On my quest to eat my more veggies again I bought a head of red cabbage randomly today. It's probably been a few years since I've actually purchased cabbage and I only know how to make a cabbage Indian dish (and that would be with green cabbage)...tonight however, I wanted something more fresh with my recent inspiration from Ani (see post below).
This is what I came up with:
About 3 cups cut/shredded red cabbage
1 carrot chopped
Gently steam (a few minutes) the cabbage and half of the chopped carrot (should still be crunchy). I find a light steam on salads is better for digestion (for me).
Drain (enjoy the beautiful purple hue water).
Add the rest of the chopped carrot, 1 green onion chopped, about 1 tsp. minced ginger, warmed sesame oil (about 2 splashes or more for a richer taste), a couple of splashes of tamari, 1 handful chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of sesame seeds (roast on a pan for a few minutes if you have time). Add some sea salt and black pepper for taste.
I didn't want to eat a big bowl of cabbage for dinner so decided to try my zucchini "pasta", since I also bought some organic zucchini on sale. This recipe is inspired by a NYT recipe my friend R passed on...super easy.
I sliced 1 zucchini with a peeler (my "pasta"). Lightly sauted with olive oil and added about 1 1/2 Tbsp. pesto and a handful of canned organic butter beans . (Note: though I used ready-made pesto tonight, when I make it myself I usually substitute the pine nuts with sunflower seeds and sometimes cilantro instead of basil). Don't overcook the zucchini!
This pic was actually taken by my computer (the zucchini pasta pic was even more tragic so I left it out).....better pics next time!
Despite the unusual palate cultural collision of sesame oil and pesto - it was yummy, fresh and I have leftovers for lunch! Next time I would eat this cabbage salad with maybe a couple of rice wraps. The zucchini "pasta" would more suitable with a side green salad.
S.
