Vegetable Curry

Vegetable curry before the coconut milk

I pulled some odds and ends of vegetables from the fridge the other day to make this vegetable curry with coconut milk.

A curry is simply a spiced stew - there are as many variations on the seasoning that goes in a curry as there are cooks. For this version I ground fenugreek, cumin, coriander and mustard seeds in my mini coffee grinder, along with some dried turmeric and cayenne. It was a spicy well-bodied mixture with a hint of sweetness from the fenugreek.

I also added some leaves from my new curry plant (Murraya koenigii). Before Christmas when it was cold and dry, I bought a few spice plants to warm my spirits, including a tiny curry plant. It's supposed to grow well outdoors in southern California, so I'm hoping to have a grove of it one day. For now it's a sprig in a pot. The leaves are used in cooking and then removed, like bay leaves. They don't have the traditional curry aroma of cumin and turmeric. Instead they are floral and spicy. I'm quite excited by this, but I think the dish would be equally good without them. (Dried curry leaves can be purchased at Indian groceries.)

The coconut milk made a lovely sauce that coated the brown rice I served the curry on.

With a side of sautéed greens, this was a nicely warming meal on a cool evening.

Blanching the vegetables ahead makes it a quick dish to put together, even though it's a little tedious. It also helps to have the vegetables diced very small, so this is a good time to practice knife work. My grandmother used to make vegetable curry with a tin of mixed veg. I can see why.

But of course, there's nothing like fresh organic produce, even if it means a little more prep work in the kitchen.

Vegetable Curry
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cayenne
3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
3 cups diced potatoes
1 cup small cauliflower florets
2 small turnips, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup peeled and diced celery root (celeriac)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 cup)
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 sprigs of curry leaves
1 cup unsweetened canned coconut milk
salt and pepper

Grind the coriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne, fenugreek and turmeric until powdered. Set aside.

Blanch the potatoes in boiling water until tender - about 5 minutes depending on the size of your dice. Plunge in cold water to stop the cooking, then drain and set aside.

Combine the cauliflower, turnips, celery root and carrots and blanch 2 minutes until tender. Plunge in cold water, drain and set aside.

Blanch the cabbage, cool, set aside.

Warm the ghee or oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until the edges are browned. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Stir in the spice mixture and the curry leaves and stir until fragrant, another 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and mixed vegetables and sauté another minute. Add the coconut milk and let everything heat through.Stir in the cabbage and simmer a couple more minutes until everything is tender. Add extra water if necessary to keep a nice sauce.

Season with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 4

Spicy Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a great dish to have in the fridge. It pairs well with grains, beans, casseroles, marinated tofu - it even goes well on a green salad in a pinch.

And it's very healthy. Cabbage is one of the healthiest foods we can eat, especially for the colon. It's full of good kinds of fiber and anti-cancer nutrients.

The other day I made this creamy spicy coleslaw to liven up some leftover black beans and rice. We ate it the next day with leftover tofu, and I was impressed at how it had become even more spicy with rest.

You can vary the spiciness by using more or less chiles. I used fish peppers, which look like serranos and are also very hot. The plants were very popular at the farmers' market this year, and I can see why because they grow into a pretty variegated bush of green and cream leaves. They're heirloom peppers originally used in fish stews in the Philadelphia area, hence the name. If you don't have fish peppers, use serranos or jalapeños. If you don't like heat, use a couple of tablespoons of bell pepper.

I added raw corn to the slaw. This is a luxury only available in corn season, and I recommend you take advantage of it. Raw corn adds a crisp sweetness to whatever you sprinkle it on. I don't think I'd munch a whole cob of raw corn, but a few kernels in a dish are great.

The base of the dressing is mayonnaise. I used to use Hellman's (Best Foods in the west), but now I'm an organic obsessive so I use whatever organic mayonnaise I can find, usually made with a base of organic canola oil. It's not mayonnaise, but it is a fine creamy addition to this spicy slaw.

I rarely sweeten my food, but in this slaw I used a spoonful of brown rice syrup in the dressing. This is a complex sweetener found in health food stores. Feel free to leave it out, but you might need to add more mayonnaise to smooth out the flavors.

