Red Cabbage Slaw
1/2 red cabbage, shredded
1/2 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp oil
1 T white vinegar

Toss the cabbage and onions with oil and vinegar. Add more vinegar to taste. Serve cold.

Greek Salad
1 cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
2 c spinach, torn
2 c romaine, torn
1/4 – 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled or diced
1 small onion, sliced
a handful of black olives (Kalamata FTW)

Lemon Dressing
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp pepper

Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small covered container combine and shake/mix the dressing ingredients. Add dressing to salad and toss.

Excuse the crappy cell phone picture, I will endeavor to replace it soon but wanted to post a new recipe because, well, it’s been too long. I make a fair amount of Asian-inspired food. Whether it’s my Black Bean Salmon or my Kung Po Chicken; something is usually steaming in my wok once a week. Unfortunately I’ve always had a hard time pairing a good green vegetable side dish with my Asian creations. Imagine the conundrum I face internally when not only am I going to eat some evil soy products and a buttload of life-shortening white rice, but if I don’t even have something green next to it? Quelle horreur! The following fantasticly delish and retardedly easy salad is a blessing to my healthy conscience. It’s not exactly health food with two tablespoons of sugar in the dressing, but overall the good outweighs the bad in this salad – and I’m done obsessing over miniscule amounts of anything in my food.

Asian Green Salad
1/4 cup oil (better with a light-tasting oil, like sunflower or peanut)
1/4 cup asian vinegar (lots to choose from, I like the Japanese seasoned stuff)
2 Tbsp brown sugar

6 cups romaine lettuce or mixed greens
1 cucumber, sliced (peeled and seeded if that’s how you roll)
a handfull of chow mein noodles
a handfull or two of cashews

Mix the oil, vinegar, and brown sugar in a small bowl until the sugar has disolved. Toss the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and then pour the dressing over the salad and toss to mix. Serve immediately, because the noodles will go soft after a while (though some may like this).

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors combine.

Makes 8 Servings (each serving is about 1 cup)

8 oz dry Soba noodles
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/8 c fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Dressing:
1 Tbsp hot chili sesame oil
2 Tbsp dark rice vinegar
2 Tbsp mirin
1/8 tsp sea salt

Cook the pasta according to package directions; rinse and drain. If you are pressed for time you can run cold water over the noodles to chill them.

In a medium bowl, toss the cooked noodles with vegetables and sesame seeds.

Combine the ingrediets for dressing in a small bowl, then pour over noodle mixture and toss well. Serve chilled.

1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c shoyu
5 tbsp honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne

Place all the ingredients in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine. Refrigerate. Good as a salad dressing or marinade for mushrooms and veggies.

1 1/2 c Seashell pasta
1 (12 ounce) pkg Imitation crabmeat
1 Small green bell pepper, diced
1 Sweet onion, diced
1/2 c Diced black olives
5 Radishes, diced
1 Tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 c Diagonally sliced celery
3/4 c Mayonnaise
1 T White vinegar
1 t Lemon juice
1/2 pkt Artificial sweetener
1/2 t Garlic powder
1/2 t Dried dill weed
1/2 t Dried basil
1/2 t Dried oregano

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; rinse with cold water and drain.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, artificial sweetener, garlic powder, dill, basil and oregano, adjusting seasonings to suit your taste.

Add the pasta to the dressing and toss to coat. Add the crab, green pepper, onion, olives, radishes, tomato and celery and gently fold into the salad mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

8 oz peeled cooked potatoes, cubed
3 Tbsp minced onion
1 1/2 t white wine vinegar
1/4 t salt
2/3 cup cottage cheese, sieved
1 T plus 1 t low fat mayonaise
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1/2 t dijon mustard
dash hot sauce
2 eggs, hard cooked and chopped
2 parsley sprigs

In a bowl toss potatoes with onion, vinegar, and salt. In a small bowl combine cottage cheese, mayonaise, parsley, mustard, and hot sauce. Spoon cottage cheese mixture over potatoes; add eggs and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Garnish with parsley sprigs.

Per serving: 262 calories, 18g protein, 11g fat, 22g carbohydrate, 756 mg sodium

1 Large egg
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 T Fresh lemon juice
1 t Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 c Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/3 c Olive oil
1 Head romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
1-2 c Croutons

Place the egg in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain the egg and cool under running water. Peel.

In large heavy bowl, mash the garlic and egg together. Beat in the lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Slowly beat in the cheese and olive oil.

Toss the lettuce and croutons with the dressing. Serve immediately.

8 oz Small pasta (shells)
1 T Vegetable oil
2 Cucumbers, sliced
1 Onion, sliced
1 1/2 c Sugar
1 c Water
3/4 c Vinegar
1 T Prepared mustard
1 T Parsley
1 t Salt
1 t Pepper
1 t Garlic powder/salt

Cook pasta according to package, drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a
large bowl, stir in oil, cucumber and onions. Combine remaining
ingredients, pour over salad and toss. Cover and chill for 3-4 hours,
stirring occassionally. Serve with a slotted spoon.