Vegan Mushroom Bites + Cat Adoption Fair

Posted in Gluten-Free, Recipes, Vegan, Volunteerism by Ting Ba

I just got back from volunteering all day at Whiskers in Wonerland, the largest cat adoption fair in NYC! We volunteered on behalf of Timber’s Legacy, a non-profit started by a wonderful woman who rescued our dear Gizzy and was his foster mom for several months.

I met so many great people and most importantly, CATS!! OMG if our building were more lax on their animal policy, I would have walked home with my favorite cat that day: Rosa

Here are some highlights from the event:

Whiskers in Wonderland!

This is Pumpkin. He likes to burrow himself under blankets and hide :)

Here I am admiring Crackle. Someone put in adoption papers for him!

These brothers Radar and Jay - they slept on top of each other the entire day!

These are brothers Radar and Jay – they slept on top of each other the entire day! They most definitely have to be adopted as a pair, they are the best of friends :)

Here is Crackle again – he is so cute!

Here is Boom Boom, another big sweetie pie that loves to cuddle and purr. A true lap cat :)

And here I am with my favorite girl, Rosa! She was so sweet and loving, the minute I pet her head she leaned into it and came closer to snuggle. Sigh. I wish I could take her home with me!!

After half of our shift, we stopped by Whole foods for a quick lunch. I had the vegan split pea soup which was exactly what I needed.

The Whole Foods in the Upper West Side is the only one in the city that carries wine. Look at these crazy stocking stuffers filled with wine!

It was a coincidence because it was the same thing a friend brought over for our brunch yesterday. Super cute!

A wonderful event indeed. If you are interested in any of the cats shown above, along with other very loving cats in need of a kind owner and a forever home, please contact me via email or leave a comment and I will connect you with the foster parent!

Now, onto an entirely different topic: our coat drive brunch! We collected nearly 50 coats, all in very good condition, including many sturdy parkas and down coats with hoods, which will be much appreciated given the recent downturn in weather. OH, and we also collected this lucky number:

LOL. It is surprisingly warm! Not that I tried it on or anything.

Here are pictures of the food we prepared, which included finger foods such as cheezy garlic bread, vegan mushroom bites, organic salted popcorn, chocolate caramel drizzle kettle corn, Stacy’s cinnamon sugar pita chips (my sister may have eaten the entire bowl), and lentil tomato stew served with crusty bread.

Everything was buffet style!

Lentil and tomato stew

Cheezy bread before they went into the oven…

Cheezy garlic bread (post oven!) and vegan mushroom bites. I swear, they were there one minute and gone the very next.

Organic salted popcorn and Stacy’s cinnamon sugar pita chips

Everyone enjoyed the food and prosecco, but the hit of the brunch was absolutely the vegan mushroom bites. I was anticipating about 10-15 people therefore made 50 mushroom bites, which in my mind, was already over-shooting it, because it assumes that each person would eat 4-5 pieces each.

I prepped all 50 the night before and popped the first half in the oven as people started to arrive. I recall arranging 25 on a platter, walking off to open another bottle of prosecco, and coming back to find them completely demolished!!

I made another 25 and the same thing happened. I didn’t even get a chance to try one myself!

So be warned people: should you make these delicious and nutritious mushroom bites for a party, be sure to make 3 times more than you think people will eat. They are that good!!

Vegan Mushroom Bites

Ingredients:

2 tbs olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large leek, light green and white parts only, chopped into rounds
2 scallion stalks, minced
1/4 cup red wine
50 mushrooms* (about four 8 oz packages), stems removed and finely chopped
Salt & pepper

*Note that I used a mix of white button and baby bello mushrooms. Also note that you will very likely end up with more filling than you need, which is not a bad thing! I used the extra to make a quick marinara sauce with whole wheat spaghetti for dinner. Recipe also follows.

