Recipe of the Week:Asian Slaw

Well, I've slacked on this quite a bit but since I had the flu the whole month of June, I really didn't cook much except Mrs Grass' Chicken Noodle Soup and toast. But - I'm getting back my typical vim and vigor (not due to any sort of Vitameatavegamin substance either) so last week I baked a MOST wonderful chocolate cake - all homemade - for my favorite co-worker's birthday - but I shall not post the recipe here as I want to keep my secrets secret. Let them all wonder what I did to make the cake so moist, the frosting so wonderfully cocoa-delicious and pudding-like. Let them eat cake!

But I will post what I've been eating pretty much non-stop since Saturday afternoon and that would be Asian Slaw. I made a huge batch of it and it was so tasty, every time I got peckish, I said "hmm, maybe just a forkful" and then a bowl and then it was my dinner and you can see how it continued from there - it really is that good! I sort of added more of "stuff" as I saw fit - so go by taste for sure.

Makes 8 servings
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 small head of napa cabbage
1 cup of shredded carrots (I just used my peeler and peeled short strips right into the bowl)
1 cup basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
8 oz sugar snap peas
1/3 cup of rice vinegar
2 TB soy sauce (I used teriyaki)
1 TB sugar
2 TS sesame oil (I definitely used a bit more since I LOVE the way it smells and tastes)
1/4 TS salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Toast the almonds in a skillet over low heat until browned and then put them aside in a separate container.

Trim cabbage and cut lengthwise into quarters and then into thin shreds and put in a large bowl. Add carrots, basil, and peas and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, soy/teriyaki, sesame oil, sugar and salt. Then slowly whisk in vegetable oil until it comes together then toss with the veggies.

I kept the almonds separate, sprinkling on top of my individual portions as I ate them because I thought leaving them in the big bowl would make them less crunchy - but if you are serving it all immediately, toss them in and eat!

I think too you should make this ahead of time to let all the flavors come together - it tasted yummy right away, but you know, if you let it marinate a bit, it's just that much more...yummy!