Fully Loaded

This Broccoli Slaw/Salad is fully loaded. It has so much going for it that it's hard to put it into a single category: slaw, salad, side dish, full-meal deal. The dressing has a nice surprise of using the dried spice ground fennel (sometimes labeled as ground anise). A lot of slaw recipes I have do call for thinly shaved fennel so interesting to still incorporate it, but in the dried variety. Another nice surprise is the flax seed oil in the dressing. As you likely know by now, I like to incorporate this oil in my diet, but need to camoflauge it because I can't stand the taste! There is quite a bit of chopping involved with this recipe. I make shorter work of this by utilizing my much underutilized food processor - and even get to use some of the slicer attachments! So without further adieu, here's the recipe:

Broccoli Delight
(recipe from Enlightened Eating cookbook with some modification)

Dressing:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons flax oil
1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar if you have it)
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (or any salt you have, but preferrable unrefined)
1/2 teaspoons ground fennel

Vegetables:
2 cups broccoli, chopped medium fine
3/4 cup red cabbage, chopped medium fine
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely sliced
1 carrot, quartered lenthwise and sliced
1 apple, cored and diced small
1/2 cup currants (or raisins)
1/2 cup pecans (or other chopped nuts)
1/2 cup feta cheese, diced small (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl. Add vegetables and toss to combine.

Salad Duo

I'm not one that enjoys a gloppy mayonnaise dressing; however, when something can taste this good, I'm glad to make an exception. And you can have a lighter hand with the dressing so its not excessive.

Curried Chicken Salad
(Recipe from Barefoot Contessa - Family Style cookbook by Ina Garten with amendments)

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good mayonnaise

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup Major Grey’s chutney

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 cup medium-diced celery (2 large stalks)

1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews

Rub the skin of the chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Barbeque until the chicken is cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and dice the chicken in large bite-size pieces. For the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, wine, chutney, curry powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth. Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well. Add the celery, scallions, and raisins, and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Add the cashews and serve at room temperature.

This next salad recipe can feature either cabbage or broccoli - totally up to you. It offers up all the right flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and pungent.

Cabbage Delight

(Recipe from Enlightened Eating cookbook by Caroline DuPont)

Dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider viengar

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 tablesppons flax oil (or hemp oil)

1 tablespoon honey

1 to 2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt

1/2 teaspoon grond fennel

Vegetables:

2 cups green cabbage (or broccoli) chopped medium fine

3/4 cp red cabbage, chopped medium fine

1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely sliced

1 carrot, quartered lengthwise and sliced

1/3 cp fresh parsely, choppped

1 apple, cored and diced small

1/2 cup currants or raisins

1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (or 3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup raw cheese, diced small (optional)

Combine dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Add vegetables and toss to combine.