Brittany's Pantry
The feel like I should start by saying that the relationship between cabbage and I is still in the infancy stage.
I didn’t eat much of it growing up and soggy coleslaw from the deli was certainly not going to sway me toward this rubbery, bitter vegetable. But slowly, with much cajoling and the promise of something fresh, crisp, and crunchy, I have begun to warm up the idea of adding cabbage into my regular menus. I started with it piled on these BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and now I can’t make it without the slaw. I moved on to this stellar take on fresh cole slaw and am now ready to embark on recipes that surpass just condiments or side dishes. Soon, when cabbage is so prevalent in the markets because of St. Patricks Day, I plan to experiment with a lovely dish I saw once that had bacon, caramelized onions, cabbage, and pasta. Doesn’t that sound awesome?
Until then, I am sharing my version of a Chinese Chicken Salad I pulled off the Eating Well website about a bazillion years ago. Again, this is not anything I would ever have ordered in a restaurant, but something about the ingredients in this salad made me…well…just feel healthier reading the recipe. Kinda like I was absorbing the nutrients by osmosis! Soaking in the vitamin C and fiber like rays of the sun on a June day!
And then I ate it. Forget osmosis! I want to EAT this stuff! The mix of textures and flavors in this are so spot on it is a full celebration on a plate. It has a bit of an asian bite, a great toasty crunch, and a freshness that is sweet and tart. I can’t even find the words to explain how welcome its lightness is here at the tail end of January. I usually make this in the summer because it is so great on a hot day, but since it doesn’t rely on summer veggies like tomatoes, fresh zucchini, or crisp greens, it is perfectly suitable to these cold frigid months.
So now, you can get back on track with any healthy New Years vows that you have probably already abandoned and I can add another successful and reliable cabbage recipe to my permanent stash. Win win all around.
One Year Ago: Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
Two Years Ago: Gringo Chicken Soup & Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Three Years Ago: Midnight Crunchies & Crispy Bars
Chinese Chicken Salad
Adapted from Eating Well
I like to save myself some time by getting the pre-packaged shredded cabbage but if it doesn’t look promising during your shopping day, or you have the time to spare, pick up a medium head of green cabbage to shred yourself here. Cabbage should be medium sized and in a bright, heavy, tight ball with no discoloration or wilting on the outside. Napa cabbage is nice to use, but plain old cheap green cabbage tastes just as fantastic in this. To make this gluten-free, omit the ramen noodles.
Salad:
1-3 oz- pkg ramen, season packet discarded
1/3 c sliced almonds
1 T sesame seeds
2 tsp canola oil
3 c cooked chicken, preferably white meat, diced or shredded into bite sized pieces
1 pkg shredded cole slaw mix or 1/2 of a medium head of green or nappa cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
3 scallions, chopped
Dressing:
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c rice or white wine vinegar
2 T honey
2 T of soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
large pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350. Crush and break up the dried ramen noodles into a small bowl and toss with almonds, sesame seeds, and canola oil. Spread onto a baking sheet and toast for 4 minutes, tossing a bit, and toasting for 3 more, just until crisp and lightly browned-DO NOT LET THEM BURN! Set aside until ready to eat. Just before serving, toss all salad ingredients together with the toasted crunchy mixture, drizzle on some dressing (you won’t use it all), taking care not to drown the salad, and toss, season with salt and pepper if necessary, and serve immediately.
I had no idea that this recipe was going to be such a pain in my tush.
I was making guacamole and margaritas for a meeting this past week and was going to test a few of my spicy mexican cookie recipes so that we would have something sweet to nosh on after the salty stuff. Mexican cookies, much like Mexican hot chocolate, are basically a cinnamon spiced chocolate cookie. If you frequent Caribou Coffee, you saw the Spicy Mocha make an appearance this year. It has a spice mix added that has cinnamon and chili in it and will clear your stuffy nose right up!! Yowza. Zippy! It is quite fantastic and when I can make it to a Caribou, I treat myself. When I make cookies though, I prefer to give it a bit of a kick with some heat so that you really know you are eating something other than a standard chocolate cookie. I narrowed it down to two recipes, but neither was exactly what I was looking for. Eventually, in an effort to avoid the 13 tries it took me to get the oatmeal raisin cookies just right, I started from scratch and crossed my fingers.
