A Cool Summer Treat . . .
When the temperatures soar each Summer (although they almost didn't this year!) I look for cool easy ways to cook and serve nutritious meals without melting all over the stove. One favorite in my house is grilled steak. When beef of any kind is on sale I'll buy the "Family" package. This week steak was especially cheap. I bought three huge beauties for $5.78.
Normally, in the winter I'd freeze some, but in the summer I'll stab them with a fork, rub them with spices, and throw them all on the grill. Then, when they cool, I slice them thin and leave them in the refrigerator for light meals and sandwiches. Where else can you buy good pure-beef luncheon meat for $1.69 lb.?
Penzys is the spice shop of choice at my house. Their English Rub is my current favorite, but Galena Street is always good (and spicy) and their Island mix will do in a pinch. Just allow some time for the rub and a little olive oil to work their magic while the coals heat up, and your steaks will be quite tasty. Now, what to serve them with?
Nothing beats crisp cool cole slaw on a hot Summer's day. It's nutritious, easy to make, and only gets better in the refrigerator if you have the presence of mind to make enough for left overs. I always make enough for leftovers!
The versatility of this recipe makes it a favorite of mine. I can raise or lower the "hotness" level, even change the taste using mustard with horseradish in it instead of plain horseradish, or some flavored vinegar instead of plain apple cider vinegar. (Half apple cider, half rice vinegar is good.) Even the sugar level can be adjusted to suit your taste. Used creatively, this one recipe can taste as if you had a book of cole slaw recipes to pick from, and there is no cooking involved!
BASIC COLE SLAW
VEGETABLES
2 ½ lbs cabbage cored, thinly sliced and cut into 1-2 inch lengths
1 cup diced green pepper
Diced hot peppers to taste
(or add chipotle powder in ¼ tsp. increments)
1 cup grated carrots (approx. 2-3 carrots)
½ cup chopped onion (I use red onions for the color)
DRESSING
1 cup light mayo
½ cup fat free sour cream
½ cup low fat yogurt
¼ cup (any) vinegar
1-2 tbs. horseradish
2 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. sugar (or Agave nectar)
¼ freshly ground pepper
Mix and toss vegetables. Mix dressing ingredients and stir into the vegetables thoroughly. Refrigerate for an hour, stir, adjust seasonings and serve with room temperature sliced steak and toasted garlic bread for a balanced and flavorful meal.
Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:
RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food. It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we?ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- I look forward to hearing from you.
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BIO - Richard Frisbie writes culinary travel articles, is a columnist for his local newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE Publications, GoNomad and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.
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Comments: 32
As for our vacation, we were scheduled to do a wreck dive in the Red Sea the next day and were supposed to be at the dive shop at 5 a.m. Needless to say, we called and cancelled our seats as we were up all night vying for the bathroom. I must say, that is the only time in my life I have ever gotten that sick from food and it was absolutely horrible. I learned my lesson that day about mayonaise in the summer sun.
I hope he doesn't get too used to it.
FYI - no stove required for this one.
I'm jealous. I was excited about paying almost twice that for three little strip steaks.
The slaw sounds yummy. I have cabbage almost ready. (If real August weather moves in, I guess I'll have to bring in it before it's all the way ready.)
Tonight, I was able to mow the lawn (first night it wasn't raining in weeks!) because dinner is cooked and in the fridge.
I love this recipe for cole slaw. Thanks for posting this to Family Friendly Foods & Recipes, and I'm featuring this too.
The cole slaw sounds good. It's nice to see that the sweetening is so modest (and I may skip it altogether). I really can't stand sweet cole slaw! 95% of the time, I reject it after the first tentative nibble curls my teeth with the unpleasantness of sweet where I don't want it. My own recipe is totally unsweetened; I just use mayo and chopped fresh dill in it. Plus freshly ground black pepper, of course, and perhaps some cumin seeds.
I guess you meant prepared horseradish in the recipe, which really caught my horseradish-loving attention. I have regular access to fresh horseradish root, too, and wonder if you'd grate some of that into the recipe instead.
I still have half a head of cabbage in the fridge . . .
My fridge is loaded with collards cut from my garden...and I'm starting to wonder if a chiffonade of them would be a nice addition to cole slaw...