*Improvised Gravy*
Makes about 360ml (1 1/2 cups)
360ml beef or chicken broth or stock (1 1/2 cups)
leftover drippings or butter |
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query coleslaw. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query coleslaw. Sort by date Show all posts
I have always been a huge lover of salads and of coleslaw in general. I never tire of them, and if they are quick and easy to make, so much the better.
That is the way with this crunchy cashew slaw salad recipe I am sharing with you today. Not only is it very quick and easy to make, but it is incredibly delicious!
I know I say that about everything I cook and make, but its true. It is delicious. Its a fabulous combination of all things crunchy, salty, sweet and tangy!
Plus it only uses six (if you count all the nuts and seeds as one) basic ingredients. It makes for a great mid-week salad for the whole family, filled with plenty of color, fiber and crunch!
The recipe is one which I adapted from a cookbook I have by Gooseberry Patch, entitled Best Church Suppers and is attributed to Lori Comer of North Carolina.
I have always loved the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. I used to have quite a few of them. I can remember when they put out a lovely catalogue a few times a year filled with sweet little illustrations and the company used to sell all sorts of things besides cookbooks.
I loved their catalogues.
I cut the original recipe in half today because I just did not need 12 servings of anything. I will save the full recipe for sometime when I have a potluck or some such to go to. God willing we will not be restricted from gathering for too much longer.
Who would have ever thought that this would carry on for more than two years? I can remember at the beginning of the pandemic I thought maybe six months or so at most. I think we all did.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CRUNCHY CASHEW SLAW
Very simple ingredients that can be as complicated or as uncomplicated as you wish.
- 8 ounces (226g) of coleslaw mix (grated cabbage and carrot)
- 1 package chicken flavored ramen noodles
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
- 1/2 cup (55g) roasted cashew halves
- 1/2 cup (55g) shelled sunflower seeds
If you are not able to get the ready made coleslaw mix where you live (and I can appreciate it is not available everywhere) then you can very easily make your own. Just shred cabbage and carrot in the same measure.
I would use 1/3 carrot to 2/3 cabbage. I do not recommend using anything other than the white/hard cabbage for this. Red cabbage would dye everything an unsightly color.
Ramen noodles are those square packages of instant noodles that you see in the stores. They come in a lot of different flavors. Some spicy some not so spicy.
You will need the chicken ones for this recipe and you will also be using the flavor packet which is included.
I used Chinese rice wine vinegar in this. You can use just plain white vinegar. It will work just as well.
I like to use light olive oil, but you can use canola oil if you wish. I also have a confession to make here. I used a one to one sugar substitute in this as I am a diabetic. Swerve granulated sugar. It works very well.
Also I used salted cashew nuts and unsalted sunflower seeds.
HOW TO MAKE CRUNCHY CASHEW SLAW
Nothing could be easier. This goes together in a flash, especially if you are using a prepared package of coleslaw mix. Otherwise you will need to take the time to shred your own, but even so, that doesn't take too long.
Place the coleslaw mix in a bowl. Crush the noodles from the packet of ramen and add them to the coleslaw. Reserve the seasoning packet.
Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar and reserved seasoning mix.
Pour this dressing over the coleslaw/noodle mix in the bowl and toss to combine. Cover and chill for two hours. (Don't chill it overnight as the noodles become soggy.)
When you are ready to serve add the cashew halves and the sunflower seeds, tossing to mix them in well. Serve immediately.
It is not recommended that you make this much more than a few hours ahead of time as the noodles will soften in the dressing. That doesn't really bother me overly much however, and so I am just as happy with this the second day as I am on the first day!
Its all a matter of taste I guess! Crusty bread goes very well with this as well. It also makes an excellent side dish for a week night supper and I will be honest, I enjoy it in a packed lunch, but again, I don't mind soggy noodles.
There are a lot of versions of this salad out there. You can add all sorts of things. I have even seen it with mayonnaise added. Spring onions go well.
I like it in this very basic version myself. It quick, easy and delicious. That works for me on every level!!