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over a medium high heat and add onions, cooking and stirring until they are soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and salt and cook and stir another 2 minutes. Add red wine and cook and stir until all the alcohol has evaporated (do a smell test!). Finally, add diced mushroom stems and cook and stir until their liquids have released, about 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Pour mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
Once mixture has cooled, fill each hollowed out mushroom cap with a heaping spoonful of the mixture by first packing the hollow tightly, then add a small mound on top. Line stuffed mushrooms on parchment paper or oiled baking sheet (I used a silpat) and bake for 15-20 minutes*. The mushrooms should be toasted and browned and the mixture should be bubbling.

*Note that baking times vary depending on your oven (ours is extremely hot). Also, these keep very well in the fridge overnight if you are making them ahead, just be sure to cover them with saran wrap or keep them in a tupperware container (they can easily be stacked top of each other).

De-stem your mushrooms by squeezing the stem at its base, then swiftly ripping them out. Here we have cremini mushrooms.

De-stem your mushrooms by squeezing the stem at its base, then twisting and ripping them out in one swift motion: no mercy. Here we have cremini mushrooms.

I also used white button mushrooms.

I also made a cute heart shape from the stems after chopping them because I am dork.

Mise en place – ready to cook!

Cook and stir onions, garlic and salt

Add wine, cook till alcohol has absorbed, then add leeks and scallions

Cook and stir leeks and scallions till they have wilted, then add mushroom stems

Stir mixture well to combine

Line your mushrooms up cap side down and prepare them to be stuffed!

Line up your mushrooms cap side down and prepare them to be stuffed!

Pick up a mushroom de-stemmed mushroom cap

Pick up a de-stemmed mushroom cap

Fill the hollow to the brim with the mixture

Fill the hollow to the brim with the mushroom mixture

Add another small mound to the top

But, don't overdo it - you want it to look like this

But, don’t overdo it – you want it to look something like this

Continue with the rest of your mushroom caps

Continue the same process with the rest of your mushroom caps

Into the fridge they go (if you are making them ahead)

Pop them into the oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes and they should come looking like this!

Pop them into the oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes and they should come out looking like this!

Note that you will have leftover mixture. I made a quick dinner for us after all that prep work without doing much more than adding a couple items!

I made a quick marinara by adding 2 finely chopped medium carrots, a 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, 1 tbs of dried oregano and 1 bay leaf, and simmering for 30 minutes. Then, I boiled some pasta noodles for 5 minutes, then finished cooking them directly in the sauce.

Simply chop up two medium carrots and saute them with the mushroom mixture for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Then add a 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cup filtered water, 1 tbs dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, a dash of red pepper flakes and 1 bay leaf, and simmer for 30 minutes. For the noodles, I boiled some pasta noodles for about 5 minutes, then finished cooking them directly in the sauce over a low heat for another 10 minutes. It was perfect!

I wish I still had some leftover stuffed mushrooms, or pasta… I am getting seriously hungry now, which means I must sign off and make dinner.

Have a wonderful Sunday evening and an even better start to your Monday morning everyone!

Love,
Ting

6Dec2013

Friday Link Love + DIY Gift Basket

Posted in Gift, Health, Holidays, Vegan by Ting Ba

Good morning everyone! Happy Friday

Do you guys play Candy Crush? I’m not a big player or anything, I just play to pass time when I’m standing in line or waiting on someone. It’s frustrating how you only get 5 lives though and how they make you wait like a day until you have another full set. Someone recently showed me a trick where you can fast forward the time on your iPhone and instantly get 5 more lives. I’ve been doing this rather frequently, but forgot to change the time back to normal, and this morning I missed my alarm. I was like, how did that happen? I remember setting it yesterday night! Then I looked at my phone and it was February 13, 2014, 3:34pm! ARGH!

I bolted from my bed like a bat out of hell and scrambled to get civilized for work. Meanwhile, Gizzy was watching me with mild curiosity.

Anyhow, TGIF

My favorite day for internet browsing is always Friday. A lot of bloggers and sites round up the week with their favorite links, events, news, weekend happenings, etc. that always fill me up with energy and anticipation for the weekend.

Here are some of my favorite highlights from the web this week that I think you may find inspiring, delicious, or just good for a laugh.

Jessica Seinfeld’s Grub Street diet. This woman can eat (and cook!).