The leftover dressing is excellent on green salads. Or you can make some more coleslaw. You can't go wrong with cabbage.

Spicy Coleslaw
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp brown rice syrup
1 ear corn
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 red pepper
2 fish peppers
2 scallions

Toast the cumin seed in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Remove from the heat.

Combine the mayo, garlic, cilantro, cumin, lime and brown rice syrup in a blender. Purée until smooth.

Husk the corn and place the cob vertically on a chopping board. With a large knife, cut carefully down the ear, separating the kernels from the cob, but leaving all the tough pieces of cob behind.

Put the corn kernels in a bowl with the cabbage. Seed, quarter and slice the red pepper and fish peppers and add to the bowl. Chop the scallions and add them too.

Pour half the dressing over the salad and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate the remaining dressing separately.

Taste before serving and add salt, pepper and more lime juice to taste. Serve the extra dressing on the side.

Serves 4-6

Cabbage Soup

I love my slow cooker - I can set it up in the morning, ignore it all day, and sit down to a hearty dinner in the cool of the evening. It's almost like having a private chef.

The other day I used it to make this cabbage soup. While I would never boil cabbage on the stove - the smell would linger for days apart from anything else - cooked gently in the slow cooker over many hours it becomes soft and tender, nothing like boiled cabbage.

I added protein in the form of white lima beans that I had cooked ahead - they only take a couple of hours simmering on the stove. I used 1/2 cup of beans to make the 1 1/2 cups cooked beans the recipe calls for. A 14 oz can of cannellini beans, drained, would work too. The color in the soup comes from the carrots. Also, I added a little red cabbage too because I had it in the fridge. By the time the soup was cooked, it was all pretty uniformly white.

The keys to the great flavor in this soup are the vegetable stock and the liquid smoke. I'm not sure what liquid smoke is, the ingredient is smoke, but I feel it's comparatively natural. And it adds the smoky, dare I say bacon-y, flavor that is traditional in a cabbage soup. Other smoky possibilities, if you prefer not to use liquid smoke, are smoked paprika or chipotles in adobo - which would add a bit of a kick too.

Cabbage Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups shredded cabbage (1 small head)
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
6 cups vegetable stock
4 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke

Sauté the onion, carrot and garlic in the olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a 5-6-quart slow cooker. Add the cabbage, potato, beans, vegetable stock, thyme, and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Just before serving, stir in the liquid smoke. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

Serves 6-8. Freezes well.

The finished soup.

Winter Vegetable Stew in Kabocha

We bought the prettiest kabocha squash at the market last week. It made a beautiful serving dish for a rather colorless (yet delicious) winter stew.

I washed the squash with my Planet dish soap and cold water. Then I dried it and put it in the toaster oven at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until a knife slipped in easily.

I let it rest a little to cool off, then sliced off the top, scooped out the seeds and goop, and filled it with the bean stew. Very pretty. I scooped some of the squash into our bowls along with the stew, and it added a little sweetness and color.

Winter Vegetable Stew
1/2 cup dry white lima or gigante beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb carrots, diced
1/4 lb turnips, diced
1 large onion, diced
1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 lb shredded cabbage
2 cups water or stock
1 tbsp dill (opt)

Cook the beans in plenty of boiling water until tender, about 90 minutes depending on the age of your beans. This can be done a day ahead. Or use 2 15oz cans of white kidney beans or cannelini beans.

Warm the olive oil in a large pot. Add the carrots, turnips and onion. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and cabbage and stir again. Pour in the water or stock. (I used 3/4 cup roasted vegetable stock from the freezer and 1 1/4 cups water.) Cover the pot and simmer 15 minutes. Add more liquid if necessary so it doesn't burn.

Season to taste and stir in the cooked beans (or the drained and rinsed canned beans) and the dill. Cook another 15 minutes, uncovered.

Serve over rice or in bowls or in a roast squash.

Borscht

We watched the closing ceremonies while eating borscht - a traditional Russian soup that I modified in ways that would probably horrify Russians.

