Coleslaw - Video Recipe

Coleslaw is made for summer backyard barbecue gatherings and shady picnics in the park. It's easy to make and travel with. Just keep it covered in the refrigerator until serving time for a cool presentation.

I like Coleslaw on my deli sandwiches. It adds a cool crunch to a sliced stack of Pastrami and Corned Beef between 2 slices of rye bread.

I have a Fried Fish Taco that is dressed with cabbage, but Coleslaw would kick the recipe up a notch.

I grew up eating Southern style Coleslaw -- super creamy from all the extra mayo. Go to any local BBQ Joint and choose a side of Coleslaw to go with BBQ chicken or sliced smoked beef brisket.

I only use four ingredients for my Coleslaw, just shredded cabbage and carrot, a lot of mayo, finally salt and pepper, and extra black pepper for me.

The most work you will do is shredding the cabbage and carrot. I use a cheap box grater. But you can buy packaged ready to mix shredded cabbage and carrot.

You can slice and chop veggies by hand of course. The end result is a little chunkier, but it works just fine.

If you have a grater, I like to use the largest mandolin blade opening for the cabbage. Some graters have a few stacked blade slots so your shredding will go quicker. A whole cabbage grates into about 6 cups.

For carrot, I like it a little finer so I use the side with the largest holes, that look like teardrops. A grated carrot will make about 2 cups.

Cabbage is always cheap.  For my recipe, I used a head of cabbage, but you can easily half the recipe ingredients. You can use the other half a head of cabbage for a stir fry, too.

Click on any photo to see larger.

I use a whole inexpensive carrot. Again it's easy enough to make a half recipe. If you use packaged shredded cabbage, my recipe will be cut in a third, that is 2 cups cabbage and half a cup of carrot.

The other ingredients are mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. I like fresh ground black pepper. Once you mix in the mayo add a little seasoning at a time to reach the desired flavor.

Keep it vegan with veggie mayo. There are a lot of mayo types to choose from these days. And real mayonnaise always shows up at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

I leave out extra ingredients a lot of recipes like to add. Extras include a tablespoon of celery seed. Some like their Coleslaw sweet, so add a tablespoon of sugar or favorite sweetener. A splash of vinegar will give Coleslaw an extra kick. I have a Deli-style Coleslaw recipe that has a little olive oil, just click here to see that one.

I like a simple Coleslaw that's creamy with mayo. Chill it and serve it for your next family picnic or barbecue. And for a potluck, your host will be thrilled to set it out.

Coleslaw - Video

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 13 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 1 whole cabbage -- about 6 cups total when shredded.  I used the mandolin slicing side of a box grater. Okay to slice by hand.
• 1 whole carrot,  peeled and shredded - about 2 cups total shredded. Okay to use as little or as much as you like, you can even leave it out.  Used the large-course shredding holes of my grater.
• 1 cup mayonnaise - light or regular strength. Okay to start with half a cup and add a tablespoon at a time to desired creaminess.
• Salt & Black Pepper to taste - about half a teaspoon salt and a whole teaspoon of black pepper. I like the extra pepper taste. 

*Recipes with real mayo should be kept refrigerated until ready to serve. Do not leave Coleslaw out more than an hour or so at a time.

Directions
Rinse cabbage and carrot. Discard old or brown outer cabbage leaves. Peel discolored parts of carrot if necessary.

Shred or slice one whole cabbage --  about 6 cups total when shredded.  I used the mandolin slicing side of a box grater. Okay to slice by hand.

Box grater will fill up with shredded cabbage and become hard to slice cabbage, so be sure to empty grater once it gets half full.

Shred or fine chop one carrot. I used the largest hole side. You should get about 2 cups from one carrot.

Of course, be careful using a box shredder - it's easy to cut your fingertips! When you have just a nub of carrot or a chunk of cabbage left, chop it up with a knife. Discard tough cabbage and carrot root ends.

Add shredded cabbage and carrot to a large bowl. It's okay to use packaged and pre-shredded cabbage and carrot. Use less mayo depending on package size. A typical shredded package of cabbage is about 2 cups.

I start with half the mayo called for, then add a tablespoon at a time as I mix the veggies. Just add enough mayo to reach desired creaminess. I use about a cup of mayo total.

Finally season with salt and pepper. Add a little at a time and taste Coleslaw. A half teaspoon each of salt and pepper is about right. I do like extra fresh ground black pepper, so I add more.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you make it a day ahead, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of fresh mayo, to bring Coleslaw back to normal creaminess.

Hindsight
Other recipes call for celery seed, sugar, and vinegar. Make the recipe the way you like it by adding any of the above.

Each day the Coleslaw is in the refrigerator, the mayo will breakdown some and become watery or just dryer. You can drain liquid from Coleslaw and add a tablespoon of mayo at a time, to bring back desired creaminess.

Vegan mayo works fine. There are Coleslaws without mayo. You can just use vinegar and a little olive oil instead of mayo. You may want to add a little sweetener. A handful of roasted peanuts are a nice extra addition for vinegar/oil Coleslaws.

