasty - slightly addictive!

 

 

 A big thank you to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for the recipe!!

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

Romesco Sauce

Romesco Sauce

 

I was very excited to see this recipe in Southern Living this month.  It's similar to the Red Pepper Dip that I made a couple of months ago, but I think I like this one a little better.

 

When I traveled to Nashville, TN for work, I stayed for a week at a hotel near a Whole Foods.  I usually stopped by Whole Foods to get dinner each night - and my favorite was a made-to-order vegetarian sandwich that they made in the deli area on a fresh baguette with Romesco Sauce.  I loved the sauce, but had never made it.

 

I love any recipe with one line of directions - process all ingredients in a food processor. 

 

This recipe calls for a drained jar of roasted red bell peppers, toasted pecans (8 minutes in the oven on a baking sheet), 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, red wine vinegar (I used Balsamic), and a dash of sugar, sea salt, and pepper.

After the dip set up in the refrigerator, I drained it before taking it and a bag of pita chips to Wine Club on Saturday night.

 

 

The recipe says that it is great served on all things grilled (chicken, fish, steak, etc.), as a sandwich spread, or served as a dip with vegetables or pita chips.

 

It was a big hit, so this goes out to all my wine club friends!

 

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Enjoy!

Cantaloupe Salsa

Cantaloupe Salsa

 

This recipe was actually called "Line-Fighting Salsa" because of its great dose of wrinkle-reducing Vitamin C.  It came from a magazine, and I'm sorry I don't know which one.  Fitness?  Southern Living?  Good Housekeeping?  Mississippi Magazine?  Bon Appetit?

 

I ripped it out because I thought it sounded like a nice salsa for fish.

We eat grilled fish pretty regularly and cantaloupes are in season so I thought it would be a nice time to try it out.

 

It was delicious.  The boys chose to eat their tilapia plain, but David and I both chose the salsa.  David recommended more chile next time, so if the boys aren't going to eat it, then maybe I will add more jalapeño.

 

There's really nothing too it. 

 

Dice up 1/2 cantaloupe, 1/3 peeled cucumber, 1 seeded jalapeño, and 1 small red onion (which I didn't add since we're not raw onion fans).  Stir in together with 3 Tbsp of fresh lime juice and 1/4 tsp sea salt.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

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Enjoy!

Red Pepper Dip

Red Pepper Dip

 

I found this dip in a magazine, and I wish I could tell you which one!  I ripped it out and didn't keep the bottom of the page where it tells you which magazine.  My guess is Good Housekeeping, Fitness, or Real Simple since I never rip out the pages of my Southern Living's or Mississippi magazines!

 

Regardless, this is a great dip that works well with pita chips and vegetables.

I was concerned that I made too much last night and that we'd never finish it up, but we ended up eating most of it at supper.

 

I prefer it with cut vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower were what we had), but David and the boys liked it just like they like their hummus - with pita chips.  I have to admit - it was good with pita chips too.

 

And who am I kidding, Brennan doesn't eat peppers. 

But David, Thomas, and I really liked this recipe.

 

And it couldn't be easier.  Or healthier.  Score.

 

Simply drain a jar of roasted red peppers, and puree in a food processor or blender with cumin, Balsamic vinegar, and walnuts.

 

I think it would be great on a baked potato too.

 

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Enjoy!

 

Daikon and Carrot Pickles

Vietnamese Daikon and Carrot Pickles

So my guess is you're not thinking this dish sounds all that delicious?
It really is though!

Homemade refrigerator pickles are supposed to be really good for your immune system.
Many vegetarians, vegans, and others on medically-recommended diets (like those recovering from chemo) eat them daily.

I made up a jar and we've all been eating them for the past couple of days.
I've never made cooked pickles before (through the canning process), so I was happy to see how easy this refrigerated pickles recipe was.

This version is traditionally Vietnamese.  I modified several recipes I found on various recipe sites.

You start by julienning 3 carrots and Daikon radish and placing them in a bowl.

Sprinkle 2 tsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt over the vegetables.  Toss them until they are tender enough that you can bend a piece of Daikon without it snapping.  It took about 5 minutes.

Then place the vegetables in a collander and rinse and drain them well.
In the bowl add 1/2 c sugar, 1 c white vinegar, and 1 c warm water.
Mix it well to dissolve the sugar.

Pack the vegetables in a clean glass jar and pour the vinegar mixture in.
Seal and refrigerate 24 hours before eating.

I am sure you can substitute a sugar alternative for the real sugar in this recipe, but I just followed the normal directions. 

Ways recommended to enjoy the pickles:

**In place of coleslaw or sauerkraut
**As a side dish with your meal
**On pork or beef sandwiches
**Chopped up in fried rice
**Chopped up on a salad
**In a spring roll

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Ăn ngon nhé Vietnamese for Bon Appetit!

Mayonnaise Alternative

Real Simple Mayonnaise Alternative

Have I lost you already with the word "alternative"? 

I typically like to eat the real thing - or maybe the light version.

But when I saw this mayo option in Real Simple magazine, I decided to give it a try.

And I really liked it, so I'm sharing it here.

I like mayo on my sandwich but I know how high in fat and generally unhealthy it is.

I wish I liked mustard only, but that's not me.

This version uses Greek yogurt and spicy mustard and works beautifully on a sandwich, with no guilt!

Try it sometime - I'd love to know what you think.

 Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

A Tasty Fake!