Thursday, May 13

{ make it work }

I adore cooking. I do not adore the time and effort that it can sometimes (most times?) take though. And my LEAST favorite thing above all is when you get your little hungry heart set on a certain recipe, turn on the stove, get everything out...and then realize YOU'RE MISSING A VITAL INGREDIENT. (Or maybe four vital ingredients, as per the usual with me.)
Pretty sure that happens...every time I make something.
A dear friend and past roommate of mine calls me the "make it work girl." And it pretty much stems from the fact that I refuse to let the recipe win. If it calls for something I don't have, I improvise to the nth degree. And no, it doesn't always turn out fabulous. But you can bet it always turns out. 
From time to time (dare I say something as set in stone as...weekly...?) I'll be posting about my "make it work" moments in the kitchen. This week it's all about the cabbage and lime salad with roasted peanuts found on one of my fav recipe blogs, Smitten Kitchen. Deb is fantastico.


So here is the recipe she offers up:
1/2 small red cabbage, trimmed, cored, and shredded (about 6 cups)
1/2 small green cabbage, trimmed, cored, and shredded (about 6 cups)

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 bunch fresh baby spinach, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch wide ribbons (about 4 cups loosely packed)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 small limes)
1 tablespoon Dijon or other salty prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup peanut oil

1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely choppedFreshly ground black pepper


And the crossed out items are the ones I didn't have :) 
Surprised that I had an entire head of fresh red cabbage just kicking it in my fridge? I was too.




So let's see...don't have peanuts, but DO have cashews. Don't have peanut oil, but DO have olive oil and peanut butter (I know, I know...totally different, but totally worked). 
I also didn't have green cabbage or spinach (which actually surprised me b/c I treat spinach as it's own food group usually)...so I used an entire head of butter leaf lettuce from the FM. I also wanted to add some more color (and use up some produce I had that was on its way out) so I julienned some red bell pepper and threw it into the party. 
The dressing definitely had a bite to it, which I enjoyed thoroughly. It even kept decently in the fridge for two days. Any longer would have been not-so-hot though.


SUCCESS.


~photos by me

1 comments:

Lilit said...

maddie! smitten kitchen is one of my favs and i've been so anxious to make this salad. way to go, makin' it work! inspiring as always, my friend.

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