Cashew Slaw
Yield: 5 to 6
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 5 M
Simple to make and scrumptious. I could eat a bowl full of this and nothing else. It is crunchy, salty, sweet, yummy.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226g) of coleslaw mix (grated cabbage and carrot)
- 1 package chicken flavored ramen noodles
- 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) light olive oil
- 1/2 cup (55g) roasted cashew halves
- 1/2 cup (55g) shelled sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Place the coleslaw mix in a bowl. Crush the noodles from the packet of ramen and add them to the coleslaw. Reserve the seasoning packet.
- Whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar and reserved seasoning mix.
- Pour this dressing over the coleslaw/noodle mix in the bowl and toss to combine.
- Cover and chill for two hours. (Don't chill it overnight as the noodles become soggy.)
- When you are ready to serve add the cashew halves and the sunflower seeds, tossing to mix them in well. Serve immediately.
When the children were growing up, during the time we lived in New Brunswick, we often drove across the border into Houlton Maine where we would go shopping. This was really exciting for me because they had a Wal Mart there and Wal Mart hadn't yet made its way into Canada. I have always loved grocery shopping in the US.
We would leave our home early in the morning and not get back home until the evening. This meant that we also used to go to the Elmwood Diner in Houlton for a hearty lunch. This diner was exactly what you would expect for a small town diner. The walls were covered with their dining specials handwritten out on paper place-mats. The place was always super busy and the food was always super good. I don't think it is in operation any longer, sadly.
Every time we went my ex husband would order their Turkey Club Platter, which involved a turkey club sandwich, fries and coleslaw. I think you could get any kind of potato you wanted with it actually. He always wanted the fries.
I used to get either fish and chips, or a roast turkey dinner. Those are my two favourite things when dining out, and nobody does them better than diners do.
I decided to recreate that dining experience today for Todd. He has been working really hard in the garden and I thought he would enjoy the treat.
I don't know many people who wouldn't enjoy a club sandwich . . . its like a double decker sandwich on 3 slices of mayo spread toasted bread . . .
with layers of sliced cooked turkey, sliced ripe tomatoes, cheese . . .
lettuce, crisp streaky bacon, sliced ham and more cheese . . .
I even made some coleslaw to go with it, only today I made a vinaigrette coleslaw. That way the leftovers could be kept easily in the refrigerator, and I thought there was enough mayo in the meal with just the sandwich.
A coleslaw vinaigrette makes a nice change every now and again. I will confess I am not fond of the coleslaw over here in the UK. Its too gloopy and overloaded with mayo. They don't do it well in my opinion. There is such a thing as TOO much of a good thing, and they way over do the dressing.
Speaking of overdoing it . . . boy can you tell we are senior citizens now . . . one sandwich would have fed the two of us amply . . .
Neither of us could get through a whole thing. The most we managed was half a sandwich each and we never touched the pan fries. (Not to worry, I have an idea for those for tomorrow, watch this space.)
In any case this little taste of home put a smile on my face today and pleased Todd to no end!
Turkey Club Sandwich
Yield: 2
A favourite Diner restaurant special. Served with home fries and a coleslaw on the side, it always goes down a real treat!
ingredients:
- 6 slices of sandwich bread, toasted
- 4 TBS real mayonnaise
- 4 ounces sliced deli turkey
- 4 ounces sliced deli ham
- 4 slices Jarlsberg cheese or your favourite cheese
- 6 slices cooked streaky bacon
- 2 tomatoes thinly sliced
- shredded lettuce
For the coleslaw vinaigrette
- 1/4 head of white cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 medium carrots, peeled
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1 TBS fine white sugar
- 80 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp dry parsley flakes
- freshly ground black pepper
instructions:
How to cook Turkey Club Sandwich
- First make the coleslaw. Combine all of the vegetables in a bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard and seasonings. Heat in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Whisk to melt the sugar. Pour over the vegetables in the bowl and toss together. Set aside to macerate while you make the sandwiches.
- Arrange two slices of the toasted bread on a cutting board. Spread with some of the mayonnaise. Top each with 1/2 of the sliced turkey and 4 slices of tomato. (You can season the tomato with salt and pepper if you wish.) Top each with another slice of toast, which you have spread with some of the mayonnaise on both sides. Divide the shredded lettuce between the two and top each with 3 slices of streaky bacon. Divide the ham between the two and then top with a final slice of cheese. Spread one side of the remaining toast with the remainder of the mayonnaise and place mayonnaise side down on top of each sandwich. Press down lightly. Cut into quarters. You may need to secure each quarter together with a tooth pick.
