summer slaw.

mmm... cabbage.
mmm... summer.
mmm... slaw.

summer screams cole slaw! it's so versatile.
in salads.
on sandwiches.
by itself.
with bbq.
possibilities are endless!

i love slaw. i especially (and really only) love home-made slaw. none of that pre-packaged crap that's swimming in mayo. that shit's for the birds...
i personally like to make my slaw with a teeny-tiny bit of mayo and more red wine vinegar. (something i'm clearly a HUGE fan of) i'll mix it with some dried minced onion, and the varieties are limitless! limitless!
typically, i'll slice my cabbage into medium-long strips and toss it. today, i ran it through the food processor. i (more like cuisinart) chopped it into tiny little bits, and i'm liking it.
i mixed my head of cabbage with the chopped up bits of 5 carrots. i added about two tablespoons of low-fat hellman's, and about 1/8c of red wine vinegar. i tossed it together, added some dried minced onion and black sesame seeds. (why not?!)
i'm letting my cole slaw sit, i love how it gets "cooked" in the vinegar and gets nice and dense.
i'm amped to throw my cole slaw over salad, and more specifically throw it on a toasted roll with some vegetarian ribs.

yum!
perfect.summer.dinner.

super summer sandwich.

love it!
somehow (through whole wheat bread) i have managed to update my cucumber and onion cold salad into some type of ridiculously delicious sandwich!
i love it!
as you know, i was off the bread situation for a while. that was all sorts of well and good. but then it got hot out, and for as hungry as i'd ever get, i never wanted to cook anything.
i toasted two pieces of one point wheat bread, covered them in slices from half an avocado, and topped it to the brim with cold cucumber and onion salad.
quick, easy, & light dinner...
for those long, hot summer days.

onion revolution.

i love red onions!
sometimes people call them purple onions!
it's crazy!

i always thought red onions sucked. big time. in fact, i thought they tasted like gasoline! when have i ever tasted gasoline, you ask? never. but for some reason, my brain made that comparison. little did i know that all it takes is some red wine vinegar and these little gasoline onions turn into something i love. <3
i use red onions all the time. they have become famous in my cucumber & onion salad, and now i've started adding them to all my raw salads!
my secret: i chop them in long stringy slices and soak them in red wine vinegar. the vinegar bath cuts the horrid overwhelming onion taste and makes them ripe for the eating!
yum!

i know i've sparked your interest, now go in the kitchen and try it.

summer pasta salad.

yum! i love orzo.
i think it's the best base for a pasta salad.
those tiny little noodles don't over-power any other guest stars in the salad. not like the way those big curly-q noodles do.
so for this version of light & fresh pasta salad, we have:
-orzo
-diced tomatoes (drained)
-chopped cucumbers
-slivered red onions
-chopped mushrooms (from a can)
-kalamata olives
-red wine vinegar <3
-oregano
-basil
-parsley
(variations: add juice of a lemon, goat cheese, feta. don't worry, you're free to make your own decisions. i won't yell at you. i promise.)

directions are pretty simple. cook the pasta, toss everything together in a bowl.
it's so easy, i bet even cheryl could do it.