Foody Two Shoes

I’m the first to admit that food-blogging in the winter hasn’t been my strong point. I’d much rather take photos in those bright Scandinavian days of spring and summer. I think it’s time for a new strategy in 2012 – to start with I’m trying to embrace winter and capture some of the atmosphere and charm that can be found in this season – making the most of it, you might call it. So, this blog post is not the usual type of recipe with food shot(s) that I would normally whack out here. I’m including a few snaps of this and that from around these parts.

First sign of spring – very cheering :)

Young Halley (5) letting off some steam in the park

Crab apples – jewels of the winter garden

Fairy lights add a little magic to the dark winter months – I love them

Seasonal Coleslaw

This recipe is for a ‘Roasted Sesame Winter Slaw’ that I found on this lovely blog My New Roots. I’ve pretty much followed the recipe except for using some different type of cabbage, because that’s what I happened to have in my fridge. This Coleslaw is great eaten on its own or with any kind of meat, if you are a meat-eater. Who said January had to be boring?

My Coleslaw is featured here on my treasured Bunbury Board – a gift from good friends Eddie and Tremayne in Ireland. Each board is hand-made from a tree sourced from sustainable Irish woodland and individually stamped with a code. By entering the code into the Bunbury Board website you can discover the story of the tree from which the board was made as well as see a picture of it. Very cool.

Makes a lot
Ingredients
3 cups each shredded red cabbage and sweetheart cabbage – any cabbage would work though
2 cups shredded carrots
2 scallions
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cup sesame seeds

Tahini Cream Dressing with Orange
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon runny honey (or agave, maple syrup)
1/3 cup tahini
½ cup water
season to taste with salt & pepper
zest of 1 organic orange

Directions
1. Wash and shred the cabbage as finely as possible and place in a large bowl.
2. Shred the carrots, finely slice the scallions and chop the parsley.
3. Add to the cabbage.
4. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Add water to thin to desired consistency.
5. Roast the sesame seeds on a dry pan until they begin to pop. Remove from the heat immediately. Sprinkle over the salad ingredients.
6. Toss everything together in the bowl and serve. Pour the dressing over only after the salad has been plated – this way you get some bites with lots of dressing and some without for the best balance. Garnish with extra sesame seeds.

Our resident bunnies love to munch on the vegetable trimmings