Corned Beef and Cabbage - Video Recipe

You don't need the luck of the Irish or a 4 leaf clover for finding good food deals this week of St. Patrick's Day. Just check your mailbox for grocery store flyers or visit your local market for discounted Corned Beef, heads of cabbage, carrots and potatoes. And I have an easy dish to celebrate St. Patty's Day: Corned Beef and Cabbage.

If you are as cheap as me, you will have stocked up on the Irish holiday Corned Beef sales. Not the biggest BBQ day of the year, the 4th of July has such a good deal on beef  (even hamburger was at least $2.89 per pound, if I remember last year's prices right).

Corned Beef is normally in the 5 dollars per pound range, but this week it drops to around 2 bucks, or less, per pound! You can get a whole cabbage for about a buck as well. And carrots and potatoes are always cheap.

My Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe couldn't be simpler to do. When you buy Corned Beef from the market it is ready to cook. Cover the Corned Beef with water and add the packet of herbs contents that come with it, then boil the beef for about 4 hours.

When the Corned Beef is nearly fall-apart tender remove it from the cooking broth. Now a typical Corned Beef is super salty and the broth will be too, give it a taste to make sure.  I usually pour out half the broth and add fresh water to replace. This will lighten the salty brine flavor. When you add water give the broth a quick taste to see if you can handle it.

All you need to do is add the chopped veggies to the broth, including cabbage, red potatoes, and a whole chopped carrot. You cook the veggies until tender - this only takes about 20 minutes. If you like crunchy cabbage, cook the potatoes and carrot for 15 minutes then add the chopped cabbage and cook until desired tenderness, about 10 to 15 minutes.

I use red potatoes, but you can use any potatoes you find on sale. I chop them in quarters (4 pieces) so they will cook faster. I like big chunky carrot slices, too. The cabbage can be chopped roughly into large chunks.

It does take a bit of patience to cook my budget Corned Beef and Cabbage but it's well worth the wait. My budget one-pot meal is really easy to make, that's why so many families have embraced this classic Irish meal. Sometimes this Blarney Chef is full of it, but not this time, my cheap$kate holiday dish is one I make every year, and you should too!

Corned Beef and Cabbage - Video

Play it here. video runs 2 minutes, 22 seconds.

Ingredients

• 1 corned beef - I use cheap point-cut corned beef on sale. They usually weigh 3 to 5 pounds. You can follow package directions for cooking corned beef. 
• 1 whole cabbage - chopped. They have a tough root stem you can remove, but it will tenderize. I only remove if it's discolored brown and extra tough. 
• 1 carrot chopped - You can add another carrot or two, depending on the size. Sometimes I like more veggies.
• 2 red potatoes chopped - You can boil red potatoes whole, but they will take an extra half hour to cook. Okay to use white or russet potatoes. Also, add more potato if you like.
• Water to cover corned beef - When corned beef is cooked, taste broth for saltiness, if too much then replace half the broth with fresh water and taste again - repeat if necessary.

Directions

Corned Beef is a thick and tough piece of meat, so you need to low boil it for about 3 to 4 hours until tender. Time will vary depending on the size of whole Corned Beef brisket. Mine was about 4 pounds. Cheaper cuts of Corned Beef can be fatty, so it's okay to trim off some of the fat.

You can follow Corned Beef package cooking directions. Usually, you cover Corned Beef with water, about 5 cups worth. Most times you have a small packet of spices and herb included, so open and empty the contents into the water. Sometimes I leave out the packet, as the corned meat is seasoned enough for me.

In a large pot, bring the Corned Beef in water to a boil, lower to a low simmer or low boil and cover the pot. Cook about 3 to 4 hours. Check on the pot every hour or so to make sure liquid does not cook out, and add more water if needed. It's okay if the liquid cooks out by half, this will make an intense broth for the veggies.

After about 3 hours you can chop the cabbage, carrot and potatoes.

When the Corned Beef is done, remove it and set aside. Taste the broth to see how salty it is. More than likely it's too salty, so pour out half the broth and add an equal amount of fresh water. Now taste to see if the broth is milder. Repeat this step if necessary to reach your desired flavor.

Once the broth meets your tastes, then add the chopped veggies. Bring to a low simmer, cover the pot and cook veggies about 20 minutes.

If you like crunchy cabbage, first cook carrot and potato about 15 minutes, then add chopped cabbage. Cook until cabbage reaches desired crunchiness, usually 10 minutes or so.

Finally, return the cooked Corned Beef to the pot with veggies and let it reheat for about 5 minutes.

This is a one-pot meal, so just slice off hunks of Corned Beef and serve with the cooked veggies.

Sliced Corned Beef is great in a sandwich too, just click here to see how I make mine, with Homemade Coleslaw!

Best Lamb Curry with Vegetables - Video Recipe

My latest recipe is loaded with veggies, too. Lamb Curry with Vegetables starts with a basic meat curry, then when that is ready I add the veggies and finish it up - so, my latest recipe is a twofer: Lamb Curry and Lamb Curry with Veggies.

