Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Pickled Cabbage Salad

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

You can make this fast and easy make-ahead salad with just a few simple ingredients. The sweet-sour combo is very refreshing on a hot day! Holds up well at picnics since it has no dairy items to worry about. Mix it up a little with red, green or yellow peppers!

Pickled Cabbage Salad

4 cups cabbage, shredded or chopped
1/2 cup diced peppers, red or green
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 cup sugar,
3/4 cup white vinegar
Salt and pepper
Add all the vegetables together in a large bowl, stir to mix.
Dissolve sugar in vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix vegetables and dressing together. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.
Stir to recoat all the vegetables. Remove salad to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon; reserve the dressing to use to refresh salad or for serving on the side.

Posted in cabbage, picnic, salad, side dish, Uncategorized | Tagged cabbage, everyday, pepper cabbage, picnic, picnic food, salad, side dish | 3 Comments

Greek Salad

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

The great things about Greek Salads are its quick, easy, and you just use a few ingredients. You can kick it up a notch and make your own dressing (recipe below). You can shake it up and change out the greens, swap the Kalamatas for black olives or green, use any kind of onions or no onions, anyway, you get the picture. Here’s a light version. I added sauteed chicken chunks but it works fine without them.
I used spring mix instead of traditional Romaine and tried fresh spring red onions, which are not as strong and tear free! A few Kalamatas, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and topped with feta. Yum! Oh yeah and the dressing!
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
dash (a little less then 1/8 teaspoon)oregano
salt and pepper

Posted in cucumbers, quick and easy, salad, side dish, What's For Dinner? | Tagged chicken, condiments, cucumbers, everyday, feta, food, fresh ingredients, fsrm, Greek, Greek salad, olive oil, olives, quick and easy, side dish, tomatoes | 3 Comments

Smokey Braised Red Cabbage

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

Smokey Braised Red Cabbage
Braising is nothing more than quick searing then cooking something slowly partially covered in liquid. This technique brings out the sweetness in vegetables like cabbage. It is also works on tougher cuts of meat. I use Gala, Fuji or Braeburn apples for added sweetness that can stand up to slow cooking. McIntosh or Granny Smith work well too, but no bonus sweetness!
6 cups shredded red cabbage
1 medium onion sliced thin
1/2 pound bacon (pork or turkey), cooked and chopped
1 apple, sliced thin
1 cup vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons butter (or reserved bacon fat if you dare)
Salt and pepper
Place butter in a large skillet. Add cabbage and sauté over med-high heat for about 5 minutes or until cabbage starts to “sweat”.
Stir in bacon and onion, reduce heat to medium and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add broth and apples. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is soft and tender. Add additional broth during cooking time if needed.
Serve alone as an entree or use as a side dish.

Posted in dinner, everyday, food, main dish, side dish, skillet, What's For Dinner? | Tagged braise, cabbage, farm, fresh ingredients, main dish, olive oil, side dish, skillet | 3 Comments

Asian Style Meatloaf

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

Asian Style Meatloaf
Who says meatloaf needs is boring? It’s all about what you put into it. I like trying different combinations and flavors.
Take Asian influence for example. Hoisin sauce, soy and even garlic-chili sauce like sriracha takes meatloaf to a whole ‘nother level!
Asian Style Meatloaf
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound loose pork sausage (or remove casings)
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Asian BBQ sauce (recipe below)
4 Tablespoons green onion, thinly sliced

Sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon ketchup or Sriracha hot sauce

Combine turkey, pork, Asian BBQ sauce (1/4 cup), breadcrumbs, 2 Tablespoons green onion together. Form into a loaf and set in loaf pan or casserole dish.

Brush all sides of the meatloaf with remaining sauce. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tablespoons of onion over the top of the meatloaf. Discard unused sauce.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove and cut slices about 1/2-inch apart into the loaf. Cover pan and continue baking until meat is thoroughly cooked (about 15 minutes).

Serve and enjoy!