New Year, New Us!

***DRUM ROLL PLEASE***

We are back ladies and gents, and it has been far, FAR too long and for this we greatly apologise.

But guess what? It's a brand new year, and with that comes a brand new us, and a brand new blog post - better late than never right?

This year, I am all about the veg - so much so that 90% of my fridge content right now is filled with the green stuff. We've both stopped rowing and with that comes a slightly different diet plan: carbs aren't as needed as we're not exercising quite as much and so vegetables have become my new BFF. This is not to say I have stopped eating carbs -especially on hangover days- as they are still a staple part of your diet to keep you going throughout the day.

My top tip is to have a carb laden breakfast to start the day and to give you an energy boost that will last til lunch.

To start off our grand return, today's blog is going to be about the, not-so-grand, coleslaw. I referenced it as an accompaniment in our sausage roll recipe, but it can be so much more than just a side salad.

I'm going to tell you the recipe at its most basic and then explain how it can make the transition from barbecue side dish to hearty lunch salad. With this, you can make a large amount of the base and then change small portions of it as and when needed.

Edgy zoom

Ingredients (makes 4 to 5 portions)

1/2 white cabbage
3-4 carrots (depending on the size)
1 and a 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 and a 1/2 tbsp plain yoghurt


Recipe

• Grate cabbage and carrots and put in a large bowl. The best basis for carrot amount is to match it to the cabbage. Alternative: if you're not a huge fan of cabbage, try Chinese lettuce! It doesn't need to be grated, just slice it thinly horizontally and make the coleslaw chunky!

• Stir in mayonnaise and yoghurt, add more or less depending on how moist (lol) you want your salad

• Add seasonings, all about that black pepper.

• Et voila - you have, in its most basic form, coleslaw

If it doesn't look like this you've messed up 

Variations

So some slightly different options for you lovely people...

Raisins - some people hate them, some people think they're a strange item to put in coleslaw - it's all up to personal preference. Something my Mum taught me in order to juice up the raisins before adding them, is to cover them with apple juice and put on the hob in a saucepan until the juice starts to bubble. At which point, drain most of the juice and add the plumped up raisins to the bowl. This adds a lovely fruity zest to your salad.

Red onion - some people prefer a more American style 'slaw, and this is created through the addition of some onion. My favourite way to do this is to finely chop up 1/2 a red onion -it can be quite pungent- and bung in with the rest of the ingredients. This combo is generally best for BBQ style situations as the onion goes dreamily with burgers and sausages.

Apple and dried apricots - don't hate me, this is a thing I swear. This goes best with the Chinese lettuce coleslaw and is a great accompaniment to any Asian themed foods, but don't let that stop you branching out! This is really yummy and again originates from my Mum's kitchen - I know dried apricots can be quite a pricey salad ingredient, but I hope if you seen them on offer you seize the chance to try this out. I would advice a handful of apricots chopped in half and 1-1 and a half apples cut into segments for a chunky mouthful!

Feta and walnut - last and by no means least is this little nugget of wisdom I want to share. I discovered this late at night when I needed to make a packed lunch for a day on campus the next day and only had some previously prepared coleslaw in the fridge. To bulk it up and make it more substantial, I chopped up some feta and bunged in some walnuts. About a third of a block of feta is enough and chuck in a handful or two of walnuts for extra crunch and protein. Again, I know walnuts are expensive, but they are well worth buying in bulk as an extra bit of long lasting energy to add to any salad. I bought a large bag from Booker but in you aren't able to buy from a wholesale supermarket, most health food shops will let you order a large amount in one go for a discounted amount.

We're back and better than ever

Complimentary tune: Let's Dance - David Bowie, in memory of the late and great David Bowie, let's dance away those winter blues and into the new year.

Tip of the day: Head to Morrisons to stock up on cheap fruit and veg, and look at ways to get them -and all your shopping- to stay fresh for longer with tips like these.

---C

Potato Salad

This is a great salad to make if you've got lots of leftovers in the fridge and want something exciting to do with them.

It's best to do a large batch of the potato and apple and red onion and sauce (the base ingredients) and then have it repeatedly with different sources of protein and flavour added to it. Some options include cubed feta cheese (as I've done), smoked mackerel (Sainsburys does a cheap vacuum packed version that lasts longer in the fridge, 4 fillets for £2.42), or small pieces of bacon (better to buy large rashers and then cut up yourself as they are more cost effective and less fatty than lardons).

Potatoes in any form (even chips if they're oven baked) are a great source of long lasting energy, so even though this is just a salad, it'll keep you going long until your next meal.

This salad can be served hot or cold. As it's very hot at the moment I made the salad in the morning, wacked it in the fridge to cool and then ate it as a late lunch in the afternoon. Alternatively, if you eat it straight away and make sure all the cooked ingredients are kept warm, this can be just as appetising on colder days as a healthy winter warmer.

If my Mum makes this salad, she tends to plan her added ingredients by colour variation to make it more aesthetically pleasing, where as I just tend to bung in whatever ingredients I can find in the fridge. It's up to you, but obviously it would involve more planning ahead if you follow my Mum's technique.


Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

BASE 
4 medium/large potatoes
1 red onion (or a handful of spring onions)
2 apples
2-3 tbsp of greek/plain yoghurt
2-3 tbsp of mayonnaise
Seasonings

OPTIONAL EXTRAS
1/2 block of feta or 3 rashers of bacon or 1 fillet of smoked mackerel
A handful of radishes
A handful of gherkins
2-3 sticks of celery

Recipe

• Bring a saucepan of water up to boil and wash and chop up the potatoes into largeish chunks (no need to peel as makes potato shapeless and mushy when mixed).

• Steam the potato chunks on top of the boiled water (make sure you put the lid on) and turn the hob down to a medium heat.
• Leave for 20-30 minutes but keep checking them by sticking a knife through the chunks (they should be soft but still holding their structure well).
• Whilst that steams away, start prepping all your other ingredients.
• Obviously the size that you choose to chop up your fruit and veg to is your choice, but I would advise cutting up the red onion the most finely as it can be quite pungent in too large a dose.

• Once the potatoes are done, add in all your ingredients but leave your sauce til last. Use equal amounts of the mayonnaise and yoghurt and make sure that all ingredients are completely covered for optimum deliciousness. 
• If you want, keep back your source of protein til last as well and sprinkle on top to add to the finished presentation (doesn't matter if you don't though as long as it tastes good!)
• Don't forget to add black pepper and/or seasonings of your choice.
• Enjoy this salad and the hot weather!

Complimentary tune: Today Was A Good Day - Ice Cube or to rephrase, today would be a much better day with more ice cubes.

Tip of the day: Red onion is a much greater ingredient when raw and is therefore a great addition to most salads (buy them small sized). If you want to cook with onions use white ones, as they are cheaper and much more enjoyable when cooked.

---C