Creamy Dill Coleslaw

Our Brunswick Forest cookbook club met on 11 April 2023.  The recipes that everyone selected were from Giada de Laurentiis’s cookbook called, Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out. My friend Candy made this coleslaw.
 

Ingredients

1 medium head of savoy cabbage, quartered, core removed, and sliced fine
1 .T plus 1 t. kosher salt
3/4 C. coconut yogurt, such as COYO
1 T. whole-grain mustard
3 T. cider vinegar
1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 C. chopped fresh dill
1 carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
 

Directions

In a large container, toss the cabbage with 1 T kosher salt. With your hands, massage the sale into the cabbage for about 3 minutes. Place the colander in the sink and let the cabbage drain for 15 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, dill, and the remaining 1 t. salt until smooth. Add the carrot and stir to coat. Squeeze out any excess from the cabbage and add the cabbage to the bowl, tossing well combine with the carrots and dressing. Let the slaw stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator to marry the flavors.

Simple Braised Mushrooms

Our Brunswick Forest cookbook club met on 11 April 2023.  The recipes that everyone made were from Giada de Laurentiis’s cookbook called, Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out. 

 
I selected this simple but delicious mushroom side dish. It was a hit along with many other recipes that evening.
 
Serves 6
 
Total time: 35 minutes
 
Ingredients
 

2 T. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1-1/2 t. kosher salt, divided
3 (10 oz) packages cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 T dry Marsala, sherry, or white wine, optional
1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 T unsalted butter
 
 
Directions
 
Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallot and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to soften. 

  

Add the mushrooms to the pan along with another 1/2 teaspoon salt and the thyme.  Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have let off some of their juices are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.

 
Deglaze with the Marsala, if using, and add the broth and remaining salt. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about an additional 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs, stir in the butter and serve.
 
My Notes: 
 
I used chicken broth and white wine.
 
I added two cloves of garlic, chopped, when I added the shallots to the skillet. 
 
Next time I will also add some hot pepper flakes.
 
In my opinion, the butter is really not needed.

Greek Bean Soup

I made this recipe for a local cookbook dinner club. This is from The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen.

Ingredients

Salt and Pepper
1 lb (2-1/2 cups) dried cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed (I used four cans of Goya cannellini beans, drained and rinsed)
2 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 onion, chopped
2-1/2 t minced fresh oregano or 3/4 t dried
6 c chicken or vegetable broth, plus extra as needed (I used chicken broth)
4 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 T lemon juice
1 t ground dried Aleppo pepper
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Directions