Gluten-Free Roasted Cabbage with Thai Dressing by Allison

I’ve been craving Thai food for some reason……… maybe I should have paid more attention in the Thai cooking classes I took in Chang Mai, Thailand seven years ago! It was difficult to go back home and experiment with the new recipes as home at that time was Shanghai, China. At that time there wasn’t fresh lemongrass and galangal and kaffir lime leaves to be found on the shelves of any shop, although I’m sure there is now. I had dinner at Noi in Mala Strana here in Prague on Saturday night and the management was aware of gluten-free food preparation! Three cheers for Noi! Once you get a taste for the unique combination of: sweet, sour, salty, and last but not least spicy guess what? You crave it again. But luckily you don’t need traditional Thai ingredients to achieve a thai flavor for this side dish. Try it!

So I roasted this cabbage in my oven (I so wish I had a deck and a BBQ but I don’t) and the charred bits of cabbage are very actually very tasty! 

I whipped up the sauce in a few minutes while the cabbage was roasting. Super easy!

Gluten-Free Cabbage Salad with Thai Dressing

slightly adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients

Juice of 3 limes (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (check to make sure this ingredient is gluten-free)
2-3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
10-15 drops of liquid Stevia (the plant-based sweetener)
1 head green cabbage
canola oil

If you have a charcoal or gas grill, fire it up! Cut the cabbage into 8 evenly sliced wedges while keeping the stalk in place. Brush the cabbage with a little bit of canola oil. Place on the grill for 5-7 minutes or until edges are blackened, flip, and repeat until desired tenderness is achieved.

If you only have an oven (like me) then turn on the broiler and crank the heat to pre-heat the oven. Cut the cabbage into 8 evenly sliced wedges while keeping the stalk in place. Brush the cabbage with a little bit of canola oil and place on a large roasting pan. Roast for 8-9 minutes on each side until the desired tenderness is achieved.

While the cabbage is grilling or roasting, place first 8 ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend ingredients. Drizzle dressing over the top of the cabbage wedges and serve immediately! Enjoy!

Simple (let’s shave a few calories) Salad – by Nikki

A Simple but Colorful Salad

This past weekend, I was at Lipno Point in Czech Republic. Near Cesky Krumlov in South Bohemia, Lipno is a place of nature and beauty.  It was our faculty retreat weekend and because it was a three day weekend for the Czech Holiday of St. Wenceslaus, we had two full days of relaxing in Lipno. The apartments we stayed in are situated on Lipno lake and it felt like home to be near the water and surrounded by the Autumn foliage.

View of Lipno lake from the ski slope/hiking trail…

I spent two days relaxing by catching up with teacher-friends I don’t get to see on a daily basis, getting to know new faculty, playing card games and there was a LOT of laughter (and singing) by the bonfire! I swam in the lake on Friday afternoon after a sweaty game of “beach” volleyball and rare for me- took a three hour nap! On Saturday, I spent the majority of the day kayak/canoeing with friends. We were not really sure what we were actually floating down the river in; I think they were combo-boats! At some point during the first “rapid” I hit the water with a shocking thud and floated along the river trying to avoid but slamming into a few rocks… lost my shoes but saved my paddle! It was wild, very cold, but a fun story to tell to the rest of our colleagues! But after three days of vino, pivo, pork, potatoes and plenty of bread for breakfasts I felt very FULL.

fixin for a salad

The scale wasn’t pretty this morning so in an attempt to do damage control from the weekend fun, I decided it was a week of protein/berry smoothies for breakfast, plain yogurt and fruit for a snack, soup for lunch and a BIG GREEN SALAD for dinner.

Salat mix from the Dried Fruit and Nut Vendor

Because I wasn’t able to visit my local markets this weekend, I am featuring the salat mix that I always have on hand. I buy this on a regular basis from the market and you can find this vendor at both the River Market  and at JzP market – look for the bright, orange tent! This salty mix of pine nuts, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds add a complimentary texture and taste to the fresh vegetables and lettuce. The Summer sun might have vanished, the cool October air might be here for good, and our sweaters, boots and jeans might be making an appearance in our daily wardrobe, but I am still enjoying a simple, summer-ish salad!

Tasty and low calorie!

My Favorite Low Calorie Salad

by Nikki

Ingredients: half a carrot (peeled), one roma tomato, half a red or yellow bell pepper, quarter of an English cucumber, half a Granny Smith apple, half a rip avocado, one green onion, and 2-3 cups of lettuce, salat mix (seed-nut mix), olive oil, balsamic vinegar, ground pepper

1. Chop all veggies to desired thickness or size

2. Put all veggies and lettuce into a big bowl.

3. If using a seed/nut mix, add 1/4 cup then dress with oil, vinegar, ground pepper or desired dressing.

4. ENJOY!