- Place sandwiches onto each of two dinner platters/plates. Serve with a side of the coleslaw and some pan fried potatoes if you wish. (Potato chips are also very good.)
Something happens to you when you get older. You just can't eat like you used to. I can remember when it was nothing to polish off one of these and a piece of pie to boot! Not anymore, that's for sure. I leave that kind of eating to the younger generation these days!
I had in mind the other day to make some Fish Finger Tacos. I got everything ready to go and realised I didn't have any flour tortillas, and so I did what every capable cook does, I improvised. I had some finger buns in the house and so I turned them into sandwiches instead, with most excellent results!! We both really enjoyed these and they made a change from our regular fish finger sandwiches, The World's Best Fish Finger Buttie!
We liked them every bit as much which is saying a lot, as my other ones are plenty delicious, let me tell you!
I like to use Cod fish fingers, made from sustainable cod. I also like to use the larger ones versus the smaller ones as you get more cod per finger and less breading/coating. You also don't get as many in a pack, but that's okay with us. If you would rather use the smaller ones, then by all means do so!
I popped them onto a baking sheet and sprinkled them with taco seasoning to give them a bit of a spark. This works great for anything like that which you want to add extra flavour to. Just sprinkle on your favourite seasoning mix . . . for tacos, (and these sandwiches) I used taco seasoning. You can make your own, or use a purchased mix.
I had made a spicy coleslaw for use in the tacos, so I thought, why not use it in a sandwich? I use coleslaw in my Crispy Chicken Sandwiches, and my BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, so why not here! Coleslaw on a sandwich is a very good thing!
This coleslaw is flavoured with a spicy mayo . . . this is where some of that taco seasoning comes in handy again. I also added lime juice and zest for a bit of a punch/tartness. YUM!
I also added some spicy guacamole. You could use already made, but its very easy to make a simple one yourself by mashing together some garlic, avocado pear, chopped tomato and some more of that lime juice.
Once the fish fingers are done, I sprinkled them with some grated cheese and popped them back into the oven briefly to melt the cheese while I toasted the buns on the cut edges.
I piled the coleslaw and guacamole onto the toasted buns and then topped them with the cheese coated spicy fish fingers.
These were fabulous!! We both really enjoyed them a lot. I was really happy that didn't let myself become daunted by not having any tortillas to fly with my original idea, and Todd was happy that I didn't make him go to the store to get some. (In all truth, I have pretty much given up on sending him to the store for anything but simple things like milk and bread. He always comes back with the wrong thing. No lie.)
We couldn't wait to tuck in and we were not disappointed in the least. Each mouthful was more delicious than the last. I found myself wishing I had made a few more. (I only made two. I do that a lot because there are only two of us.)
I think we both could very easily have enjoyed a second helping of one of these tasty sandwiches!
You could of course serve some potato chips or tortilla chips on the side with dips, and you could spoon salsa on top of these sandwiches if you were so inclined. We were happy with them just as they were, and I think you will be too!
*Spicy Fish Finger Sandwiches*
Serves 4
Quick,
easy and delicious. You won't use the whole envelope of taco seasoning,
but don't worry about it. You can clip it shut and use it again another
time.
8 thick cod fish fingers
1 envelope of taco seasoning mix
4 TBS mayonnaise
the zest and juice of one lime, divided
1/2 small cabbage, trimmed, cored and hand shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 avocado, peeled, and pitted
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
4 large bread rolls
8 TBS grated strong cheddar cheese
Preheat your oven according to the package
directions for the fish fingers. Sprinkle each fish finger with a small
amount of taco seasoning and place onto a baking sheet. Pop into the
preheated oven and bake according to the package directions.
While
the fish fingers are baking make the coleslaw and guacamole. To make
the coleslaw, mix together the mayonnaise with 2 TBS of the taco
seasoning mix and half of the juice and lime zest. To make the
guacamole, mash the avocado roughly, adding a pinch of salt and the
crushed garlic. Stir in the tomatoes and remaining lime zest and juice.