But I thought it tasted really good. And it was a very pretty color. There was also enough to feed a hockey team - I went a little overboard while cutting the root vegetables.

The rosy hue comes from beets. There actually aren't a lot of beets in the soup, but it looks like there are because they stain everything pink. Larry found this a little hard to handle, and found that one bowl was enough. I plan to eat the leftovers all week - I'm sure the soup will get even better as it rests.

Borscht
1 tbsp oil
3 cups diced onion
2 cups diced beets
2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced parsnips
1/2 cup diced celery
28oz can tomatoes
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups cabbage

Fry the onion in the oil until tender. Add in the remaining roots as they are prepped. Add the celery, canned tomatoes with liquid (mash the tomatoes against the side of the pot as they cook), and about 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and add the salt and cabbage. Let simmer, covered, about 20 minutes until tender. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Serves 8-10

Spiced Cabbage and Tofu

I'm really enjoying Lorna Sass' book Short-Cut Vegetarian. It's full of meals that are quick-to-make, healthy and full of flavor. She uses more prepared foods and sauces than I do, but there are lots of fast simple recipes to enjoy.

The other night we enjoyed this simple dish of tofu, cabbage and spices. I could have served rice with it to make a bigger meal, but it wasn't necessary.

The recipe calls for 3 tbsp tomato paste. That's less than a tin. I scoop the remaining tomato paste into tbsp-size lumps and freeze them on a cookie sheet. When they're solid, I toss them together in a freezer bag. The next time a recipe calls for a tbsp of tomato paste, or a soup could use a little extra flavor, I'm prepared.

Spiced Cabbage and Tofu
1 lb green cabbage
1 lb firm tofu
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2-3 tbsp lime juice

Cut the cabbage into 3-inch wedges. Cut out any hard central core, and slice the remainder crosswise into 1-inch wedges.

Drain the tofu and cut into 3/4 inch dice.

Blend the tomato paste in the warm water.

Heat the oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and let sizzle until you can hear the mustard seeds start to pop, about 15 seconds. Turn down the heat to medium and stir in the water-tomato paste mixture, curry powder and salt. Add the cabbage and tofu and stir to coat in the sauce. Cover and cook about 10 minutes until the cabbage is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add the corn and peas and continue cooking, covered, until the cabbage is wilted and the texture you like - a little crunchy or a little soft. Stir in lime juice and serve with extra lime wedges on the side.

Serves 3

Root Vegetable Salad

Move over cole slaw. You are being replaced with this healthy and beautiful grated root salad.

It's easy to make in the food processor and keeps well in the fridge, thus fulfilling the requirements for lazy summer dinners.

This is a great recipe to introduce your family to raw turnips and beets. The lemon juice cuts some of the earthy flavor, and the carrots make it sweet.

Turnips are cruciferous vegetables, so they have similar cancer-preventing substances to cabbages and broccoli. They are anti-inflammatory, good for the heart and circulatory system, and full of minerals and fiber. Beets are a good source of iron and fiber, and are great liver tonics.

Plus, just looking at the colors of this salad will make you happy!

Root Vegetable Salad
3 carrots
3 medium turnips
1 large beet
small wedge of cabbage (about 1 cup grated)
1 cup corn (thawed frozen is fine)
juice of 1 lemon

Grate the carrots, turnips, beet and cabbage in the food processor (or by hand). Tip into a bowl and stir in the corn and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I find this salad great as it is, but you can serve your favorite salad dressing on the side if you like.

Serves 4-6

Cabbage and Watercress Slaw

Leftover beans and rice are a common dinner around here - I just warm them in the oven and dinner is on.

Of course, a crunchy side dish is essential to balance the soft textures of the beans and rice. The other day this cabbage and watercress slaw fit the bill.

It's adapted from a recipe I learned years ago in a macrobiotic cooking class in Montreal. The original recipe called for grated daikon - a large white radish. I can't find it organically grown at the farmers market so I use bottled horseradish instead.

If you don't have white miso, leave it out and add a little extra salt. The miso is a good addition, though. It has the umami of fermented soybeans and the B12 that is so essential to the vegetarian diet.

