Pomegranate Fennel Slaw
I really love a good coleslaw. Not the pasty, suffocating in mayonnaise slaw that you find in a bad deli, or at a catered picnic, but the crisp, refreshing, jewel-toned cole slaw that’s always featured on the cover of Real Simple or Cooking Light. I particularly like coleslaws that include fennel and tart apple. I was trying to choose a dressing for a fennel/apple slaw, when I thought of using pomegranate molasses. I originally bought it for the barbecued tofu recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance, and since then I’ve been experimenting with other way ways to use it. It makes a nice tea-like/juice-like beverage when added to cold water. The resulting beverage is not unlike tamarind “cider”: a little sweet, a little tart, and a lot… brown. But no worries, the pomegranate molasses doesn’t mute the perky colors of this coleslaw. I really liked the pomegranate sweet and sour flavor in this coleslaw, especially with the added sweet and sour of the Jonagold apples from the local farmer’s market.
Coleslaw:
- about 1/6 head of red cabbage, shredded (10 ounces)
- one large fennel bulb (about 1 pound), sliced thinly (about 1/8 inch thick)
- 2 medium tart apples (about 6 ounces each), julienned
- 1 carrot, grated (optional)
- seeds from half a large pomegranate
- 4 Tbs. pomegranate dressing (see below)
- 4 Tbs. pomegranate molasses
- 1 1/2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1/2 Tbs. minced shallot
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
In the past I didn’t care for raw fennel–I found it generally tough. I recently discovered, however, that if you slice fennel very thin it’s not tough at all but deliciously crisp. Now that I have a mandoline (more about it in a later post) that makes getting thin slices super easy, I’ve been eating a lot of raw fennel. I never had the knife skills to get my fennel thin enough with just a knife, but probably a v-slicer or food processor, or perhaps even the little slicing blade on a box grater would work as well.
This salad is simple but delicious. I can eat about 4 cups of it in a sitting. Of course, it takes me about an hour, and I feel like a cow at pasture, but I enjoy munching on it all the way to the last bite.
Obligatory nutritional note: raw cruciferous vegetables have amazing detoxification phytonutrients, and red cabbage is particularly high in antixoidants including vitamin A and C. The volatile oils in fennel that give it its unique licorice-like flavor are also rich in antioxidants (and fennel also is high in vitamin C). And we’ve all heard about the amazing antioxidants compounds in pomegranates. Even apples (actually their skin) contain quercitins, flavonoids with powerful antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, especially when working in combination with vitamin C. This salad should really be called death-to-oxygen-cancer-and-all-other-toxins slaw.
Update October 4th: I made this recipe again, but I used slightly different amounts, closer to what my mom described in her comment. I only had a medium fennel bulb (8 ounces julienned), and one large (8 ounce) apple. I used the seeds from a whole pomegranate, and one 4 ounce carrot. I liked the salad a lot, although I wouldn’t have minded a tad more fennel and apple. Maybe I’ll switch the recipe to call for equal amounts (10 ounces) of cabbage, fennel, and apple. I used 4 Tbs. of dressing, and thought it was enough, although it wouldn’t have been bad with one more Tablespoon. Since the dressing recipe makes a bit too much, if you don’t want extra dressing you might want to cut the recipe by 2/3:
- 2 1/2 Tbs pomegranate molasses
- 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar (or other vinegar)
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2/3 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. minced shallt
- 1/6 tsp. salt
- 1/6 tsp. black pepper
Derek and I both rated this version a B+, but I left the pomegranate seeds out of Derek’s, since (like my Dad), he says they hurt his teeth. I forgot to measure, but I think the recipe made over 8 cups of salad, maybe even 12 cups.
Two Ginger Muffins
Although these muffins have a bit of bran in them, I wouldn’t classify them as bran muffins. Ginger is definitely the predominant flavor. This recipe is based on a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance (but it’s been un-veganified):
- 1.5 cups white flour
- 1 cup wheat bran (not packed)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 carrot, grated
- 1 small apple, cored (but not peeled), diced finely
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add aluminum muffin papers to a 12-muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, bran, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, spices and salt. Grate the carrot and chop the apple, and mix them in to the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Stir the liquid ingredients together, then gently mix the liquid and dry ingredients together. Do not overmix. Fold in the crystallized ginger.
- Fill the muffin tins and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned.
Derek really liked these muffins, especially the crystallized ginger. I thought the flavor was good but I would have liked a bit more bran/molasses flavor, and a slightly heavier muffin–something a bit closer to gingerbread perhaps. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of raisins, soaked, and folded in at the end with the ginger, but I subbed in carrot and apple since I didn’t have any raisins. Soy milk can be used instead of the buttermilk. As written, each muffin has about 170 calories.