This iPhone grippy pad is genius (and an affordable gift idea!).

Homemade gingered candy?? Yes, please!

Jay Z and Beyonce go vegan for 21 days!

This made me cry.

A naturally sweet smoothie to help curb your sweet tooth during the holiday season.

A 5-week free on-line fitness program.

Help abused animals find a forever home with a one-time or monthly donation to the ASPCA.

And on a completely separate note, I wanted to share a holiday gift idea for anyone in your life that just might inspire them to embrace a healthier lifestyle in 2014: a homemade vegan gift basket!

Fill it with whatever you want, but here are my ideas below.

Homemade hummus
Homemade seeded crackers
5-minute Granola bars
Your favorite tea
A big mug to enjoy the above in
Recipe cards for your favorite vegan recipes (breakfast, lunch and dinner), either printed with pictures or handwritten
Print outs of restorative yoga poses you can do from anywhere (scroll to the bottom of link, there is a handy printable!)

I think that would be a great idea, don’t you? I would love to be on the receiving end.At the very least, it’s a heartfelt gift basket packed full with healthy ideas, treats and goodies.

That’s it for me! I have a very packed evening ahead. Gym at 5:30pm, grocery shopping, then cooking and prepping for our holiday brunch tomorrow – I will be sure to post pictures + recipes. I am super excited

Happy Friday everyone!

Love,
Ting

5Dec2013

Party Planning Committee

Posted in Beverages, Christmas, Holidays, House Party, Soups and Stews by Ting Ba

Tis the season for holiday parties! And since Tats is too busy with work, I am a one woman party planning committee.

We just wrapped up a very successful Thanksgiving party that included lots of hearty vegan dishes, red wine, and good movies. Next up we have a holiday donation brunch in support of One Warm Coat. At our brunch, each guest will bring coats they no longer wear that are in good condition for donation. I will be the official judge of that! Of course, it will also be a chance for friends, old and new, to mingle all day and enjoy warm appetizers and spiced (and spiked!) wine.

I thought I would write a post about how to throw a fun and stress-free holiday party while minimizing chaos and costs, since we’ve had our fair share of parties since moving to NYC (some that involved a chipped tooth, synchronized dancing and more people than we have plates).

Slaws

Easy to make and wallet-friendly (you mainly need cabbage or another leafy green, the other items you likely already have in your pantry), you can make slaws the night before and serve them the very next day (they usually taste even better). Here is a real good one to have in your repertoire.

Soups & Stews

If you’ve been reading for a while, by now you should realize that soups and stews comprise 99% of my diet. Who doesn’t love a hearty, steaming bowl of soup in the dead of winter? Nobody I want to be friends with! This is another great make-ahead category, and can be done easily on a budget. This site is full of great soup and stew recipes, but here are my favorites! Spicy roasted eggplant and tomato soup, french lentil stew, cannellini bean and pepper stew, and kenchinjiru.

Mix & Match Serving Tray

I swear I’m not getting paid to promote the best one-stop shop I know of, TJ Maxx. But I’m telling you – you can really get a lot of fantastic stuff there for a good price. They even have a gourmet/ health foods section (in-stores only, not online) that sells quality edible goods for a fraction of the retail price. Think roasted nuts, olives, dried fruits, picked vegetables, seeded crackers, and jams (they carry brands such as La Tourangelle and Sarabeth’s). Take these home with you, lay them out on a pretty serving tray, open a bottle of wine and you have an instant cocktail party. The best part is your guests can mingle and make their own creations. Oh, and TJ Maxx also sells cute little bowls and serving trays should you need one

Don’t feel like buying store made stuff? Make your own jam, crackers and dips at home. Here are some simple recipes I am dying to try: warm white bean dip, homemade fennel seed crackers, apple butter, and arugula salsa verde (I fully intend to make this for the party).

Single-Serving Vegetables

One of the easiest (and most delicious) appetizers to make are single-serving, bite-sized vegetables, such as roasted stuffed mushrooms, celery sticks packed with homemade dip, lightly roasted eggplant slices topped with a vegetable medley… you get the idea. The vegetable is the serving platter, minimizing the need for additional utensils and allowing guests a free hand to hold a wine glass or other beverage of choice.

