Purple Cabbage Salad with Edamame, Golden Raisins, and Smoked Almonds

Photo by Rachel's Bite, Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 US licensed. 

This is a really unique salad! Packed with all sorts of good veggies, it's the sauce made of mint, lime juice, honey and chile-garlic sauce that makes this stand out. It's both refreshing and comforting at the same time. The almonds adds a bit of crunch which is nice for a dynamic texture.

Notice all the beautiful colors? It's very impressive because of both the color and the flavors. This was a great find from Vegetarian Times.

Purple Cabbage Salad with Edamame, Golden Raisins, and Smoked Almonds Serves 6 1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage 1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced 1 cup finely diced pineapple 1/4 cup golden raisins 16 smoked almonds 1/4 cup choppped fresh mint 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 2 Tbsp. honey 1/4 tsp. chile-garlic sauce

Bring small pot of water to a boil. Add frozen edamame, and cook 10 minutes. Drain, and refresh under cold water. Transfer to large bowl; add cabbage, bell pepper, pineapple, raisins, almonds, mint, lime juice, honey, and chile-garlic sauce. Toss well, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Nutritional information provided in magazine:
Per 1-cup serving: 127 CAL; 5 G PROT; 4 G TOTAL FAT (<1 G SAT FAT); 22 G CARB; 0 MG CHOL; 33 MG SOD; 4 G FIBER; 15 G SUGARS.

Love is all around you... Enjoy!

- Rachel

Twitter: @RachelRubin
Connect with me on Facebook
Visit me on Google+
Network on LinkedIn
Watch me (or my pets) on YouTube
Eat with me on Yelp

Blue Cheese-Apricot Bites

Photo by Rachel's Bite, Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 US licensed.

Sweet, savory, and crunchy! You do have to be a fan of blue cheese to enjoy these, but I think there's nothing better than a pungent cheese with a bit of sweet. I found this recipe for Blue Cheese-Apricot Bites in a 2010 Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications for Appetizers. It's the perfect party food! And these candied walnuts you end up with, you'll want to make a whole batch of just those. But be careful, they can get soggy.

I have made this recipe several times. I usually make a double batch because you only end up with 16 and I always eat 3 or 4 while I'm putting them together because they are so yummy. I have tried these with organic apricots which is a bit better for you, but the organic apricots are darker and might look strange to some. Being an appetizer people just think they are dark because they are cooked, but I wanted to warn you of the discoloration in case you try those out.

Blue Cheese-Apricot Bites
Makes 16 appetizers

2 tsp. butter
2 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. snipped fresh rosemary or ¼ tsp dried rosemary, finely crushed
¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola,Roquefort, or other blue cheese (1 ounce)
1 ounce cream cheese
16 dried apricots
Snipped fresh rosemary (optional)

In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add wlnuts and sugar; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until walnuts are lightly toasted. Stir in ½ teaspoon fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary; cook and stir for 30 seconds more. Transfer nuts to a foil-lined baking sheet; cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine Gorgonzola cheese and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Spoon about ¾ teaspoon of the cheese mixture on top of each dried apricot. Sprinkle with nuts. If desired, garnish with additional fresh rosemary.

Per appetizer: 33 cal., 2 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 5 mg. chol., 24 mg sodium, 3 g carb., 0.3g fiber, 1 g pro.


Love is all around you... Enjoy!

- Rachel

Twitter: @RachelRubin
Connect with me on Facebook
Visit me on Google+
Network on LinkedIn
Watch me (or my pets) on YouTube
Eat with me on Yelp