When I was offered a review copy of Scratch by Maria Rodale. I was wondering what sort of book it would be. The Rodale name is associated with healthy foods, and sometimes I feel like they're maybe just a tiny little too healthy.I mean, I think I eat well. But I also like to indulge once in a while. I'm not afraid of white flour or white rice.
So when I started reading the book, the author pointed out that this wasn't a diet book. There would be gluten and sugar and desserts stuff.
So, okay. It's not a diet book. That's good to know.
It's also not a junk food book. The recipes are from scratch, with real ingredients. Which, to be honest, is how I like to cook. Yeah, I cheat sometimes. Sometimes I buy frozen vegetables or bagged salad. But I like buying from the farmer's market and chopping fresh vegetables.
The first recipe I bookmarked was called Syrian Salad and it was similar to a Greek salad, which is something I love. Then I found a cole slaw recipe, minestrone soup, and oyster crackers. (Ooooh ... oyster crackers!) Those were just the ones on the short list. There were a ton of other recipes I could have made.The recipes in the book are pretty straightforward. They use common ingredients. Recipes you can actually make, as-is, and without ordering ingredients online.
I decided to make the cole slaw, because I thought it would go well with the other things I was making for dinner. And cole slaw is something you can eat right after you make it, but it also tends to improve with a little bit of age. So it didn't matter that this made quite a bit of cole slaw.
The recipe suggested slicing the vegetables on a mandoline, but I had just sharpened my knives, so I wanted to play with my shiny sharp knives.
No-Mayo Cole Slaw
Adapted from Scratch by Maria Rodale
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar, or to taste (I used 4 tablespoon. I might try 3 next time because I like tart stuff)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon celery salt and no seeds)
For the salad:
1 head of cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
To make the dressing:
Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the oil, celery seeds, and salt and set aside to cool while you slice the vegetables.
To make the salad:
Combine the cabbage, onion, and bell pepper in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat.
This cole slaw was good right after I made it, but I think I liked it better after a day or two, since that mellowed the onions a bit.
I received this book from the publisher at no cost to me.