(you can also add some chopped fresh coriander if you have it, about 1
TBS of it.)
Split the bread rolls and toast
lightly under a hot grill or broiler. When the fish fingers are done
sprinkle some cheese on top of each and then pop the tray back in the
oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Fish fingers are one of those things I always have in my freezer. They come in really handy for things like this, for last minute impromptu meals when you just can't be asked to cook, and children really love them. We happen to love them too. (Don't judge me, lol) Something new for Fish Friday??? Why not! Bon Appetit!
Going out for one of these was always a real treat. With tender roasted meat with gravy between two thick slices of white bread with more gravy ladled over top, they would be served up hot, on large platters, with plenty of hot chips, veg and coleslaw on the side. You could also have gravy on your chips (fries), or not as per your choice. In Canada we love gravy on our chips, and here in the UK, they also like gravy on their chips, or curry sauce. (Something I have yet to try.)
I had some leftover roast chicken today and so I made us Hot Chicken Sandwiches for a change, instead of the usual casserole. Of course with there only being two of us and with neither of us having huge appetites these days, we basically only each ha half of a sandwich, along with the suggested trimmings. It looks like rather a lot, but we only ever use a sandwich plate for our meals these days, never a full dinner plate. And it is plenty for us.
2 TBS of appropriate stock
about 720ml (3 cups) of hot leftover or fresh gravy 
Good chips/fries are a must! If you want to make your own from scratch this is a cracking recipe. You can also use oven chips. I like the crinkle ones in that case, or if you are really lucky and have a chippy close by, you can just send hubby out to pick up a large portion of chips. By the time you have the remaining elements ready, he'll be back and you'll be set to go!
There
are two things you need for perfect chips. One a really good potato.
You want a nice floury one, such as a Maris Piper. You cannot make good
chips with new potatoes. Old ones are best. Second you want to start
with pure hard fat or dripping, preferably an animal fat. Third . . .
patience. Good chips require several cookings. The first is a quick
poaching in lightly salted water. . Let them cool and then fry for
about five minutes just until cooked through, then a final fry in hotter
fat to brown and finish cooking. See . . . patience.
a good solid fat to half fill your pan when melted
a frying thermometer
a frying thermometer
I added a dollop of cranberry sauce to the top of mine . . . coz I'm crazy like that, and I love cranberry sauce with both roast chicken and turkey. You will want a nice gravy to serve with your hot sandwiches. You can of course use Bisto granules and make it that way, but if you have leftover drippings, etc. its really quite easy to make a better tasting gravy from scratch!
2 TBS plain flour
360ml pan juices, broth, water, wine or a combination ( 1 1/2 cups)
Coleslaw is a must. You won't get any meal at a diner in North America, that doesn't come with a small container of coleslaw on the side. At some places it might be a vinaigrette coleslaw, but more often than not it will be a delicious creamy slaw. Just like this.
*Creamy Coleslaw*
Serves 8 to 10A deliciously cream coleslaw that has just the right amount of crunch and flavour! There is no sogginess here!!
10 ounces of white cabbage, trimmed, cored and very thinly cut
(about 1/2 of a medium cabbage)
5 ounces of carrots, peeled, trimmed and julienned
(1 medium carrot)
4 inches of an English Cucumber, trimmed, seeded and cut into small dice
(Do not peel)
2 - 3 large dessertspoons of good quality mayonnaise
1 TBS of Dijon mustard
2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp celery salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder
Place the vegetables into a large bowl. Whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, sugar, celery salt, black pepper and onion powder. Mix well. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.
Note - the amount of mayonnaise you use depends on the cabbage, some cabbages take more mayonnaise than others. It also depends on how creamy you like your coleslaw!
Of course there may be times when you don't have any leftover gravy, or even gravy granules, but don't worry! That doesn't mean you can't still make a delicious gravy as this next recipe proves quite deliciously! Adapted from a recipe found in the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. (So you know that it just has to be good!)
This isn't something which we have very often, maybe only once a year. Back in the day I could eat a whole one of these sandwiches, and then a polished of a slice of cream pie as well. Mind you, back in the day I was a very busy and active mother of five. Things change . . . Bon Appetit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons