The Carnivore Loved This Coleslaw!

Isn't nature lovely? This cabbage is so pretty, but the brain-like convolutions are easier to see in a purple cabbage. You can use either for this coleslaw recipe.

Friday nights are funny around here. I normally need to fix dinner, but it can't be something too special since my husband is as likely to want to go out as not. This week, still nursing a sore back from walking all over South Beach in high heels and then spending 13 hours in a car (little ole' lady issues for you young-'uns to look forward to . .) I proactively announced I was taking a night off from the nightlife. Ahhh, just writing that feels good!

So I prepared a simple dinner from what I had on hand. I started with a couple of Tofurkey Italian Sausages I needed to use up. I cut them into little bits, then threw them into the crock pot with the other ingredients for my lazy chili: A Tbsp. olive oil, a can of crushed tomatoes, a tomato-canful of water, a packet of McCormick Chili mix, a can of pinto beans and half an onion, chopped. I let that simmer on low for a couple of hours while I dismantled the Christmas decor. Then I began brainstorming about some new and different veggie dish and found the cabbage in the 'fridge. Instantaneously all the ingredients for a lovely coleslaw popped into my head. I could almost taste the flavor combination as I considered each ingredient. I am not exaggerating when I say this is the best coleslaw I have ever put in my mouth.  If you like coleslaw, you have to try it. If you don't, you should try it anyway. It just might change your mind. Here's the recipe:


Excellent Coleslaw
Ingredients:
2 c. cabbage, very thinly sliced or shredded (I like sliced best)
1/2 an organic carrot, shredded
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1tsp. sesame seeds, plus another pinch for garnishing
Dressing:
3 Tbsp. Vegenaise
1 Tbsp. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
a generous grind of fresh pepper (I like the multi-colored peppercorns)
a pinch of salt


Use a fork or whisk to combine dressing ingredients thoroughly. In a large mixing bowl, combine cabbage, carrot and dressing until every strand is coated. Add seeds and stir. Finish with another sprinkling of sesame seeds over the top.

Here's the finished product. I have eaten coleslaws before containing a lot of sugar and mayonnaise, which only serve to obliterate the flavor of the vegetable, which most folks like, I guess, especially in the south. I prefer a lighter, fresher, more complex flavor combination. The caraway seeds do a lot here to enhance the combination. Rather than being dry and strong as they are in a rye bread, this scant teaspoonful shines with a subtle anise-like flavor that is almost sweet. The slaw is further subtly sweetened by the organic carrot (a completely different flavor than a non-organic one, in my opinion) and the apple cider vinegar. Finally, the vegenaise serves to balance and smooth any sharpness. In this recipe, you can actually taste the fresh cabbage -- and that's not a bad thing!

Here is our simple meal. It was a major victory night for me. As I was serving it, my husband grimaced slightly, saying, "I have never been a fan of coleslaw,"

"Just try a little bit, and if you don't like it, you can have a spinach salad," I countered.

After the excessive week in Miami Beach, I could tell my husband was feelin' a bit fluffy around the edges, so I was perfectly positioned to press my vegan advantage.

"What's in the chili?" he asked.

"Tofurkey sausage," I answered.

"Okay," he said.

The carnivore enjoyed the chili, but positively RAVED about the coleslaw! "This is really, really good! Does it have a lot of fat?"

Score!  It is really good -- give it a try!

Miami, The Morning After

There's the lovely Ariella -- finally! Next time we all get together I will need to be more mindful of who my camera is missing. Here we have, from left to right, Ariella, Liana, me, Andres, Wynne, Hans and Sabrina. We were enjoying the beach at our hotel one last time before a casual dinner at Pizza Rustica on Lincoln Road. Then the girls were off to one last late night party before going back to school the next morning (ahhh, youth!) and we were off to our room to get a few hours of shut-eye before the LONG drive home the next day.

In between the New Year's Eve party and this last photo there were a couple of busy extended-family oriented days which I failed, inadvertently, to document in photos, as my focus was divided amongst many people with whom I wanted to catch up. Others were taking photos, so I don't know why I didn't remember to.

On New Years day we had moved out of the girls' home and into our hotel, and Andres' brother, Max, his wife Lisa and son, Eric, moved in for a night. The next day we all gathered together on Lincoln Road along with Andres' and Max's other brother, Sol, and his fiance, Heather, who I was meeting for the first time. Heather got a lot of good photos of the whole gang, fifteen of us total. My favorite photo was of all the siblings, three brothers and three sisters. It had been a very long time since they had all been together, eight years ago, I believe, when we had all gathered in Nicaragua to lay their father to rest. It's shocking how quickly the years pass as we live with a bit of tunnel vision, focused on our respective little worlds. It's a good idea to poke one's head up out of the tunnel from time to time to notice what is going on with the rest of the world, and with those who are near and dear to our hearts, despite being geographically dispersed.

On the road again, I longed for my vegan airport pecans, indeed for vegan anything. All fast food restaurants officially have cheese on every salad now (what happened to the oriental chicken salad, Wendy's?) I had high hopes for McDonald's fruit and nut salad, but the yogurt dip was not quite separate from the good stuff, and the fruit was actually not quite good stuff -- mushy and squishy -- probably full of some kind of botulism, as my system was not quite right for a couple of days afterward.  Starving and sitting perfectly still for 13 hours (yeah, I know, it shouldn't have taken so long -- a horrible accident had 75 shut down for two hours) took a bit of a toll on me, so I am fixing myself with food like this:

This smoothie contains a couple of raw  collard leaves, an apple, a splash of apple cider and a small splash of almond milk. It was fine, not my favorite flavor-wise, but that wasn't the point of it.

This is Sweet Curried Collards from "Plate+Simple", Rustic White Beans and Mushrooms from Veganomicon and brown rice.  This was all delicious, and just what this vegan body was craving!

Miami was a fabulous chapter for all of us, and we will miss it and our wonderful family members. Now it's time to embrace routine, balance and good health.