Quick Cabbage Salad

This is a salad that can be put together in under 15 minutes. 

This salad has simple ingredients but a complex flavor. 

[It actually took me longer to write this than to make the salad itself.]

whole cabbage / thinly sliced cabbage

Ingredients:

One head of cabbage – thinly sliced

¼ cup oil

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup vinegar

3 Tablespoons soya sauce

4 Tablespoons sesame seeds

4 Tablespoons crushed almond slivers

Preparation:

• Thinly slice the whole cabbage
• Place the sliced cabbage in a large bowl.

Large Serving Bowl
(filled with Sliced Cabbage)

• Add the oil, sugar and vinegar into a small sauce pan
• Heat the mixture until the sugar is melted and the mixture starts to bubble.
• (If you microwave be sure the sugar melts).

Bubbling Liquids

• Pour this hot mixture directly over the cabbage (the cabbage will soften a bit).
• Gently mix to coat the cabbage. 
• Add the soy sauce, sesame seeds and almonds.

sesame seeds and almonds added to cabbage coated with hot mixture.

• Mix to coat again.
  

Quick Cabbage Salad

Optional additions: At the risk of changing the flavor completely, you can also add dry cranberries, crushed walnuts or quick shake of red pepper flakes.

EGGS IN A "SPECIAL" NEST

My daughters suggested that I share this recipe because it is fast, tasty and quick to prepare. It is one of their favorite meals.

The recipe that follows is the basic concept – you only have to use your imagination to bump it up. 

You can bump up the basic recipe by adding or replacing the cheese or different combinations thereof. You can add sauces such as tomato, pesto, or even ketchup.

You can also add sliced olives, mushrooms or dry tomatoes.

EGGS IN A "SPECIAL" NEST

[Rating – fast and easy]

[Preparation time: 10 minutes or less]

Cooking time will vary depending on whether you are using a broiler, toaster oven or standard oven.

Basic Ingredients (2 servings):                                              

2 pita breads

2 eggs

Sliced cheese (thinly sliced)

(Mozzarella, Gouda, Brie, Gorgonzola, Jarlsberg, Blue cheese or even Camembert)

Pita and Eggs

Assorted cheeses (cherry tomatoes)

Preparation:

• Line a large cookie sheet with foil (do not oil the pan).
• Pre-heat your broiler (or toaster oven).
• To create the Nest - use a sharp knife and carefully cut out a disk from the top layer of the pita, be careful not to pierce the bottom layer and leave bit of a lip around the pita. [The lip all around the edge of the pita will prevent the egg from dripping out of the Nest.]

Prepared Pita "Nest"

• On the cut-out disk you can place a slice of cheese (you can also add ketchup or tomato sauce underneath the cheese).
• In the Nest place a slice of cheese (you can also add tomato sauce or ketchup under this layer if you like).
• Then break the egg into the Nest – here you have the option of leaving it whole or giving it a little wiggle until it spreads over the inside of the pita (don't let it spill over the edge). [salt and pepper to taste]

 Pita covered with raw egg

•  Broil or bake about 6 to 10 minutes until the egg is cooked.

Keep it simple

 Or Bump It Up

Nut Cookies

When I was first given the recipe for the original version of these cookies I was skeptical about how they would turn out - I had never made "cookies" without flour, oil or butter and at least one whole egg.

The original version did not have a tablespoon of vanilla sugar or chocolate chips.

The nuts and seeds used in the recipe are unsalted.

Substitutions:
Keep the sesame seeds. You can use walnuts, raisins, dry cranberries, cashews or almond slivers instead of any of the other seeds depending on what you have in the closet.
The key is that the bulk amount of dry ingredients should be around 450 grams or 3 cups when you are using 2 egg whites.

Enjoy - hope you find these as easy to make as I did - I am looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

 Nut Cookies

pistachio nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds



[Preparation time: 15 min + baking 20 minutes + cooling 10 minutes]

Ingredients:                                                 

 150 gr sesame seeds             [~1 cup]

 100 gr sunflower seeds         [~½ cup]

 100 gr pumpkin seeds           [~½ cup]

100 gr pistachio nuts            [~½ cup]

(Do not roast the nuts before baking).

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup chocolate chips

 1 envelope vanilla sugar (optional) about 1 tablespoon

 2 egg whites 

Preparation:

Prepare 2 cookie sheets by covering them with parcement paper (no oil needed).

Preheat your oven to  180°C / 350°F.

Mix all the ingredients except the egg whites in a medium size bowl.

Then add the egg whites.

Mix until all the nuts are well coated.

Using a teaspoon place generous amounts of the mixture and place on the cookie sheets lined with parcement paper. (These cookies don't spread so they can be placed fairly close together; see photographs below.)

Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 15 minutes; if the cookies are not beginning to brown slightly then let them bake for another 5 minutes.

Cool for about 20 minutes then gently peel them off the parcement paper.

Makes approximately 30-40 cookies depending on size.



Before Baking




After Baking