Next time I make this I’m going to try subbing in 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, and I’ll substitute brown sugar for the white sugar (since I haven’t found molasses yet–otherwise I would add 3 Tbs. molassess). I also might try replacing the baking powder with another 1.5 tsp. baking soda (since I’m using an acidic liquid). If that works, I’d like to try using a full 1.5 cups wheat bran, to add body. I’m not sure exactly how much buttermilk would be needed to counteract the extra bran. Maybe another 2 Tbs? Or I might try using yogurt and an egg, maybe 1 egg and 1 3/4 to 2 cups lowfat yogurt? Another change I’d like to try is adding in some fresh ginger for even more bite, and transforming these into three ginger muffins.
Update October 11, 2009: I made these again, changing the recipe up a bit. I used some whole wheat flour, added more bran, and fresh ginger. I increased the baking soda and decreased the powder. They’re now three ginger muffins.
- 1 cup white flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup wheat bran (packed)
- 1.5 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup brown sugar sugar
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 carrot, grated (about 1 cup not packed)
- 1 small apple, cored (but not peeled), diced finely (I left this out)
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
- 1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add aluminum muffin papers to a 12-muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, bran, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, spices and salt. Grate the carrot and chop the apple, and mix them in to the dry ingredients. In a small bowl mix together the liquid ingredients and the fresh ginger. Gently mix the liquid and dry ingredients together. Do not over-mix. Fold in the crystallized ginger.
- Fill the muffin tins and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are lightly browned. (Mine were done after 15 minutes, with the fan in my oven on!)
I liked these muffins. They definitely taste like ginger. The extra bran and the whole wheat flour give them a more substantial texture than the first batch–more muffiny, less cupcake-y. Still, they weren’t dry at all. I quite liked them. I think they could have taken in even more grated carrot. Derek, however, thought they had too much bran, and were too gritty. He said the bran mutes the ginger flavor. This recipe made 12 small muffins. The muffins are 39% fat, 52% carbs, and 9% protein. Rating: B+. Derek rating: B-.
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Nutrition Facts
Ginger Bran Muffins ~ VwV
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Serving Size: 1 muffin
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| Amount Per Serving | |||||
| Calories | 143 | ||||
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| Total Fat | 6.6g | ||||
| Saturated Fat | 1g | ||||
| Trans Fat | 0g | ||||
| Cholesterol | 1mg | ||||
| Sodium | 294mg | ||||
| Carbohydrate | 19.8g | ||||
| Dietary Fiber | 3g | ||||
| Sugars | 5.2g | ||||
| Protein | 3.4g | ||||
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Late Summer Pasta Salad with Curried Tahini Yogurt Sauce
I made Peter Berley’s pasta salad with sesame yogurt sauce a few years ago. Derek and I both enjoyed it, but thought it needed a few changes. Then I forgot about it, until last week when I was looking for a recipe to use the broccoli, green beans, and tomatoes I bought at the farmer’s market. This pasta salad makes a tasty, one-dish dinner, and the leftovers make a great lunch to bring to work. The sauce is creamy without being greasy or overly rich, and subtly flavored with curry spices without being overpowering.
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. aleppo pepper (or use chili flakes)
- 1/4 tsp. fine salt + salt for the pasta water
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup tahini (maybe 1/2 cup would be better?)
- 3 Tbs. water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 head broccoli, stems sliced thinly, tops cut into small florets
- 3 cups string beans, snapped and halved (about 3/4 pound?)
- 8 ounces whole wheat chunky pasta, like penne, rigatoni, medium shells, etc. (for a bigger group 10 ounces would also work)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes or coarsely chopped tomatoes
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro or mint (I think I prefer mint, or a mix)
- fresh black pepper
- Bring a large pot of water to boil (ideally a 6 to 12 quart pot).
- Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium high heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic, cumin, corinader, cayenne, and turmeric and saute for 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a small mixing bowl. Mix in the aleppo pepper, salt, yogurt, tahini, water, and lemon juice.
- When the water comes to a boil add 2 Tbs. salt. When the water returns to a boil add the broccoli and then the string beans and blanch for 3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still crisp. Use a slotted spoon or sieve to move the vegetables to a very large serving bowl.
- When the water returns to a boil add the pasta. Cook until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the tomatoes and herbs and add them to the serving bowl with the sauce and fresh pepper. When the pasta is done, drain in a colander, and then add it to the serving bowl. Toss and serve immediately.
Other raw and cooked veggies would go with this sauce as well: cauliflower, raw cucumber and radishes come to mind. In the original recipe the amount of sauce was excessive, so I’ve decreased the sauce amounts while upping the vegetables slightly. I also reduced the amount of water and added more lemon juice and herbs, and simplified the process a tad. I still think it needs something to give that last bit of pizzazz, but I haven’t yet figured out what that could be. This should make about 4 to 6 dinner servings, about 12 cups of pasta salad I think. Each cup of salad has about 150 calories.
When I reduced the amount of sauce I changed all the spices to 1/3 tsp., but that’s a pain, and I think the spices could be a bit stronger, so I changed them back to 1/2 tsp.