Disposable Dinnerware

Unless you have a lot silverware and patience and a small army of helpers, you should really get some disposable dinnerware. I especially adore the 100% compostable dinnerware by Bambu, pictured above. They are not cheap, at $7.50 for a complete set of 8 (or $64 for 100), so I would say it depends on the occasion. I attended a party where these were used and I wanted to keep my plate and take it home (don’t judge me). The same is especially true for wine glasses, since chances are you have fewer wine glasses than people attending and you do NOT want someone breaking a glass by accident (happens all the time at parties) and have chards of glass everywhere! These easy-to-assemble wine glasses by Northwest are perfect for just such occasions and affordable, at 40 for $8.

Booze

A party essential, as if you need me to tell you! The good thing is few people go to house parties just to get wasted (again, it would depend on the occasion) so I would estimate about 1-2 drinks per guest per hour. We order our wine online from PJ Wine, which has a super wine selection at wide-ranging prices (many, many quality wines below $15). Mionetto Prosecco is my absolute favorite and is a great way to make a gathering feel more festive. Mionetto usually goes for $18 in a store but is only $11 at PJ’s!

If getting a case of wine would be blowing the budget, ask guests to help! I’ve found that guests are always very willing to contribute. And actually, guests usually bring something when attending a house-warming and they’re not always sure what to get. You could make it easy for them and just ask them to please bring a bottle of wine.

Well, that’s all I have for you folks. I hope this here was a helpful post if you are planning on throwing your own soiree! If you do, please leave a comment about additional tips – I am sure I missed many! Also please share your party themes and menus. I would love to live vicariously. I have the party bug.

Love,
Ting

Photo credits: Yum sugar (mix & match wooden tray); Smitten Kitchen (eggplant bruschetta); Bambu (bamboo plates); Martha Stewart (martini)

5Dec2013

Spicy Roasted Eggplant Tomato Soup

Posted in Gluten-Free, Lunchtime, Recipes, Soups and Stews, Vegan by Ting Ba

Happy Thursday! T-1 day till Friday

I re-read my goals last night before going to bed and set my alarm for 6am. I actually got up on time, made a juice, and went to the gym for a 7am class! It totally kicked my a$$ but I was very proud of myself for at least showing up (that’s half the battle!)

By the time I got to work, I had so much energy and motivation to plow through the pile of to-do’s Now it’s time for a lunch break post!

As promised, here is the delicious, creamy soup I made for dinner last night and brought to work for lunch this afternoon.

This soup is made with just four vegetables and some spices you likely have in your pantry, so to bring out the flavors of the vegetables more, I roasted them in the oven for about 30 minutes, cooked them some more on stove top, added water, and blended about half of the mixture till it became a creamy puree. The result is a thick and creamy soup I plan to make again and again.

I had found two recipes for roasted eggplant soup a while back, one from Martha Stewart and the other from Smitten Kitchen. Both of them made my mouth water but took too long to make for a weekday night and required more roasting pans and oven space than I have in my kitchen. I took ideas from both recipes and combined them into a quicker and easier version that does not compromise on flavor at all, promise!!

Spicy Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup
*adapted from Martha Stewart and Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

6 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 small tomatoes, core and stems removed and quartered
6 garlic cloves, diced
1 large eggplant, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
3 tbs olive oil
2 tsp cumin
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 1/2 cups filtered water (or vegetable stock)
1 tbs tomato paste (optional)*
Paprika to garnish (optional)

*I didn’t have any vegetable stock on hand so to enhance the flavor I added one tbs tomato paste.

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Toss carrots, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper with 1 1/2 tbs olive oil. Arrange onto half of a baking sheet in a single layer. Toss eggplant with cumin, remaining olive oil, and salt and pepper and arrange on the other half of baking sheet in a single layer. Carefully place in oven and roast for 30 minutes, checking halfway in between to flip vegetables over. Remove vegetables from oven and set aside.
In a dutch oven, heat olive oil over a medium high heat and add onions. Cook and stir till soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes, then add the roasted vegetables. Continue cooking and stirring for another 5 minutes, then add water and tomato paste (or vegetable stock). Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add all of the chunky vegetables and about 1 cup of soup to a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Pour puree back into dutch oven, stirring well to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve immediately with a dash of paprika and big chunk of crusty bread.

