Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds

There are certain blogs, I go back to time and again, knowing I will find a recipe that appears as perfect for what I am looking for. Kalyn’s Kitchen is one of these.  Kalyn’s recipes are clear and she includes those little tips that make all the difference.  When I was looking up cabbage recipes and saw that Kalyn had some, I clicked over and found this delicious recipe.
Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds  Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen -  a place to find terrific recipes

Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds
(Makes about 4 servings, recipe adapted from the original South Beach Diet Book.)

Ingredients:
1 bag shredded cabbage (16 ounces)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons peanuts (or more)

Dressing Ingredients:
2 T rice vinegar (don’t use seasoned vinegar, which contains sugar)
1 T sesame oil
1 T honey
1/8 tsp. hot sauce
1/8 tsp. grated ginger

Instructions:
 Mix rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, hot sauce and ginger in a small jar and shake to combine. (Can also whisk together in a bowl.)

Toast sesame seeds about 1 minute in a small dry pan, until they start to be fragrant and slightly browned.

Put cabbage  into mixing bowl, toss well with dressing, arrange on individual serving plates and sprinkle with sesame seeds and peanuts.

This is linked  to Whole Food Wednesdays    

Cozy Home Party

Mashed Potato Casserole

Paula Deen is known for her Buttah and fattening and unhealthy recipes.   Despite this, she is one good cook and her recipes are worth following with a few changes.

Although now, with her medical diagnosis, hopefully changes will be made.  This is one of those recipes which I happen to love.  There are ways to cut back and I tend to do this with any recipe, not only Paula’s.  I crossed out what I changed so you can see the differences.  If you want to, you can cut the cheese down, even more.

Mashed Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

 2 cups mashed potatoes

1/2 cup sour cream  (cut to 1/4 low fat)

1 small onion, sliced thin

1 small bell pepper, sliced thin

8 tablespoons butter  (one tablespoon margarine)

1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar   (1 cup)

Method:

Spread mashed potatoes evenly on bottom of casserole dish.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Layer sour cream evenly over top of potatoes

Saute onion and bell pepper in margarine and place over sour cream.

Slice potatoes and layer over onions and bell peppers.

Finally top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Yum,

This is linked to Everyday Mom’s Meals

Tomato Curry – Nigella

At my house, on Fridays, cooking is an all day affair or it seems to be.  I am cooking for the Jewish Sabbath and we eat quite a meal on Friday nights and a less complicated on for Saturday lunch and then a third lighter meal, later in the afternoon.  All and all, this calls for a variety of food.  I was looking for a quick side dish to go with the chicken, I had made for Friday night and I opened my book (Nigella’s Kitchen) and there was my dish, Tomato Curry.  This was served with a coconut rice which I did not make .  I had a rice dish already waiting to be served.  The Curry went fine with this, as well as, it must have gone with the coconut rice, which I want to make, at another time.

This is a tasty dish and I made it a bit tastier by adding some red pepper dip to it.  It also is good served cold and we served it for lunch, that way, on Saturday.

  This is my contribution to Forever Nigella.  Nigella has tons of delicious recipes both online and in her wonderful books.  Join in the fun and select any Nigella recipe and link it up here.  While you are there, check out what some of the other Nigella cooks have made.

Linked to  Show Your Stuff

Cheese Puff Blintz

For years, I have made real blintzes and a blintz souffle which consists of store-bought blintzes covered with a batter that tastes like a blintz.  Both are good.  When, I spotted this one, I was curious to find out if it tasted like either.

This is an easy recipe.  You do have to time each segment and for me, that is a problem.  I love to put something in the oven and go back for a finished product.  This is a three-layered blintz with two separate baking times.  It is not really much especially, if you make the filling while the first ten minute baking, is going on.  Probably, because I was baking something else, at the same time, I got annoyed with the interruption.

I enjoy puttering around the kitchen and although I think I should not enjoy the chopping and frying and shredding and dicing, I do.  It is a challenge to organize myself and my kitchen to make for effortless (almost) cooking.

Cheese Puff Blintz adapted from Food.com  This is half a recipe.  I was only cooking for two and there was enough for 4.  I want to try this putting fruit in the middle layer with the cheese.

Ingredients:

Batter

• 2 large eggs

• 3/4 cup milk

• 1 tablespoons vanilla yogurt
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon pure  vanilla extract
• ½ + 1/6 cups flour  Gluten free)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling

• 8 oz farmer cheese
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Toppings

• sour cream or  vanilla or fruit yogurt
• applesauce
• blueberries or strawberries or cherry , heated with sweetener
• fruit preserves , with a dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

With a blender or mixer, combine the batter ingredients until very smooth.

Pour 1 1/2 cups of the batter into a greased  9 x 13 baking pan.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile, combine the filling ingredients and mix well.

When bottom layer of batter has set, remove the baking pan from the oven and smoothly spread the cheese filling over it.

Briefly remix the remaining batter and then gently pour it over the filling, covering it completely.

Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is puffed, set, and browned.

remove the Blintz Puff from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into squares.

Serve immediately, plain or with toppings.  (I used a little granulated brown sugar to sprinkle on top.  Cinnamon and sugar would also be yummy.  I would add another tablespoon of sugar to the cheese mixture.  It was not enough sweet, for my taste.  

This is linked to the following:

Simply Sweet Home Friday’s Favorites
Food on Fridays
Foodie Friday
Fun with Food Friday
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival

Sweet Indulgences Sunday