Asian Coleslaw Crack

Time for a new post cause this is a new repeat meal for our family and I need to have quick access to the recipe.   I first heard about this "addictive" meal on Facebook and was so intrigued with the comments, I had to look into it further.  Many version of it and this is mine.   The name alone is catchy and fun to share as a meal!  Plus it is full of great wintry vegetables like cabbage which we could use more of in our diet.  You can get creative with all that you add to it too.  Please note my "measurements" on the veggies are really just guesses.  Feel free to add more or less.  And for the record, my kids call this one of their favourite meals!!  Totally worth making.

Asian Coleslaw Crack

1 lb ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey)
1 small onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic - pressed
1- 2 inch fresh ginger - grated
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 - 3 cups cabbage (purple & green is nice)- sliced
2 carrots - shredded
1 red pepper - thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup fresh pineapple - diced
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 Tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
1 Tbsp honey (or apple butter/maple syrup)
dash of hot sauce
1/4 c fresh cilantro - chopped
2 tsp sesame oil *


In a large skillet, brown the meat and crumble to liking.  Add in the onion, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper until fully cooked.  Add in the shredded cabbage, carrots, pepper, pineapple and saute until it is tender.  Finish with the rice vinegar, tamari sauce, and honey.  Add the hot sauce now or allow people to add it to their plates.  Finish with a good sprinkle of fresh cilantro and the drizzle of sesame oil.  (Just look at the different pictures with and without cilantro and one with purple cabbage too!)

The sauce is easy to tweak and adjust.  I will taste it and see what I feel it is missing....like more ginger or perhaps more sweetness.  Please feel free to adjust yours to your liking.

Serve over cooked rice of choice.  Our family preference is brown basmati rice.

Cook Notes:

Sesame Oil - I use this oil to just finish the dish once it is done cooking.  I have learned that this oil is very fragile in it's structure and cannot handle heat without becoming harmful to your body.  Good sesame oil should always be stored in the fridge to avoid it going rancid.

Fiesta Chicken

I recently borrowed a cookbook called Gourmet Nutrition from a friend and started to try out several new recipes.  As I flipped through the book and its delicious looking pictures, there was one recipe that immediately caught my eye and I could hardly wait to try.  It was filled with bite-size food and a beautiful mix of colors and it had a Mexican flavour to it.  (My picture below does not have all the toppings yet but shows the colors nicely!) 

When I got cooking in my kitchen, I had fully expected to make the dish as instructed but had a last minute thought (due to a child preference) and tweaked it just a little.  As I stirred the dish, I knew what I made was going to be good based just on how it looked and started taking pictures even though I had no plans to blog it.  Once I finally got to sit down and eat it, I was in love.  We all loved it a great deal.  The sweet and spicy flavours, soft and crunchy foods, the hot food with the cool touch of yogurt - AMAZING!!!  Like a party in your mouth!

Aside from the color and flavours already mentioned, this meal is also a favorite for several reasons:
1.  Very quick to make (with planning)
Since I started meal-planning, it allows me to make extra chicken and roast more veggies (like the sweet potato) ahead with other meals so the bulk of this meal is ready for dicing and heating.
2.  A no-grain meal
In my style of cooking, my natural thinking on this meal would be to serve this over a bed of rice, however, my reading has lead me to reconsider just how much grain is in my diet and look to see where it can be omitted - such as this meal.  The Gourmet Nutrition cookbook really emphasized this.  And really, you do not need it at all.  As for the corn, some do consider that a grain however, in my dish, it is a veggie!!  I like the yellow color it adds and also the crisp bite of sweetness. 
3. A meal with no cheese 
Again, my cooking instincts on Mexican flavoured food requires cheese but this does not need it.  Trust me.   Cheese always tastes good on food but it is not needed here at all and I like that.  Resist the urge and try it 'naked'.  The yogurt topping offers a great creamy texture and flavour contrast in place of the cheese I suppose and fewer calories too!

One last comment that has to be made...the roasted nuts are not optional here.  Really.  It is the surprise ingredient that helps creates the magic in this dish.   Now here is the recipe so that the rest of you can enjoy this delicious meal of beautiful color, textures and flavours.  Happy eating!

Fiesta Chicken

2 chicken breasts - cubed and precooked
1 sweet potato * - roasted and diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup canned beans (black or red) - rinsed thoroughly
1 fresh tomato - diced
1/2 fresh cilantro - finely chopped
1 Tbsp DIY Taco Seasoning *
1/4 - 1/2 cup water (or more as needed)
1/2 cup almonds - roasted and chopped
1/2 - 1 cup plain yogurt *

In a large skillet, add the cooked chicken, sweet potato cubes, corn, peas, beans, seasoning and water.  Mix thoroughly and heat through.  Add more water if necessary so the food does not stick in the pan.  Add the diced tomato and fresh cilantro and heat for another minute or two.

To serve, top with a dollop of plain yogurt and roasted almonds (they are not optional!)

Cook's Notes:

Roasted Sweet Potato - For this dish, it works fastest to use a pre-cooked sweet potato.  After it is cooked, a cooled potato will chop us easily and hold it's shape better.
The baking process allows the natural sugars to roast and creates a sweeter potato and it is simple.  Just 1. wash the skins and add the potatoes to a baking dish. 
2. Poke them with a fork to allow the steam to escape and prevent explosions.
3. Cover the dish with a lid or foil (I find they bake faster this way)
4. Bake at 350 F for about 30 - 45 min  or until desired for cooking purposes.  Test with a fork to see how firm the potato is.  This amount of time will depend on how big the sweet potatoes are. When using sweet potatoes in pieces for this dish, they can be baked a little less so they remain in shape (hence less baking time).  If using your potatoes for mashed sweet potatoes, then I would bake at least an hour or more.

