What's cookin'?

I love to cook. I have always loved being in the kitchen, first as a child where it was the center of the family; later, I enjoyed creating my own recipes and recreating meals I had enjoyed in restaurants. Growing up in the '60s and '70s in an Italian family, macaroni was dinner at least twice a week. We also learned to love Jiffy-Pop, Cheez-Whiz and other assorted "healthy" fare. Vegetables were never center stage, and salad was often just iceberg, cukes and tomatoes. Weight was never a problem for me either, but as the years go by,I find that the old metabolism isn't what it used to be. In my twenties, I could skip a few Twinkies and lose 5 pounds to get into that cute outfit for a weekend date. Now, in my very, very, VERY late 20's, losing 5 pounds takes nothing short of a miracle! I used my love of cooking and interest in healthy eating to cultivate a repertoire of healthy and delicious new recipes, as well as healthier dishes inspired by old favorites. My project last summer was to research and develop ways to increase my collection of vegetable recipes. Not vegetarian, but vegetable-centered, I have tried to use spices, herbs, and various cultural styles to keep dinner interesting, exciting and worth going back for seconds. I am not a nutritionist, but I have done a good amount of reading, and think I have a handle on what's good for me and what should be avoided. Welcome to my first blog. Feel free to try any recipes that interest you, and share your own! Together we can answer the question....What's healthy for dinner?!!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Zucchini Slaw

Zucchini seems to be the best thing growing in my garden this summer.  The tomatoes were a little disappointing, and the insects got to my peppers, but if I don't check on my zucchini every day, they grow to gigantic proportions!  I prefer them smaller, because I think the taste is sweeter and, of course, the smaller ones don't have such big seeds.

So tonight my friend had a great idea as to how to use one of my zukes, which more than doubled in size on the vine after Sunday's storm.  It really is as simple as making cole slaw and adding ribbons of raw zucchini! Once again, we used a vegetable peeler to create thin ribbons, which add a nice texture to the slaw.  Carrots were shredded, as was a wedge of purple cabbage.  The dressing was easy, just a mixture of mayonnaise, spicy brown mustard, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a little agave for sweetness, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.  This is a pretty healthy slaw, and having a bit of mayo isn't so bad considering you are eating some healthy veggies with it, especially the raw cabbage!  We had this with barbecued chicken and some grilled sweet potato "fries", which were dusted with cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper.  The cool, slightly sweet zucchini slaw complemented the spicy potatoes really nicely.

I have plenty of zucchini left, and quite a few are still on the vine.  This recipe is a keeper, and I am thinking I will probably be making this again tomorrow! I will try to make the next batch well in advance, as the flavors come together better when it sits in the fridge for a while.

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)