Food Fact and Fitness Fridays: Crunchy Summer Slaw

Use up your summer produce while pleasing your company with this easy and palate- pleasing summer slaw.  Here the everyday, year-round carrot is married to the often overabundant summer zucchini.   Dates, added for their complimentary burst of robust sweetness, are the only exotic ingredient in the list and may easily be substituted for your favorite dried fruit.  Raisins are a recommended substitute. 

              







The most complicated part of this recipe is the shredding the carrots and zucchini in the Cuisine-Art.  Rarely do I relish the idea of deciphering just how to fit together all the right blades, special lids and bottom bowl etc, etc. necessary for the shredding process but this slaw is worth it! You might find that shredding really isn’t as bad as you had thought!  Pre-shredded carrots are available at most grocery stores if doing it yourself is not possible (or unthinkable!). 

 

Crunchy Summer Slaw
Created by Cathryn U

 Ingredients

·         5- 6 Cups carrots, shredded/grated ( approx. 3 large carrots)

·         1 cup Zucchini (any summer squash), shredded, grated

·         3 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Canola Oil ( depends on your flavor preference)

·         2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar

·         6 Dried Dates, (pits removed), chopped

·         ¼ tablespoon table salt

·         ½ teaspoon Black Pepper

·         ¼ teaspoon (or to taste) Turmeric  (optional)

·         ¼ cup Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

·         2 green onions, chopped

Procedure
1.       Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. (Yup, that’s it!).
2.       Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days (if it lasts that long!).   If you plan on “making it ahead” for a party or those  vacationing relatives  then just note that after 3 days the slaw will begin to lose its delightful “crunch”.   

Serving Options:

• Use as a stuffing for a lettuce or tortilla wrap as well as pita pocket.
• Serve as a side to a BBQ entrée.
• If consumed as a main course, add your favorite source of protein such as canned/chopped chicken or roasted almonds.

Eat well, Eat right, Eat fresh!

Recipe & photos copyright of Cathryn U and The Beauty of the Lord Blog.  Recipe & photos may be distributed if proper citation is given. 

Food Fact Friday: Beets

 One of summer's delights from the garden is the BEET.  For years I imagined that I disliked the colorful root veggie simply because I had one solitary experience of eating the canned, cafeteria variety. (You know what I am talking about?!). 

 Hardly a suitable introduction.

I discovered their true deliciousness after speaking with a customer at the Farm Store that I worked at during college.  She raved about roasting them.  Always up for a challenge (and desperately desiring to be able to answer all the other customers' constant questions of, "so how do you cook these and what do these taste like?”) tried my hand at roasting them.  The beet-cooking customer was right… roasted beets were fabulous!

 While they admittedly can acquire an almost gelatin-like softness when cooked for an extended period time, there also is wonderful caramelization that transpires during the oven-roasting process, especially if you add some canola or olive oil before roasting.  A soft sweetness comes to the surface.  Yes, beets are a keeper for summer fare as far as I am concerned and are now a “regular” at my table. 


But lets face it.  This is summer.  Who wants to have a 450F oven roasting away for 1 hour on a hot day? You might not mind as the results are worth it to you but the not-so-enthusiastic- Beet-Tolerators in your household might not agree.   
Enter crock pot…oh saver of time, energy and sweat (in this case, your sweat of having a hot oven on for a long period of time).    The results will not be quiet as caramelize-y as the roasted method but they still produce yummy beets.  I have a nifty mini crock pot that holds 4 – 5 small/medium beets.   I encourage you to give it a try using the instructions by clicking on the graphic above.  Enjoy!

Not sure what to do with them after  you've cooked them? Try this Pink Hummus recipe from one of my favorite RD blogs!