I think eggplants look like they are from outer space

Toss your vegetables with olive oil, cumin, garlic and plenty of salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer.

Both recipes ask that you roast the tomatoes and eggplants on two separate baking sheets, but I only have one, and I used smaller quantities, so I was able to fit everything into a single layer. Also, one less dish to wash ;)

Chop up your onions

Throw onions into a dutch oven and cook and stir till soft and fragrant

Throw them into a dutch oven and cook and stir till soft and fragrant

Add the roasted vegetables

Your kitchen well smell amazing at this point

Here is a closer look at these beautifully roasted vegetables. Individually, after roasting, they have the most amazing flavors and become even better when combined.

Add water and tomato paste or vegetable broth. Note that this soup is very flavorful on its own due to the roasted vegetables and their juices, therefore vegetable stock might not be necessary. I just used filtered water and the flavors were very vibrant!

Add all of the chunky vegetables + 1 cup of soup to a powerful blender and puree till smooth and creamy

It might not look delicious just yet... but it will be!

This is the consistency you want (almost like a pudding!)

Pour the puree back into the dutch oven

Stir very well to combine

Garnish with a dash of paprika and there you have it – a delicious, spicy and creamy roasted eggplant and tomato soup :)

I’m eating it now and it tastes even better the following day. I find this is true of all soups and stews and that’s why I love them!!

I hope you guys try this over the weekend. While it does take more time than your usual weeknight dinner, it’s very easy. Just chop, roast, sautee, and puree. And you only need four vegetables. I’m all about the wholesome, delicious, and efficient At least, for this week.

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!

Love,
Ting

5Dec2013

A Wrench In Your Routine

Posted in Christmas, Cooking, Goals, Holidays, Positivity by Ting Ba

I’ve recently rediscovered my love for The Office. The other evening my sister came over and we watched most of the Christmas episodes from every season and it was awesome! I decided I now want to make my way through the entire series starting with season 1. Yes, yes I am SUPER cool! LOL.

Here is the Takeuchi family Christmas card. This year we decided to go with a collage of the highlights in 2014 rather than feature one picture like we did in 2013.

Moving forward. This week has totally thrown me off my regular routine, which I have really settled into and love. Here’s how it usually goes, 99% of the time. I wake up at 7:15am, stumble to the bathroom, wash my face, moisturize, slather on SPF and put on my contacts. I then head to the kitchen, and grab a bunch of fruit and vegetables out of the fridge, cut them up, throw them into my juicer and make two juices. I then go back to the bedroom to wake up Tats to drink our juices together (he usually goes back to sleep!)

After that, I wash the cups, the juicer, and lay everything out to dry on the counter. Then I put on my clothes that I laid out the night before, put on make-up, throw my pre-packed lunch into my gym bag, check that I have the essentials packed in my purse (keys, cell phone), and I’m out the door! The whole act of getting ready takes me about 30 minutes.

After work, I work out for an hour (simultaneously pondering what I’m going to eat immediately afterwards) and then head to Whole Foods if I need any groceries. Then, I go home and cook and share what I made on the blog.

This week? Everything went out the window!

What caused it? Well, I had to go to work an hour earlier than I usually do for an off-site work training.

What happened as a result? I resorted to buying juices from Juice Generation to save time, Tats didn’t get his morning juice, I didn’t work out because I went to work to catch up on lost time due to training, and I didn’t make lunch for the week because I got home too late and because lunch was catered. Basically I just said: screw it.

When I think about it, something such as a venue and time change really shouldn’t throw me off my game 100% should it? Especially since minor changes such as this occur all the time in life – I’ve just been very fortunate that time and convenience were on my side for a very long time.

