tahini ginger slaw

Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the slaw pre-demolition. All I have left is a dirty bowl. Proof that the slaw was indeed delicious. I had been seeing a few coleslaw recipes popping up lately and I decided that I would use up whatever was in my crisper and make one big bowl of salad.

Throwing in the vegetables was easy. If I had it laying about, in in went. But for the dressing I was stumped. I didn't want to make a vinegar based dressing and a mayo-based one just didn't excite me. So after a bit of digging around, I found a small nub of fresh ginger and a half empty jar of tahini. I could definitely work with this! And oh boy, this dressing has some kick. The ginger adds a nice bite, the tahini makes it all creamy while the lemon juice adds some much needed sunshine. It was a slaw to be proud of!

I didn't use up all the dressing...just a tablespoon or so. The remainder of the dressing I covered with plastic wrap and into the fridge it went. But don't worry, I got some great use out of the remaining dressing. For what? Well, you'll just have to wait until my next post. So if you make this coleslaw, make sure to save your dressing. I promise another great dinner!

tahini ginger slaw
1/2 small head of red cabbage, shredded
1 jumbo sized carrot (like a really, really, really huge carrot - or several normal sized ones)
1/2 small, red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 red pepper, diced

dressing
1 T tahini
juice of half a lemon
1 t minced fresh ginger
1 t agave syrup
1/4 c olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste

Mix together all the vegetables into a large bowl. In a mixing cup or small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad (not all of it!) and let sit for a few minutes or just dig in!

Interested in more cabbage salads & slaws? Check out my archives:
Creamy Asian Slaw
Kitchen Sink Salad
Lemon Coleslaw
My Waldorf Salad
North Carolina Coleslaw
Peanutty Coleslaw

now that's a mouthful: smokey bbq chicken sandwich topped with north carolina coleslaw

First off, I'm not from the South (obviously) and I don't know a helluva lot about the art of barbecue. My first real taste of a Southern barbecued meal was at a BBQ joint smack dab in the middle of my old hippy/Italian neighbourhood, Commercial Drive. The food may not have been the most authentic as the pacific northwest is a bit off-course from Kansas City, the Carolinas, or any other territory that prides themselves on some sweet ol' BBQ...but that 'cue was tasty.

I may not have the history or even a smoker, but I've got gumption. I've tried (to great success, I might add) my hand at making pulled pork sandwiches and this weekend I wanted to recreate some of that taste in a new way. And it all started with an article in Bon Appetit and a recipe for North Carolina coleslaw. I made the slaw the night before, intending to serve it with some pan-fried cod. While it was okay as a side dish, the slaw really needed to be a part of something meaty and spicy to get things singing. So out from the fridge I pulled some chicken thighs, seasoned them and cooked them up in the remainder of the vinegary, spicy coleslaw dressing. After the chicken was cooked and well-sauced, I deboned them, shredded the meat and put them into hamburger buns. Of course, I topped them with the North Carolina slaw. Hot-diggity, this was a tasty sandwich!


smokey bbq chicken sandwich topped with north carolina coleslaw
I small green cabbage, shredded
1 c shredded carrot
1 small onion, grated on a box grater

2 c cider vinegar
1 T kosher salt
1 T ground white pepper
1 T red pepper flakes
2 T white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c ketchup

6 chicken thighs, skin removed
salt & pepper
1 T cumin
1 t chipotle powder
1 t dried thyme
1 T olive oil

1. Combine the cabbage, carrot and the onion in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients in a medium sized bowl and pour about 1/3 of it over the slaw. Refrigerate the slaw and keep the remainder of the dressing aside.

2. Turn on oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Season the chicken thighs and on the stove, heat up the oil a large oven proof dish. Add chicken thighs to dish and brown on both sides. Pour in remaining dressing and cover the pot with a lid. Place in oven and cook for about 40 minutes or until the meat is cooked and is falls easily from the bones.

3. Remove the bones, shred the chicken and place on white hamburger buns. Top with coleslaw.

2 kinds of summer salads? Yes please!

Summer long weekends are the definition of perfection. With all the barbeques, picnics and friendly get-togethers, it's a perfect time for sharing food. We had our own little Canada Day celebration over the weekend and food (and beer) definitely played a large part of the fun. I whipped up this super quick and tasty potato salad for our bbq and it was pretty much gone by the end of the night.

creamy red, white and green potato salad
8 baby new potatoes
1 bunch radishes, sliced
1/2 english cucumber, quartered into chunks
1 bunch parsley, snipped
1 bunch dill, snipped
zest of 1 lemon
2 large dollops* mayo
1 large dollop* sour cream
salt & pepper

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender. Cool and cut in half or quarters.

2. In a large bowl, gently mix together the potatoes, radishes, cucumbers, parsley, dill and lemon zest. In a seperate bowl, whip together the mayo and sour cream and pour over vegetables. Toss and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and serve.

- - -


This afternoon I felt like eating salad for lunch and then I spied this tasty looking gem of a recipe over at Simply Recipes. I made a few additions/substitutions and came up with my own version of a tasty asian slaw. I usually don't like going with a mayo dressing, but I did like combining the creaminess the mayo with the rest of the dressing ingredients. It was super delicious and Cornelius and I ate it all up until there was nothing left in the bowl. It was seriously that good.

creamy asian slaw
1/2 head of purple cabbage, shredded
4 green onions, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 bunch radishes, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 T toasted sunflower seeds
2 T toasted almond slices
2 T dried cranberries
Dressing:
2 dollops* mayo
2 T cider vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 t sugar
1 t freshly grated ginger
a few shakes of toasted sesame oil
a few shakes of sirracha or the hot sauce of your choice

Toss together the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the dressing and pour over salad. Add almonds, cranberries and sunflower seeds and toss to combine. Serve.

Looking for more summer salads? Look no further than some of my favorite archived recipes:
Colourful Chopped Vegetable Salad
Incredible Lemony Potato Salad
Light n' Creamy Potato Salad
Mexican Black Bean & Tortilla Salad
Peanutty Coleslaw
Potato & Sausage Salad
Roasted Tomato Pasta Salad
Red, White & Green Barley Salad

* hmmmm, dollop...a heaping teaspoon or tablespoon. you can be the judge...more dressing or less. it's up to you!

who doesn't like cabbage?

This past long weekend, I made 2 different cabbage salads. The recipe below, I made as a side for some baked cornmeal-crusted fish and some oven baked fries. The other cabbage salad, I took to a picnic. I certainly can't pick a favourite since I love pretty much any cabbage salad put in front of me, but since the lemon coleslaw recipe was new to me, it's the one I'll post here.

The recipe as posted is directly from the Gourmet Cookbook. However, in my own kitchen, I made a few alterations, of course. I didn't have any sour cream, so I just skipped it. I also didn't add the sugar because I feel that low fat mayo already has WAY too much sugar for my own liking. I did add a dash of cider vinegar because I do like a zesty slaw but didn't add the extra water. Water? Why? Regardless, it was a really tasty salad and I ate up the leftovers with a buttery english muffin the next day.


lemon coleslaw
(from the Gourmet Cookbook)
2 T low-fat sour cream
2 t low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 t finely grated fresh lemon zest
4 t fresh lemon juice
1 t sugar
3 T water
1/4 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
1 lb green cabbage, thinly sliced (4 cups)
2 carrots, coarsely grated
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced diagonally (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, zest, lemon juice, sugar, water, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.

2. Add cabbage, carrots, scallions, and parsley and toss well. Chill, covered, 1 hour to allow flavors to develop. Season with salt and pepper.