Macaroni Cole Slaw

Having a picnic? We always did. My mother used to make both cole slaw and macaroni salad. Clever idea to combine them!
Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!

Macaroni Cole Slaw
From Two Hens and Their Chicks

Ingredients:
7 oz dry macaroni
1 pkg  of coleslaw mix (approx 14 oz)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

 Dressing:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Method:
Cook macaroni according to package, Drain well and rinse with cold water. Mix macaroni and coleslaw mix together. Add in the chopped vegetables and mix well. 
Combine the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over macaroni/coleslaw mix and toss well.


Chill well before serving. 

Heidi's Roasted Cauliflower Rice

While I'd certainly heard of it, cauliflower rice sounded like a strange idea, but I loved the ingredient list in Heidi's recipe so gave this a try. So glad I did! Who'd have thought to add orange to this combo? It added just the right touch of citrus to an already marvelous recipe. I made it for lunch and ended up having it for supper as well. I don't normally fuss this much for lunch, but sometimes I get in a salad rut and need a refreshing change. Frankly, I think it would be a super side dish for grilling...salad plus veggie all in one.

Roasted Cauliflower Rice

From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 medium-large head of cauliflower

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 one orange, zest and juice

 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed

 2 medium cloves garlic, minced

 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, plus more to taste

 2/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped

 2 big handfuls pea sprouts or micro greens

 1/4 cup thinly sliced radishes

 3 tablespoons fresh marjoram

 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

Method:

Heat oven to 375F with a rack in the top third. Cut the stems and florets from the head of cauliflower and chop them into small pieces resembling rice. You should end up with about 5 cups. Put the cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, zest of the orange, caraway, garlic, and sea salt. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet and place in the oven for about 35 minutes, tossing once along the way (after 20 minutes), or until the cauliflower is tender and golden-edged.

Put the roasted cauliflower into a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed juice from the orange. Add the hazelnuts, pea sprouts, radishes, and marjoram. Toss well, taste and add more salt and orange juice if needed. Turn out into a bowl or platter, and finish with the goat cheese.

Roasted Apricot Ice Cream

Hands down, ice cream is my downfall! And this one, made with fresh apricots that have been roasted in the oven, is ambrosial. Loved the idea of roasting the fruit first and I combined a couple  recipes here, plus my old basic vanilla ice cream base (use your favorite base) with the addition of coriander. When coriander seeds are crushed they give off a mild nutty, spicy, citrus flavor. Lovely with the apricots.
Keep in mind that both the puréed apricots and the base should be refrigerated (separately) overnight.
Enjoy!

Roasted Fresh Apricot Ice Cream

For the apricots:
(The idea for roasting the fresh apricots came from HERE)
1 pound apricots
4 tablespoons light brown sugar

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Slice the apricots into quarters and remove the pits. Place on the prepared sheet pan and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until fruit juices are bubbly and starting to caramelize.

Let apricots cool, then pulse in a food processor or blender until roughly puréed. Taste for sweetness, add a tad more sugar if necessary. I refrigerated overnight.

For the ice cream base:
(The idea for adding coriander came from HERE)
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
dash fine sea salt
2 large eggs and 4 large egg yolks
10 coriander seeds, crushed coarsely and tied in cheesecloth

Method:
Beat together the eggs, yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is pale and lemon colored.
Heat the cream and milk with the vanilla and coriander seeds. Remove from heat just before mixture reaches the boiling point.
Pour mixture in a thin stream into the eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour back into a double boiler and put over very hot water on a medium flame. Cook until thickened to the consistency of custard.

Remove from heat and cool, whisking occasionally. Remove coriander bag. Strain mixture into a bowl and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, mix the apricots into the base and churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturers’ instructions. Serve directly from the machine for soft serve, or store in freezer as I did until needed.