The cabbage is salted to draw out excess water so it doesn't make the dressing runny. But if you have a fresh young cabbage and you're going to eat the slaw right away, you can skip this step.

Cabbage and Watercress Slaw

3 cups finely chopped cabbage

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup watercress, without the thick stems

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tsp white (shiro) miso

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp horseradish

Mix cabbage with salt, let it sit 30 minutes, then rinse off the salt and squeeze excess water from the cabbage.

Wash the watercress. Combine with the cabbage.

Whisk together the lemon juice and miso. When miso is dissolved, whisk in the olive oil and horseradish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. It should be well-flavored, but not too tangy.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Toss and serve.

Serves 2-3

Potatoes and Cabbage

I found organic russet potatoes at the Hollywood Farmers Market Sunday, and they became the centerpiece of our St. Patrick's Day dinner. With steamed carrots and fresh peas from the garden, it was a festive springtime meal.

Potatoes get a bad rap. If you skip the oozing butter and sour cream, potatoes are actually health food.

They are low-calorie and high-fiber, a combination that makes them excellent protection against heart disease and cancers. They contain phyto-nutrients that lower blood pressure, and a wide array of antioxidants. This recipe combines them with cancer-fighting, colon healing cabbage for an incredibly healthy meal.

But you don't have to tell your family that. Just let them enjoy the meal.

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Cabbage
5 large russet (baking) potatoes
1 tbsp oil
4 cups chopped cabbage (3/4 small head)
1 leek, chopped
1/4 cup water or vegetable stock
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tbsp melted butter
paprika

Scrub potatoes and pat them dry. Pierce several times with a fork. Bake at 425°F until fork tender, about 1 hour.

Warm oil in skillet and sauté cabbage and leek until they begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add stock or water, cover and steam until cabbage turns bright green and tender, about 10 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp salt.

Cut a horizontal slice off the top third of the potatoes. Scoop pulp from potatoes into bowl, leaving a 1/4 inch shell in 4 of the bottoms. Scoop pulp from the tops of the potatoes too.  Discard all the peels but the 4 bottoms. Mash or put the flesh through a ricer. Stir in warm milk. Add cooked cabbage. Season with salt and pepper.

Pile the mashed potatoes mixture into the 4 shells, dividing evenly. Brush the tops with melted butter, then sprinkle with a little paprika. Put back in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the tops are lightly browned.

Serves 4.

(Leftovers reheat well.)

Eat organic

I'm fortunate to be able to eat a wide variety of organic produce. It helps to live in southern California and shop at the Hollywood Farmers' Market.

I know that not everyone is as lucky as me, so here is the annual list of foods that are safe to eat even if they are not organic.

Every year the Environmental Working Group tests US-grown food for pesticide residue. Although we don't know what long-term use of pesticides does to the human nervous and endocrine system, there are standards as to what is too much to consume.

The first list, The Dirty Dozen, refers to foods that should never be eaten unless they are organic, because the pesticide residue is too high in the conventionally-grown kinds.

The second list is of foods which have a minimal level of pesticide residue when conventionally grown.

Notice that greens must be organically-grown. Don't let that stop you from eating greens. Instead ask your produce manager or favorite organic farmer to stock organic greens. They're available, they're delicious and they're healthy. And even at $2.50 a bunch, they're a better deal than a multi-vitamin.


Dirty Dozen: eat only if organic
apples
bell peppers
blueberries
celery
cucumbers
grapes
green beans
kale / greens
lettuce
nectarines - imported
peaches
potatoes
spinach
strawberries

Low Pesticide Residue: These 15 foods are lowest in pesticide residue, and are considered safe to eat even if not organic.
asparagus
avocado
cabbage
cantaloupe
corn (probably gmo if not organic)
eggplant
grapefruit
kiwi
mangoes
mushrooms
onions
peas
pineapples
sweet potatoes
watermelon

Almost healthy comfort food

I came home from work the other day wanting comfort food.

