Purple Cabbage Side Salad

So sticking to the new diet (aka lifestyle change...) can be a little challenging but luckily vegetables are a free for all. So here is a recipe for a sweet side salad that goes great with a sandwich for lunch or with dinner. And its quick and easy to make!

Ingredients
1/2 purple cabbage, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1/3 cup raisins
2 large carrots, grated
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp low fat mayo
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey

In a large pot saute the onions in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook covered for about 5 minutes until the cabbage is slightly softened. Remove from heat and place in the fridge until cooled. Add the mayo, vinegar, carrots, honey, raisins and stir until combined. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Soup

Its that time of year again...fall (we have a love hate relationship; love the pretty colors and that I get to wear sweaters and scarves, hate the wind and rain blowing in my face and turning my umbrella inside out). Tonight I had Tiiu over for dinner and had to come up with an idea for what to serve that little princess-sexy-beast friend of mine. Pumpkin soup seemed fitting considering the windy weather outside. (Not to tease, but I served the soup with grilled squid and a marinated portobello mushroom topped with caramelized onions and sharp cheddar). So here is the recipe for the soup (so simple and quite amazing). On a side note, the recipe is from my travels to Vietnam...

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
1 medium sized pumpkin
1 cup skim or 1% milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp concentrated soup stock (I used vegetable)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Dealing with the pumpkin is the hardest part. I cut around the stem and removed the top, scooped out the pulp and seeds and then cut the pumpkin in half. I finished cleaning the inside and then sliced the pumpkin and peeled it. This took me forever and I'm sure there must be an easier way. I think cutting the pumpkin in half and baking it for an hour, then scooping out the flesh and using it in the soup would also work and may be less energy consuming.

Anyway, once I got that bad boy sliced and peeled I diced it into think pieces and added it to a soup pot.

Regarldess of how you get the pumpkin ready, once its in the pot add enough water to cover the pumpkin and cook it on high heat for about 20 minutes. Once most of the water has evaporated check to see if the pumpkin is cooked. If not, add another cup and finished cooking the pumpkin. Once the it is cooked add the milk (add more if you want the soup to be less creamy and thick). Add the condensed stock and sugar, and season with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Puree with a hand blender until it is creamy and smooth. Serve as an appetizer or add croutons and cheese and have it as a main.

Also, you can roast the seeds which are a great addition to salads. Simply toss them in a tsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake them at 400C for 3-4 minutes. Take them out, flip them and bake for a few more minutes until golden.