Peanut Cole Slaw (non mayonnaise based)

There is a restaurant in downtown Chicago that makes this peanut cole slaw. I don't like cole slaw, but I gobble this stuff down and so does my mom. I found a recreation of it online and made it for my mom to surprise her. Success! (by the way, the restaurant is called Bandera)

The recipe did not say how many servings it makes, but it made A LOT, so I'd recommend cutting this in half the first time unless you're serving more than 2 people. Also, I don't like cilantro, but I still love this recipe!

Peanut Cole Slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced in thin strips
1/4 head purple cabbage, sliced in thin strips
1/2 jicama sliced in thin strips
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (depending on your preference)
1/4 to 1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Mix all ingredients above and toss with vinaigrette. Let sit for one hour.

For the vinaigrettte:
Add all the ingredients in a food processor and grind.

1/2 cup peanut oil. If peanut oil flavor is not strong, add 1/4 cup roasted peanuts to the vinaigrette mix before grinding. Do not use sesame oil
Juice of 1/2 lime or 1/4 lemon
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp sugar
1 green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsely depending on preference
1/2 tsp salt

Crunchy Beef Wraps

This is a great quick weeknight dinner. It has some off the wall ingredients, but in the end they all work together. It takes about 20- 25 minutes to make! I got this recipe from my favorite book, Fast fix, family food by BHG. Of course, I tweaked it a bit.

Ingredients
8 8inch flour tortillas
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped red or green onion (I used red)
2 cups packages shredded cabbage with carrots (coleslaw mix)
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Barbecue sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stack tortillas and wrap in foil. Heat in the oven for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until meat is brown. Drain well.
3. Stir in cabbage mix and corn. Cover; cook about 4 minutes or until vegetable are tender, stirring once.
   
4. Stir in barbecue sauce and sesame oil. Cook and stir until heated through.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup filling onto each tortilla.
   
6. If desired, serve with additional barbecue sauce. (I didn't do this)

* I had some leftover black beans, so I put in about 1/2 cup on them in at the same time as the corn. It was good, I may continue to add them.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

So I'm figuring that everyone has a recipe for this, but I thought it might be nice to have on the blog in case you can't find your recipe or are looking for something different. I got this recipe from a Taste of Home magazine last year.


Ingredients
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
4 large red potatoes, quartered
1 pound baby carrots
3 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 corned beef brisket with spice packet (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut in half
1 small head of cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Places onion, potatoes and carrots in a 5-qt. slow cooker.
   
2. Combine the water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper, and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables.
3. Top with brisket and cabbage.
4. Cover and cook on low from 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetable are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

6-8 servings