Roasted almonds - For a recipe like this, it really does not matter if you use raw or roasted almonds but I really prefer the flavour of the roasted and the crisper crunch. 
1. To roast them, I chop the almonds in a food chopper or with a knife on a cutting board to desired size.
2. Using a frying pan on your stove top, heat the pan over med heat and add the chopped nuts.  Add the nuts to a dry pan and stir them until they become golden and smell fragrant.  If you walk away, they are likely to burn - the laws of cooking.

DIY Taco Seasoning - I posted this recipe a few weeks ago on my blog.  Any taco seasoning mix can be used for this recipe but the amount will vary.

Plain Yogurt - My family uses plain yogurt in place of sour cream.  It is a very easy swap to make and prevents me from having both yogurt and sour cream in the fridge.  Plus the yogurt does have healthy bacteria in it that sour cream does not have.  If you don't have plain yogurt, feel free to use sour cream.

Apple Curry Grilled Chicken

Here is a recipe I have made over and over and over again.  And given the BBQ season is still going strong, I hope you will give it a try and enjoy it like we do.  Our favorite meal includes this marinade on chicken with grilled veggies, brown Basmati rice and grilled pineapple.  This sauce would also work wonders on pork chops, pork loin or even add a new zip to hamburgers.

This recipe is influenced by a favorite cookbook: Crazy Plates - Grill of a Lifetime

Apple Curry

Grilled Chicken

1 - 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup apple butter - Wellesley brand
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp Bragg Liquid Soy Seasoning*
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 - 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or applesauce (to thin out the sauce for eating)
* See Cook's notes

Mix all the ingredients together except the apple juice/sauce.  If you would like to marinade the meat, pour about 2 - 3 Tbsp of sauce over the chicken breasts to marinade for 30 minutes or more.    Use some extra sauce to baste the meat when grilling.  The other option we have been doing is to use olive oil and salt and pepper on the chicken to grill it and use the marinade like BBQ sauce, just add it as it finishes grilling.

With the extra marinade (that has not been in contact with raw meat), add about 1/4 - 1/2 cup applesauce or a Tbsp or two of apple juice to thin out the sauce and lessen the intensity.  Warm this on the stove top or in the microwave and use to add to the grilled chicken (and rice if you are serving it).


Cook's notes:
Bragg's Liquid Soy Seasoning is like Soy Sauce only much better for your body than Soy Sauce.  It is simply soy protein from soybeans and water and tastes like the soy sauce.  Another similar option to buy is also Tamarind Sauce.  One person once explained the difference between them like this: what pure maple syrup is to Aunt Jamima is what Bragg's Liquid Soy Sauce(or Tamarind sauce) is to Soy Sauce.  Yes, it is a little more expensive but most things that are better for you do cost more.  You can find it in the Health Food section of your grocery store.

Fast, Simple and Beautiful

Here is another recipe I have made frequently for my family and for many guests.  A friend Val served me a similar meal years ago and since then I have been adjusting it and now the final change was the sugar-free dressing choice. Thanks Val for that first meal!  This is seriously one of our favorites due to the beauty of colors, the taste and then the simplicity of making something spectacular!  Just look at that color - it certainly inspires me and I hope it will you too. 

Sundried-Tomato Chicken 

Pasta with Feta

3 cups uncooked Brown Rice Penne Pasta*
3 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts *
1/2 red onion - diced
1 zucchini - diced
1 yellow pepper (or color of your choice) - diced
1 1/2 cups carrots -peeled and diced
1/4 - 1/3 cup Sundried Tomatoes* - cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 - 1/2 cup Sundried Tomato dressing - Renee's brand *
1/2 cup Feta Cheese - crumbled
* = see Cook's notes below

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to directions.

Using a large skillet, heat the skillet and add 2 tbsp of  dressing and the diced chicken pieces.  Cook until the chicken is no longer pink and remove the meat from the skillet to cook the veggies.  Add another 2 - 3 Tbsp of the dressing and add the onions, peppers, zucchini and carrots and cook for another 5 - 7 minutes or until tender. 

 

Add the sundried tomato pieces, olives (if using) and return the meat to the pan.  Add more dressing if needed but it should not be dripping in the sauce.  Stir and cook until heated through. 
To serve, layer the pasta with the veggies and chicken and top with crumbled feta.

Cook's Notes:

Pasta: My preference for pasta is brown rice pasta.  I only cook mine for 7 minutes once the water boils and the pasta is added.  If you overcook your rice pasta, it will go mushy and tastes terrible.  Please check your brand directions and always use a timer!  Seriously...it is not worth ruined pasta.

Chicken: You have other options for chicken here.  It really tastes delicious and fancy to marinate the chicken breasts in the dressing (just enough to coat them) for an hour or more and then BBQ the chicken.  Slice the breasts and lay over the plate.  The other thing we do is buy sundried tomato chicken sausage and use that with this meal.  So take your pick.

Dressing:Renee's Gourmet Sundried Tomato and Black Olive dressing is one that contains no added sugars so it is all I buy.  You can find this in the cooler section of the produce department of larger grocery stores.  One could use other Sundried Tomato dressings or even Italian dressing in a pinch, but know it will likely contain sugars of some sort.  Read the ingredient list and remember dextrose is a sugar.  

Sundried Tomatoes: These can be purchased dry or in oil.  For obvious reasons, the dry ones are the healthier option and even in oil, some brands will add sugar as well.  If using the dry ones, they suggest soaking them in hot water for a few minutes before using.  I have done this water soaking but in a pinch, I have also used them without soaking them first.  Makes for a faster supper.  And for cutting up the tomatoes, don't forget you can use a scissor instead of a knife if you prefer.