Asian Carrot and Cabbage Slaw

I'm really into low ingredient, high health, pretty food right now. I'm trying hard to steer my household away from processed foods, and I'm trying to do better about working with fresh vegetables. By the way, trying are really the key words here. I still can't get my other half to stop buying insane amounts of candy. I'm so envious of his metabolism.

I'm also currently wracked with cravings for anything even remotely Asian inspired. I go through phases where I crave the same genre of food for weeks at a time. Sometimes it's seafood, sometimes burgers. Lately, it's Asian food.

So this recipe was born out of creativity and a desire for something filling, tangy, and easy to eat. I wanted acid and crunch and earthiness. This recipe makes a good sized amount of slaw, and it certainly does get better as it mellows in the fridge. I'll eat this straight out of the bowl, or on the side of some baked tilapia, or I'll make it the base of a baked chicken and avocado wrap (pictured below), which I highly recommend.

Asian Carrot and Cabbage Slaw

1/2 Head of Red Cabbage, shredded
3 Carrots, peeled
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
A few drops of Sesame oil (optional but worth it)
A few grinds of salt

You want to shred or slice your red cabbage length wise, so it is in nice long stripe. Peel the carrots and then run them lengthwise through a mandolin is you have one, or just use a vegetable peeler run down them over and over until you have very thin strips of carrot.

(Sidenote: If you haven't considered buying a Palm Peeler I strongly recommend dropping whatever you are doing and buying one now. I was given one for Christmas and it has changed the way I think about peeling vegetables. No more hand cramping, cursing, or denting my fingers. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.)

Put the carrots and cabbage into a large mixing bowl. In a heavy saute pan, toast the sesame seeds until they are just turning a little brown. Add the rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, salt and a few drops (be sparing!) of sesame oil into the vegetables and mix well. Let sit for half an hour before serving, but if you need to dive in right away I'll never tell, and I'll totally forgive you.

Serve on the side of baked chicken or fish, or add to wraps. This would be awesome with shrimp tacos too.

Makes 6 servings

Pepper and Corn Summer Salad

I didn't mention it, but a few days ago this little baby blog of mine turned a year old. I think it's getting close to the realm of toddler now. I've been really lucky over the last little while because it seems I'm getting more and more visitors. Hi visitors! Thanks for coming by! Salted Spoon seems to be climbing up the Google charts a little, because lots of people seem to get here by searching for different foods and recipes.

I always find it interesting taking a peek at how people find this blog. It's always fun to see the search phrases that have been put in to get here. I think the most interesting one this week was "where to get cramble up sausage for pizza", which I hope led them to my Sausage and Pepper Breakfast Tortilla Pizza.

But it's interesting, too, to see what other people are really seeking. I get a lot of visitors looking for "cabbage as a snack". I really really like keeping cabbage on hand. I frequently make it as a midnight snack, and I think that my recipe for Charred Cabbage is what is being found.

So I challenged myself to dig through the fridge and pantry and come up with a new cabbage recipe. What I came up with was a fresh, simple and summery pepper and corn salad that uses cabbage as a wrapper. The end result was really yummy and, honestly, I'm pretty happy that I get to put this into my repertoire now.

So, for all you cabbage snack lovers out there, this one is for you.

Pepper and Corn Summer Salad

1 Cup Corn
1/2 Yellow Pepper, diced
1/2 Red Pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Green Herb (Parsley, Basil, Dill), minced
Pepper
4 Cabbage Leaves

In a large bowl, mix the peppers, corn, vinegar, oil and herbs together. I tend to have parsley available most often, but I think basil is your best choice here. Mix together and then grind over a generous amount of pepper. Mix again and taste, then adjust the seasonings.

Take four clean cabbage leaves and where the stem is thick at the bottom, cut it out in a little triangle. Divide the peppers and corn mixture between the cabbage leaves, then roll up into little wraps.

Eat over a plate to catch the drips, muttering to yourself about the deliciousness of summer while you make a delightful mess.

Serves 2.