How do you guys deal when someone or something throws the proverbial wrench into your routine? Be like me, and let all hell break loose, or, find a work-around? If you have a workaround, can you please share your experience? I could really use the motivation!

Anyways, now that I am back on my regularly programmed schedule, guess what I did this very evening? I cooked dinner! And it was quite possibly one of the the best dinners I have cooked all year. Yes, I am serious! Hint: it is a soup

Here is a sneak peak.

What could this be??

Details tomorrow!

Love,
Ting

4Dec2013

The Week Ahead

Posted in Christmas, Fitness, Goals, Volunteerism, Work by Ting Ba

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday!! I cannot believe we almost done with the first week of December.

Sorry about the absence! The first week of December has been crazy busy with work, packing, ticket booking, present shopping, Christmas card writing, the list goes on. I finally just wrapped up 3 days of off-site training and I finally feel like I am back to my regular [beloved] routine.

Here is my much belated post about what I hope to get accomplished this week (despite that it already Wednesday!)

Work

Get to work early to leave ample room to meet daily deadlines
Prepare and drive meaningful status meetings
Double check all communications for accuracy and content
Patience, patience, patience.

Social

Buy stamps and mail Christmas cards from Pinhole Press (just got them, soo cute!!)
Volunteer at Whiskers in Wonderland this Sunday (omg! so excited!!)
Holiday Donation Brunch this Saturday!
On the menu:
- Mini-pizzas with eggplant, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes
- Lentil stew
- Vegetable sticks with hummus
- Apple breakfast cake
Make ahead everything on Friday; Saturday should only be for re-heating

Fitness

So bad this week! Already missed Monday & Tuesday workouts
Adhere to remaining schedule
Wednesday: 6:15pm Advanced at P57
Thursday: 6:00pm Mixed
Friday: 5:30pm Formula
Saturday: 9:00am Advanced
Sunday: 12:45pm Cardio

Health

Haven’t cooked all week (catered lunches), need to cook something healthy tonight for remaining work lunches, need ideas!
Take multi and B vitamin everyday
Make morning juice everyday, need to buy more kale and carrots
Learn how to perfect a green smoothie
Into bed by 10am, up by 6am (let’s see how far I actually get…)

Finances

Make morning juice, do not buy from Juice Generation
Bring your lunch, don’t eat out again this week!
Spend < $15/ day (always worth a shot :P)

Home

Make bed every day
Empty out dish washer/ put dirty dishes into dish washer before bed at night
Wipe kitchen & bathroom counters everyday after use
Vacuum and clean house for party this weekend

That’s quite a lot I am attempting to get done with the remaining 5 days of this week.

Look out for another post tonight about something I plan to make for dinner

Love,
Ting

Photo credits: Martha Stewart

29Nov2013

Creamy Sesame Cabbage Slaw

Posted in Japanese, Quick, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegan by Ting Ba

Happy Black Friday!! :)

Are you going Black Friday shopping today? Not me, not this year at least. I think our apartment will explode if I add another piece of clothing or even a lone mitten.

So Thanksgiving yesterday was a such a fun time. We had gingered brussels sprouts, roasted vegetables, white bean and tomato stew, shredded kale salad with a garlic dijon dressing, creamy sesame cabbage slaw, tonjiru (a miso-based winter stew with pork, our one and only meat dish!), apple slices with almond butter, and pumpkin pie. Let’s just say we are going to be eating very well over the next couple days.

I LOVE Leftovers

Boozy spiced apple cider, tonjiru, and white bean tomato stew

Ginger and sesame roasted brussels sprouts, cabbage slaw, and shredded kale with a garlic and dijon dressing.

Ginger and sesame roasted brussels sprouts, creamy sesame cabbage slaw, and shredded kale with a garlic and dijon dressing.