But we had a cabbage in the fridge - an ace food for preventing colon cancer and balancing hormones. How could I turn health food into comfort food?

Well, I cooked it and stirred it into pasta with tomato sauce and baked it in the oven. Like baked ziti but with cabbage added. And to make it healthier, I used organic brown rice pasta spirals.

While it tasted and looked like comfort food, I felt good knowing that we were getting the health-protective nutrients of cabbage.

If your family is reluctant to eat cabbage, this is a great way to sneak it into their diets.

Pasta Cabbage Casserole
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
1 1/2 lbs green cabbage
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
14-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 lb brown rice spirals
4 oz cheddar, sliced thin

Peel and quarter the onion, then slice thinly. Sauté in olive oil over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Wedge the cabbage and slice it thinly. Discard the hard core.

Stir cabbage into onion, cover and cook about 10 minutes until the cabbage is soft. Stir occasionally. Stir in tomato sauce and red wine vinegar. Cook another 10 minutes, covered partially, until cabbage is very tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package. Cook until still slightly chewy - it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta and add it to the cabbage. Season with lots of salt and pepper to taste.

Grease a shallow 7x12 casserole. Pour in the cabbage mixture. Place thin slices of cheddar over the top. Cover the casserole and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another few minutes to toast the cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 6. Makes great leftovers.

Vegetable Sides Day Seven

Last night was cabbage and potato night.

To spice it up a little, I added Spanish paprika to the cabbage and rutabagas to the potatoes. They complimented the freezer bean stew nicely.

You can find the potatoes and rutabagas recipe in my post on bashed neeps. It is the lightest, most delicious mashed potatoes you'll ever taste. And no cream or milk. Just a little butter added to the mashed roots.

The cabbage was a simple sauté with sherry and smoked paprika for flavor. Good flavors for a cool fall evening.

Sautéed Cabbage Paprika
1 1/2 lbs cabbage (1 small), sliced thin
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sherry
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika

Warm the butter and sherry in a skillet over medium-high heat, along with 1/3 cup water. Add cabbage, onion, salt and pepper. Stir and cover. Let cook 10 minutes on medium heat until the cabbage is tender. Stir in paprika to taste.

Serves 4

Rutabagas from Flora Bella Farm

Reducing pesticide exposure

I make a point of eating organically-grown food because it is better for me, the farmworkers and the planet.

However, I realize not everyone is fortunate enough to have a great farmers market nearby, or a family who is willing to eat seasonally.

Since it is always better to eat non-organic produce than to avoid fruits and vegetables, I present here a list of produce which is safe to eat even if not organic.

The list is compiled by the Environmental Working Group, which tests fresh U.S.-grown produce for levels of pesticide residue.

You can find their full report here. They mention that if you choose your daily 5 servings of vegetables from the Clean Fifteen list instead of the Dirty Dozen, you will reduce your pesticide intake by 92 per cent. That's worth doing.

New on the toxic list from last year: spinach, blueberries, potatoes and collard greens. Make sure to find those in the organic section of your supermarket. Grapefruit, mushrooms and cantaloupe are new on the safe to eat even if conventionally-grown list.

Dirty Dozen - eat only if organic
apples
celery
strawberries
peaches
spinach
nectarines - imported
grapes - imported
bell peppers
potatoes
blueberries
lettuce
kale / collard greens


Clean Fifteen - safe to eat even if not organic
onions
sweet corn
pineapples
avocado
asparagus
peas
mangoes
eggplant
cantaloupe
kiwi
cabbage
watermelon
sweet potatoes
grapefruit
mushrooms

Bubble and Squeak

There's something about mashed potatoes that soothes the soul on these cool winter days.

When I was a child, my mother would combine leftover mashed potatoes with cooked cabbage to make Bubble and Squeak, a traditional English dish made with leftovers from Sunday dinner. It gets its name from the sound it makes while cooking -- listen closely.

I made it the other night and served it with a mess of cooked mustard greens for a healthy meal that tasted like comfort food.

