Chef Lisa

Last week, I was able to get a really good deal on polish and smoked sausage – $1 for a 3/4 lb package. Couldn’t pass that up! I was looking around to see what I could make with the sausage and with shredded coleslaw mix. I found Rachael Ray’s Sausage, Cabbage and Potato Stew. I made a couple of changes to suit what I had on hand (you’ll find the recipe for what I made below the break).

All I can say is oh my god, it’s good! I could easily have devoured the entire pot myself, it was so yummy. It got Ari’s seal of approval too – she gobbled up everything in her bowl. Definitely being added to the list of family favorites.

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Those of you who know me know I’m a first generation Canadian. Both my parents are from Germany, and I’ve got a bit of Hungarian and Transylvanian thrown in on the side. Growing up, we ate a lot of German food at home, and Hungarian when we visited my maternal grandmother. Some of my strongest and most loved food memories are of ethnic foods.

Matt and I (well, mostly me) have been making a conscious effort to expose our children to as many different ethnic foods as we can. Whether these dishes have been American-ized or not, the point is to introduce them to new flavors and ideas. It’s especially important to do that with a picky eater like Ari is, and I have to say all our hard work has paid off, as she surprises me with what she’s willing to at least try to eat.

Both of my kids love to help out in the kitchen, and I encourage it when I can because not only is it quality time with me, but it helps create good memories. It is my hope that if they build enough good memories about the kitchen and food, when they’re out on their own they won’t subsist on ramen and take out because they don’t know how to cook anything.

With this recipe, I hope to introduce them to one of my favorite comfort foods – braised red cabbage. I’ll be making it next week, and when I do, I’ll try to remember to take pictures. I’m calling this Opa’s Red Cabbage because it’s my dad’s recipe, and Opa (German for Grampa) is what my kids call him.

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Sorry about the double posting for those who come here from Twitter. I had some technical difficulties.

This recipe is part of a Rachael Ray recipe, Rollover Jerk Chicken Quesadillas with Slaw Salad – I’ll talk about the quesadillas some other day.

1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons rice wine or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Tamari (dark soy sauce)
A dash of hot sauce
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and black pepper
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, cut into matchsticks
3/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
3/4 pound slaw mix

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix together the lime juice, vinegar, Tamari, hot sauce and honey, stream in the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the cucumber, scallions and the remaining slaw mix and toss slaw.

And that’s it! A really simple salad, and very tasty. Despite there being 3 tbsp of honey, you really don’t taste it at all – you just get the sweetness, and it balances out the tamari nicely. The original recipe calls for the juice of one lime, but I didn’t have one so I used a lemon instead.

The salad sat for about 15 or 20 minutes before we ate, and it was still nice and crisp. There was some left over, which I packed up and put in the fridge. We’ll see how it holds up. If it does well, being able to make it ahead, or make it to take somewhere (like a potluck, picnic or packed in a lunch) is great, and since there’s no eggs or mayo in it, you really don’t need to be worried too much about refrigeration.