The result? I ate so much chocolate and ingested so much cayenne and cinnamon that I gave myself a headache and took to driving around town and harassing my friends so that they would eat them instead because my tastebuds were fried and I could no longer tell the difference between one cookie and another. Major antioxidant overload. Thankfully I hang out with opinionated and honest people so I knew just what to do to finish off this recipe. Now you can make them too and share in the spicy triple chocolate experience. Add a cup of coffee (or tea if that is your poison) and you will be oh so cozy and warm. Never mind the snow falling outside the window.
One Year Ago: Pomegranate Glazed Carrots
Two Years Ago: How To: Poach Chicken & Weeknight Apple Pie
Three Years Ago: Oatmeal Pancakes & Giada’s Chocolate Chip Cookies & Chicken Salad
Triple Chocolate Mexican Cookies
These are wonderfully chewy without being cake-y. Kind of like a sturdy, round brownie. Obviously you can adjust the spice level to your liking as everyone prefers different levels of heat. Doubling the amount of cayenne tastes awesome, but makes it hard to eat more than one.
5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 c (1 stick) of butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c white whole wheat flour-or another 1/2 c of all purpose
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1 c mini chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the chopped chocolate and butter into a medium glass bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each time until just barely melted. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugars, vanilla and eggs until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add the melted chocolate and combine. Scrape the bowl until the chocolate is all incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the chocolate chips. Scoop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a lined or greased sheet pan and bake for 11 minutes. Cool slightly before removing to a cooling rack. This recipe makes exactly 3 dozen and these freeze wonderfully. Otherwise keep sealed in a container at room temp for up to three days.
Technically, I don’t know that I can call these ‘grilled’ cheese panini sticks, as they are not on a griddle, but are in fact, made on a panini maker. In any case, this is what my family has decided to name them after eating them over and over the last few weeks. We are in the middle of a kind of soup marathon here at the house and what tastes better in soup than crispy, cheesy, dunk-able sandwiches?!
My parents rarely made grilled cheese when I was a kid so I don’t seem to have the nostalgic and emotional attachment that some of the rest of you do. I don’t want to get any heated emails about how I have desecrated the sanctity of Wonderbread and Kraft singles sandwiches that seem to be present in most average American households. And sorry, but we don’t buy white bread either. So the classic grilled cheese dunked in canned soup will have to be upgraded to the above picture; Easy Homemade Tomato Soup and three cheeses on ciabatta bread. And if I may be so bold, it tastes better too. Fresh and hearty, you can taste each individual ingredient while still keeping things a bit light. I always cut these cheese panini into sticks because they are perfect for dunking that way (obviously) but it also stretches the ingredients a bit. We don’t all eat a huge bread and cheese sandwich each, but instead, munch on just a few sticks, rounding out our soup with a bit if texture. We ate these sandwiches with a creamy, thai flavored carrot soup last week and it was out of this world. Tomato soup is of course classic, but a brothy veggie soup is also great with this robust ciabatta to soak it up.
Mmm. Now this is a meal I want my kids to be nostalgic for while eating ramen noodles and Cheetos during their college years.
One Year Ago: Chicken Tamale Casserole
Two Years Ago: Beef Bourguignon & Tilapia W/Citrus Sauce
Three Years Ago: Buttermilk Bread & S’Mores Bars
Grilled Cheese Panini Sticks
You can make this with any kind of bread and cheese combination you like, but this is a good recipe to start with. The bread holds up to the panini maker and this combination of cheese made us swoon. We keep garlic grape seed oil in the house for lots of things, but we ALWAYS use it for brushing the outside of paninis before toasting.
ciabatta bread-whole loaves or individual rolls, cut in half
mayo, optional
sliced provolone
sliced cheddar, preferably sharp
sliced colby/jack
softened butter, nonstick spray, or oil for brushing
Spread both halves of the bread with a thin coat of mayo, if desired. I like the extra bite of flavor it gives, but it is totally up to you. Layer on a slice of each of the cheeses on the bottom half of the bread and top with the other half of ciabatta. Brush or spread the outside of the bread with the butter or oil, or spray your panini maker, and toast until crispy on the outside and melty on the inside. Cool slightly and cut into strips for dunking. Alternatively, just set the sandwich in a heavy skillet over medium heat and weigh it down with another pan. Flip it when the underside is brown and toasted, letting it brown on the other side.
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