Cabbage is a true health food. People who eat it regularly have a lower incidence of colon cancer. It is rich in fiber which makes it good for constipation and colon health. It's also a good detoxifier, purifying the blood and removing toxins like free radicals and uric acid. It's rich in iodine so it helps the brain, nervous system and endocrine glands work well.

I try to eat cabbage or other members of the brassica family (broccoli, cauliflower) a couple of times a week. And this dish makes it easy.

Bubble and Squeak
1 lb potatoes
1/2 lb cabbage
1-2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Peel and chop the potatoes. Put in a pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender. Drain and mash.

Slice the cabbage thinly and cut the ribbons in 1" lengths. Add to a pot with an inch of water boiling in the bottom, cover and cook until tender. Drain.

Combine the cabbage and mashed potato, salt to taste, and add liberal amounts of fresh black pepper.

Heat a cast iron frypan over medium heat. Add the butter and when it has melted add the potato mixture. Squish it together into a cake and then let it cook until it is crispy on the bottom, 5-8 minutes. Then flip the cake - I usually do this in pieces and then push it back together again. Or make it into two cakes, as in the picture, to make the flipping easier. Cook until crispy on the bottom, another 5 minutes or so. Serve with mustard or rooster sauce.

Serves 2-3

Variation: stir a tablespoon of mustard into the cabbage and potatoes before frying it.

Thai Coleslaw

East Coast Trip Part 8

From Baltimore we drove into Pennsylvania to stay with our nephew Ben and his family just outside Philadelphia.

We strolled through Longwood Gardens; bought fresh donuts and organic beet chips at the local country store; admired fields of sunflowers; and enjoyed good food, wine and company.

Tanya was training for a triathlon, and her coach had given her this recipe for Thai Coleslaw. It tastes so good, it's hard to remember that it's health food.

Once you've cleaned and stemmed the herbs, it's quick to make in the food processor. The combination of fresh mint, basil and cilantro is the key. Add some chives if you'd like an oniony zip.

This is the perfect post-holiday dish - zesty and nutritious.

Thai Coleslaw
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup finely shredded zucchini (1 medium)
1 cup finely shredded carrots (2-3 medium)
1 cup mint leaves
2 cups basil leaves
2 cups cilantro leaves

Dressing:
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup tamari
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder

Put the herbs in the food processor and mince finely. Change to the grating blade for the zucchini and carrots. Then either use the slicer blade for the cabbage, or slice it by hand. Tip the slaw into a large bowl.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Stir into the vegetables.

Serves 6

Creative Cooking

When I got home from Montreal late Tuesday evening, I looked in the fridge and saw two rutabagas, some leeks and carrots, and half a cabbage. I did what any sensible person would do: closed the door and went to bed.

The next evening, however, I came home from work determined to make a delicious meal.

I gently cooked the sliced leeks in olive oil until tender, then added some chopped garlic, basil and the last tomato from our garden. I stirred in some white lima beans I had pressure-cooked, sprinkled some salt and pepper, and let it simmer. A squeeze of lemon juice before serving finished the provençal-inspired main course.

On the side I served mashed rutabagas, just like mashed potatoes but orange and fluffier. Normally I would have used half potatoes and half rutabagas, but we had no potatoes.

Then I cooked my mainstay cabbage recipe, one I got from my friend Queenie years ago in Montreal. Its bright yellow color cheers the plate and the light cooking makes many of the nutrients more available to the body. Best of all, it cooks on the back burner while I'm making the rest of the meal. If I'm not ready for it, I turn off the heat and let it sit until I need it. It reheats well.

I often make this simple recipe even simpler. I throw the mustard seeds in hot oil. When they pop I add the cabbage, salt and tumeric and toss until the cabbage is well-coated. I then let it cook until it's done. But I recommend you try the full recipe for the real Indian flavor. If you like to make curries, this is an excellent side dish along with the dal. But that's a story for another day.

Queenie's Spiced Cabbage
1 small cabbage, processed or cut fine
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 green chili, split in half
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the mustard seeds. When you hear them starting to pop, add the onion, tumeric and chili. Stir for about 1 minute.

Add the cabbage and salt to taste.

Set the heat to medium-low. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serves 4.