spicy cabbage mix in peanut sauce

today is st. patrick's day, a highly celebrated day in my house. i don't have a typical irish food recipe to share, but i felt i should at least post something green. i can eat cabbage in almost any fashion, and *love* adding it to my stir fry recipes. the best part of this dish is that the peanut sauce really complements the spiciness. happy st. patrick's day!


stir fry:

• 1 cup steamed broccoli
• 2 cups shredded cabbage and carrots
• 1/4 cup peanuts
  
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
  
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon water
  

for the peanut sauce:

• 5 tablespoons pb2
  
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy
• 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

whisk up the stir fry sauce ingredients, and pour over the steamed broccoli. allow the broccoli to marinade for a couple hours.

meanwhile, mix up the peanut sauce by first mixing pb2 powder with 4 tablespoons of water. pb2 is a peanut butter powder that has something like 85% less calories than regular peanut butter (and still tastes good!). if you don't have pb2, you could sub about 1/4 cup peanut butter, but i really suggest you try it. after the pb2 reaches a thin creamy consistency, whisk in the rest of the peanut sauce ingredients.

after broccoli has marinated, turn your wok on 400° and dump in the broccoli and marinade. stir fry for several minutes, and then toss in cabbage. continue cooking for about 3 minutes, toss in peanuts, and cook another 3 minutes. cover in peanut sauce and serve.

miso mustard cabbage slaw

i recently came across some shiro (white) miso on sale, and have been lovin' the new recipe options. you can find miso at most health food stores, or for a cheaper option, the oriental or asian markets carry it too. i made this slaw for lunch one day and fell in love...

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon water
• 2 cups cabbage/carrot mix

for the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon water
• 3/4 tablespoon mild miso (yellow or white)
• 3/4 tablespoon mustard (whole seed preferred)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1+ teaspoon bragg's aminos

in a medium skillet, heat sesame oil on medium. add the cabbage or slaw mix, and saute for about 3-5 minutes. turn heat to high and add a teaspoon of water. cook the cabbage for about 1-2 minutes more until it starts to turn translucent, but not wilted.

in a separate bowl, mix up the dressing ingredients. start with the miso and water, and whip with a fork until the miso is emulsified. the combine the rest of ingredients, adding as much bragg's as you see fit. i used arran original mustard, with whole brown and yellow mustard seeds. pour cabbage out of skillet, and coat with dressing. serve warm.

simple spicy stir fry

i'm a spice maniac. seriously. my stomach must be made of steel because i love superhuman hot-ness in my foods. this dish will definitely clear the sinuses. i'd suggest modifying the chili paste based upon what you prefer. best of all, it's really low fat and low calorie if you stick to the oil measurements below.

• 7 oz. frozen broccoli
• 1 cup shredded cabbage and carrots
• 2 tablespoons chili paste
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons nama shoyu (or soy)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ground sichuan peppercorns

heat oils and chili paste in a wok on high (about 400°). add in the broccoli, shoyu, galic and ginger and stir fry until well heated (about 7 minutes with frozen broccoli). add the rice vinegar and cabbage mix (i used bag coleslaw mix) and cook for about 5 minutes. toss in the ground sichuan peppercorns about 30 seconds before you finish stir frying.

this recipe only makes one bowl- perfect for the solo spice lover.

fresh cider cucumbers

so i'm still full from thanksgiving feast-week. and the jeans are starting to reach that all too critical tightness - when you know it's time to lay off the heavy meals for a while. here is a cider vinegar cucumber "salad" that i've been eating for light lunches. i had something similar to this at my aunt's house over the summer, but there were onions in it (which if you read my blog, you know i don't like). but i've never had better cucumbers!

• cucumbers, washed and sliced
• raw apple cider vinegar (bragg's)

my aunt mixes one part vinegar to one part water, but i prefer a stronger vinegar taste. cover the cucumbers and let chill for several hours.

drain the vinegar before serving and enjoy the guilt free eats!

tangy lentil salad

still working on the pantry clean-out and more determined than ever to eat all these ingredients that seem to carry over months after months. these lentils were leftover from the sloppy lentil burrito recipe and made a nice, tangy salad.

• 1.5 cups cooked lentils (about 3/4 cups dry lentils)
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced

just mix everything together. allow the mixture to marinate for at least 30 minutes or so. then serve on a bed of lettuce (2 cups romaine lettuce pictured above). it has a zip and is very tasty.