Creative Cooks

Fried Cabbage and Bacon Slaw
Yield: serves 6-8

Ingredients

12 ounce package of smoked bacon
1 small head green cabbage, outer leaves removed and cored
1 small yellow onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced.
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in small dice
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Cook the bacon until crisp, and drain. Reserve the grease, and crumble the bacon. Halve or quarter the cabbage and shred it finely.
In a large skillet or wok, heat 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease and sauté the onion and carrot for a few minutes until softened. Add 2 to 3 more tablespoons of grease, and add the shredded cabbage along with half of the cooked bacon, and stir fry until the cabbage starts to brighten in color, turn glossy, and soften. This will only take a few minutes, but you can customize your slaw by cooking it a little less or more than this. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the slaw hot or warm, topped with the rest of the crumbled bacon.
Leftover slaw stored in the refrigerator will stiffen due to the bacon grease. Bring the slaw to room temperature or heat it briefly in the microwave before serving.

Make it your own

Make it tangy - the flavor is amazing as is, but you can, if you like, hit the slaw with a little vinegar at the end of cooking. This gives it a nice tang.
Make it with other meats - leftover corned beef, ham, pancetta, or sausage.
Make it with red cabbage.
Make it with classic coleslaw spices - You could also use onion and garlic powder, celery seed, caraway seeds or a little mustard.

Cauliflower English Muffins (GF)

Ingredients

5 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 pound)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
⅛ teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cauliflower in a food processor. Process until finely grated. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely and microwave on High for 3 minutes. Let cool slightly. Transfer the cauliflower to a clean kitchen towel and wring out excess moisture. Return to the bowl and stir in Cheddar, egg and salt until thoroughly combined. Place a 3-inch biscuit cutter on the prepared baking sheet. Fill the cutter with about ¼ cup of the batter, patting down slightly in the mold. Repeat with the remaining batter, leaving about 1 inch between each one, until you have 8 "muffins." Bake until browned and crispy around the edges, about 25 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings or use to make a breakfast sandwich.

PAN ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS SUBZI WITH CUMIN AND MUSTARD SEEDS
PREP TIME 10 mins COOK TIME 20 mins TOTAL TIME 30 mins Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS
1 tsp oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp black mustard seeds
6 to 8 fresh or frozen curry leaves (optional)
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
2 to 3 cups Brussels sprouts, tough stems removed and halved or quartered
2 tsp or more sesame seeds
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala (optional)
¼ tsp turmeric
Cayenne to taste
½ tsp salt or to taste
¼ cup water
Cilantro and lemon for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add cumin and mustard seeds and cook until they change color or start to pop.
Add curry leaves, garlic and chili carefully. Cook for a minute.
Add Brussels sprouts and toss well. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until some edges get golden brown. Stir once or twice in between.
Add sesame seeds, mix in and cook for a minute.
Add ground spices, salt and mix in and cook for a minute.
Add ¼ cup or more water. Cover and cook for 7 to 9 minutes. This will steam the sprouts.
Taste and adjust salt and heat. Add a dash of lemon and cilantro and serve with your favorite Indian meal or Buddha Bowl.

NOTES
For variation: add shredded fresh or dried coconut with sesame seeds

Black Radishes with Truffle Oil & Caramelized Onions
Serves 2

Ingredients

5 black radishes
1 medium sweet onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons black truffle oil
Crumbled sharp cheddar cheese (to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh chives
salt and pepper

Directions

Prep Your Ingredients: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Scrub the black radishes and trim off the tops and the bottoms and quarter. Peel, halve, and thinly slice the onion. Finely chop the chives.
Brown the Onions: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. When hot and just shimmering, add the sliced onions. Stirring regularly, continue to cook the onions for about thirty minutes or until they’ve caramelized and are golden brown.
Cook the Radishes: Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and add the radishes. Season with salt and pepper and coat the radishes with oil and cook in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the bottoms and tender.
Truffles: Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and add the onions back to the pan and combine with the radishes over medium heat. Add half the chives and stir to combine. Drizzle with two teaspoons of truffle oil. Remove the skillet from the heat and crumble half of the cheese into the skillet. Stir quickly to combine.
Plate it Up: Spoon the radishes into a serving dish and top with the remaining chives and crumbled cheese. Enjoy!

Grilled Balsamic Mushrooms
Yields: 4 servings Prep Time: 0 hours 15 mins Total Time: 0 hours 35 mins

Ingredients
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/2" thick
Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and pepper. Add mushrooms and marinate 20 minutes. Presoak wooden skewers in water while mushrooms marinate.
Heat grill to medium-high. Skewer mushrooms and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Garnish with parsley before serving.

General Tso’s Cauliflower
Total Time Prep: 25 min. Cook: 20 min. Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Oil for deep-fat frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup club soda
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (about 6 cups)

SAUCE:
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable broth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 to 6 dried pasilla or other hot chilies, chopped
3 green onions, white part minced, green part thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
4 cups hot cooked rice

Directions

In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. Stir in club soda just until blended (batter will be thin). Dip florets, a few at a time, into batter and fry until cauliflower is tender and coating is light brown, 8-10 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
For sauce, whisk together the first six ingredients; whisk in cornstarch until smooth.
In a large saucepan, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add chilies; cook and stir until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add white part of onions, garlic, ginger and orange zest; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir soy sauce mixture; add to saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 2-4 minutes.
Add cauliflower to sauce; toss to coat. Serve with rice; sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions.


Tips
Make certain your oil is hot enough when frying to ensure a crisp, not soggy, result. We recommend testing the temperature of the oil with a kitchen thermometer, as the settings on fryers are often pretty inaccurate.
Adjusting the spice-heat level of this recipe is super simple; just use more or fewer hot chilies. If you are highly sensitive to spiciness, omit the pepper entirely.

Cacio e Pepe Roasted Cauliflower
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Total Time: 35 mins Yield: 2 to 4 people

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
3 tablespoons melted butter
½ to 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
½ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. I do not use foil or parchment for this - I feel that it compromises the crispness of the vegetables.
Drizzle the butter over the florets, then toss them well so all of them are covered. Sprinkle with the black pepper and toss. Cover with the pecorino cheese, tossing again.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cauliflower is golden and roasted and the cheese is crisp on the baking sheet. Remove the pain and do an additional sprinkle of cheese. Let the pan sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Lift the cauliflower and crisped cheese off the sheet and onto a platter. Serve!

Note: pecorino is super salty so do not use salt in this recipe. If you feel that you need it, add a sprinkle of salt when roasting!

Colcannon Potatoes
Total Time Prep: 25 min. Cook: 35 min. Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

1 medium head cabbage (about 2 pounds), shredded
4 pounds medium potatoes (about 8), peeled and quartered
2 cups whole milk
1 cup chopped green onions
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
Minced fresh parsley
Crumbled cooked bacon

Directions

Place cabbage and 2 cups water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid; keep cabbage warm in separate dish.
In same pan, combine potatoes and reserved cooking liquid. Add additional water to cover potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, place milk, green onions, salt and pepper in a small saucepan; bring just to a boil and remove from heat.
Drain potatoes; place in a large bowl and mash. Add milk mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in cabbage. To serve, drizzle with butter; top with parsley and bacon.