Pumpkin pie, brought by one of the guests :)

Almond butter with apple slices

Everyone enjoying the food while watching Howl's Moving Castle (this is what happens when you get together a big group of Hayao Miyazaki geeks)

Everyone enjoying their meal while watching Howl’s Moving Castle (this is what happens when you get together a big group of Hayao Miyazaki geeks)

Can you spot Gizzy? He thought he was being so clever hiding behind Iru’s camera… but I found him :)

If you were to guess what the big hit of the night was, food wise, you might guess that it was tonjiru, and you’d be partially right: everybody loved it! But even more popular than that was the creamy sesame cabbage slaw. From the moment we set it out, people were hovering by the bowl till it was depleted. We literally made a second batch 30 minutes later. And this was for a group of big meat eaters no less.

You know those side salads you get at Japanese restaurants that somehow manage to be a highlight in your meal, despite that it is only a side salad? This is one of those. I really think it is the best slaw I have ever tasted – it somehow manages to be tart and creamy at the same time, despite that there is no dairy. It is definitely due to the natural creaminess of sesame oil.

This slaw is also chockful of goodness. Let’s review:

Cabbage is a low calorie source of vitamins C and K, folate, and fiber (keeps you feeling full), and has anti-aging and skin-healing properties.
Sesame seeds/ oil help reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) and is an excellent source of vitamin B, folic acid (important for expecting moms), calcium and zinc (improves your immunity system).
Olive oil, the main source of dietary fat in the widely praised Mediterranean Diet, reduces the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and improves your body’s metabolism of carbohydrates (yess!!)
Red wine vinegar controls your body’s blood sugar levels, is packed with anti-aging properties, and helps the digestive process by allowing your body to absorb essential vitamins and minerals.

But, please don’t think of this as a post-Thanksgiving-detox-guilt-erasing salad. I feel like when you moralize things, especially foods, it makes you want to eat them less. Instead, think of this salad for exactly what it is: ridiculously delicious, all year round.

I should also probably mention that this is Tats’ sister’s original recipe. She used to throw this salad together often when they both lived in Tokyo and it remains one of Tats’ favorites

Creamy Sesame Cabbage Slaw

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage*, core removed & finely shredded
3-4 heaping tbs of sesame oil
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tbs ponzu (citrus soy sauce)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 tbs sesame seeds

*We used half a green cabbage and half a purple cabbage for added color

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine dressing ingredients (sesame oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, ponzu, lemon juice) and stir vigorously to emulsify.
Add shredded cabbage to a large serving bowl, pour over dressing and add sesame seeds and salt (at least 2 large pinches) & freshly ground pepper. Toss well with your hands to combine, and taste to adjust for seasoning*.

*Sesame oil is an extremely pungent and strong oil, therefore I recommend starting with 3 tbs, assembling the salad, tasting and then adjusting for preferences (in our second batch we used 4 tbs). And in case you are wondering why we use both olive and sesame oil, because sesame oil is so strong in flavor it would overpower the salad if it was the only oil used. Olive oil cuts through that flavor as a good counterbalance, and the citrus from the lemon juice and ponzu open up the flavors so you do not feel like you are drowning in oils.

Dressing prior to whisking. I didn’t say it would LOOK appetizing!

We used both purple and green cabbage. I suggested adding carrots & scallions, but Tats firmly said NO. He said this salad is about restraint. Hmph.

We used both purple and green cabbage. I suggested adding carrots & scallions, but Tats firmly said NO. He said this salad is meant to be simple and we should practice restraint. Hmph.

This large bowl was filled to the rim about 10 minutes prior.

I had some leftover slaw for breakfast this morning along with a green smoothie made from my Vitamix. It was actually the first green smoothie I’ve ever made, and it was not bad! But I really didn’t know what I was doing and only added: kale, apple, and ice. LOL. Note to self: definitely need coconut water or soy milk next time.

Happy Black Friday everyone! If you see any good deals on the internet, let me know! I mean, please DON’T let me know. Or you could, you know… just let me know

Love,
Ting

The Good Life

One day at a time

Vegan Mushroom Bites + Cat Adoption Fair

Friday Link Love + DIY Gift Basket

Party Planning Committee

Spicy Roasted Eggplant Tomato Soup

A Wrench In Your Routine

The Week Ahead

Creamy Sesame Cabbage Slaw

Follow “The Good Life”

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Follow “The Good Life”