Curry comes in all flavors depending on the region of origin, from India to Thailand. I am making a simple India-style curry. Even in India, curries vary from region to region.

I make a basic Cheap$kate Lamb Curry with spices, coconut milk, tomato sauce, onion and garlic. All I do is saute the meat and onion, spices, then add liquids, cover and simmer the Curry about 2 hours, or until the lamb is fall-off-the-bone tender.

And I build a basic curry powder from scratch, but if you have access to pre-made curry powder then it's okay to use it. The spices I use are mostly easy to get and include: ground cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and coriander.

It's okay to mix and match my curry ingredients. If you don't have coriander then leave it out. Spices can be expensive, but I'm lucky to have  99c only Stores to shop in.

The main curry powder ingredient is ground cumin, if that's all you can get, then use only that- all the other spices just make the curry powder more complex.

Click on any photo to see larger.

For a richer curry I add coconut milk or cream, and tomato sauce. This adds sweet and acidic layers of flavor. Okay to leave out coconut milk for a light curry sauce. I get both ingredients from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

For meat, I sometimes splurge with pricy, pungent lamb. You can substitute with cheap chicken or pork.

 Depending on the meat, some cheap cuts of lamb, beef or pork can be very tough, so a 2 to 3 hour simmering time is needed. I leave fat and bone attached, for extra flavor. With long simmering times, some fat will liquefy and the bone will separate from the flesh. Any tough meat will tenderize. Cooking time varies depending on simmering temperature.

This is the kind of curry you can leave heating on the stovetop -- just check from time to time and add more water or broth as needed.

Click on any photo to see larger.

I fill out this Lamb Curry with a lot of cheap veggies that include: onion, bell pepper, carrot and potato.

You can add any fave veggies you like, such as: spinach, kale, cauliflower, squash, and green beans. My local Latin market has great deals on veggies.

After my basic Cheap$kate Lamb Curry is done, I add the veggies and cook another 45 minutes. You can adjust the cooking time if you like veggies crunchy or soft.

I don't make this recipe too often as lamb is a bit expensive, but sometimes I gotta have a Lamb Curry with Vegetables -- damn the price!

Best Lamb Curry with Vegetables - Video

Play it here. Video runs 4 minutes, 46 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (about 2-3 servings)

• 1 to 2 pounds of lamb  - slice into bite sizes. Okay to substitute any meat, including chicken, turkey, beef and pork.) The balance of meat to veggies is up to you.
• 1 tablespoon cumin powder - okay to substitute cumin with a favorite curry powder  (if you use a pre-mix curry powder, then leave out the other spices that follow.)
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger - or fresh chopped ginger.
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - okay to use a cinnamon stick.
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 13.5 ounces coconut milk or cream - one regular size can.
• 8 ounces tomato sauce - one small can.
• 1 onion chopped - white, yellow or red onion.
• 1 tablespoon garlic - chopped (jar or fresh.) Okay to use garlic powder.
• 1 bell pepper - chopped
• 1 carrot - chopped
• 1 potato - chopped. I used a large russet potato.
• 1 tablespoon oil - to saute lamb.
•  1 cup of water or broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

*Other curry spices - garam masala, chili powder and turmeric. About a teaspoon each. Okay to mix and match what you like to make a curry powder, but always start with a tablespoon of cumin.

Directions
Slice lamb into bite-sized pieces. Okay to trim off some fat and remove bone. I like to keep most of the fat and leave bone in for extra flavor.

Add a tablespoon of oil to a medium heated pan. Add lamb and brown one side about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot the pan is.

As meat browns, roughly chop one onion. Once meat is brown on one side then add the chopped onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add curry spices, including: cumin, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and coriander. Okay to use a favorite pre-mixed curry powder.

click on any photo to see larger

Salt and pepper to taste, then add chopped fresh garlic or garlic powder. Mix well and saute dried spices and garlic for a minute or so.

Add one can of coconut milk or cream, a small can of tomato sauce, and a cup of water or broth. Mix well and bring up to a low simmer.

Cover and cook until lamb is tender, about 2 hours. Other types of meat may cook quicker. Chicken takes about an hour. Check from time to time, making sure liquid does not cook out. Add a little water or broth if needed.

This is a basic Lamb Curry. You can stop here if you like, I sometimes do.

The idea is to make a simple Lamb Curry with onion and spices, and cook it until tender. Then you add rest of veggies and cook them just enough to slightly soften.

 If you added all the veggies at once, in the beginning, they would cook until way too mushy for my taste.

While Lamb Curry cooks, chop the rest of veggies. After the lamb is tender, add chopped bell pepper, carrot and potato. You can add any favorite veggies you like including: cauliflower, green beans, squash and spinach.

Bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook veggies until they reach desired tenderness, about half hour to 45 minutes.

I like to serve my Lamb Curry and Veggies over rice.