Go ahead and put on Sarah McLaughlin’s "Building A Mystery" on Grooveshark. You need it for background music.
After breakfast I ended up making some coffee. I could feel the symptoms coming on. I need to buy more DECAF STAT! One week of caff is enough to have me hooked again.
I decided after breakfast to go ahead and make lunch in advance since my M + W are always crunch time to leave by 1:15. I had a number of ingredients to use up: cabbage, cranberry sauce, cranberries, persimmon, tofu. I wasn’t sure how this recipe was going to turn out – either lip lickin’ or gag inducing.
Half a head of chopped red cabbage
Chopped persimmon (minus the core)
~1.5 cups rinsed cranberries
Cooked in the microwave for ~3 minutes in half a cup of water to make them palatable
Dressing
~1/4 cup leftover sweet cranberry sauce (you could also use thinned out jam, like raspberry)
-Fresh chopped rosemary from the garden
-1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-2 pinches kosher salt
It was way too sweet upon first toss so I added 2 heaping tbsp of Spicy Apple Mustard by Made in Napa Valley
Much better!
In the meantime, I pressed some Nasoya firm tofu
And covered it in tamari (like soy sauce) to balance the super sweet salad
26 minutes at 400* = perfect crisp. The tamari tofu was AWESOME! Not sure why I didn’t do this earlier than now. I also added salt and pepper.
I served tofu cubes over the cabbage + fruit salad.
The combination rocked, but the salad had too much cranberry goo. Mildly gagable by the end (I’m not the biggest cabbage eater. But I eat it in the name of inexpensive photochemicals!)
With a side of corn chips, which went perfectly
You know my Sweet N Salty by Design pretzels? Bianca is offering you guys a 10% discount through the holidays if you would like to give them as gifts. Coupon code: KATHEATS.
Currently listening to Michael Buble! Love him.
Time to go to 3 back-to-back classes in a row……..for the last time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{ 77 comments… read them below or add one }
The tamari tofu is genius! I will definitely be giving that one a shot!
Yay for the “last time”! I have two more classes after tonight and I am DONE. Soooo ready for Christmas break I tell ya!
What an interesting combo for lunch! I wish I was that creative
What an awesome combo! I love that you threw some healthy chips in there too. I need my carbs with lunch!
Your lunch is beautiful! and that tofu? looks so good
Why did I not know we shared a similar love for Michael Bublé? I adore that kid. He’s funny too.
Veyr yummy lunch!
Wow Kath you have a gift – I would never think to combine so many mish mash ingredients.
That looks really delicious — you’re always so creative in the kitchen, something I admire.
When you sudden start drinking the strong stuff its easy to get hooked again.
I love tossing random stuff together and making something delicious. I’m actually working on new menus right now.
That mustard is SO good! A little bit goes a long way, but it still disappears way too fast!
I love Sarah McL – so good. and Buble – swoon.
Great looking lunch! I’ve been wanting to buy Tamari.
Yay for your last classes!
I’ve just started getting into Michael Buble. I keep meaning to check out more of his music.
your lunch looks fab! and i LOVE the pretzels! good luck on your last classes tonight!!!
jenna
YAy for last day of classes!!! My last day is today as well!
I need to perfect my tofu recipe – perhaps cubing it is the key! Love all the red phytonutrients in your salad
I dig your song suggestions while blog reading!
Congrats your last day of back-to-back classes! Can’t wait till May when I can say the same!
I would have never thought about mixing those flavors together, but they sound super yummy!
Oooh that tamari baked tofu sounds awesome, HAVE to try that!
I love Michael Buble. And I wish I had your motivation, creativity and cooking skills
We were discussing people being sensitive to caffeine in my Exercise Science class today and I thought of you
Everything looks great, especially the pretzels!
That mustard is the BEST!!! I have been putting it on anything and everything ever since I found it haha, I just made a tarragon dijon potato recipe with it too and it turned out soooo goooood!
Wow, interesting dish! I have yet to make tofu at home, I need to try it.
Jenn
Love the photos of cabbage, persimmon, rosemary, and berries!
great idea w/ microwaving cranberries! i didn’t know that was possible.
interesting lunch…
Buble was the co-host on Regis and Kelly today (I may or may not have been watching it in my office) and was utterly adorable…
i love that you experiment with your lunches – i usually go on autopilot til dinner, when i get adventurous
Thanks for telling me (us) about Grooveshark! I just started using it a few minutes ago and really like it much better than pandora!
Michael Buble rocks my world
If you’re looking for a way to use up the rest of the cabbage I have an amazing recipe you must try! A German friend made this the other night and it tasted like apple pie…but better!!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/German-Red-Cabbage/Detail.aspx
I love cooked cabbage too!
i’m impressed w/ the cabbage eating!! I’m not a huge fan, and def never would have thought to combine those ingredients…
And def looove Sarah M…just might have to put on some Building the Mystery.
Chocolate covered pretzels are one of my favorite things ever!!
Love Michael Buble. He and Jennifer Hudson are performing together on her Christmas special– I saw a preview on Oprah, and it looks good
I just bought a big head of cabbage with no plans whatsoever for a recipe, so I’ll keep this in mind!
hmmm….i do like red cabbage…and i LOVE cranberry sauce…but a “sweet” red cabbage just isn’t for me. glad you liked it though! tofu does look delish!
looks fantastic — anyway to incorporate cranberry sauce!
Wow, all I came up with for my leftover cranberry sauce was……cranberry sauce out of the bowl! I have no creativity in the kitchen- can I borrow yours whenever I need to make dinner?
Mmm I recently discovered Tamari – last night! I loooved it with a little basalmic, maple syrup, and garlic. So good:)
Your cabbage salad sounds amazing! Sorry it got gaggable at the end!
That salad has some really fun flavors
that’s a VERY adventurous lunch!!
Here are 3 awesome ladies whos music you need to check out- Rosi golan, melody gardot, Madeline peyroux. AWESOME stuff by them
Hey…quick question….do you workout EVERY day, or do you let your body have a rest day each week?
I rest when I feel like I need one. Some weeks that’s 1-2 days, others none. Sometimes I just do yoga or walk.
certainly lip lickin! love the colors in that bowl too
What an interesting lunch! I love tamari – but hadn’t thought to use it on tofu – I will have to give it a go!
I’m having fun with Grooveshark – thanks. I just put in Christmas and have had quite the variety all morning – Bing Crosby to Mariah Carey!
I’ve actually gotten back into green monsters lately to make sure I’m getting enough greens in my day. Here’s a link to a recent one that I really enjoyed
http://healthyhappenings.blogspot.com/2009/11/just-like-orange-chicken.html
It’s Kale, Almond Milk, Banana, scoop of Amazing Grass Chocolate Superfood. Really really good!
Hope to see you by my blog sometime!
Looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I also love Michael Buble! I got 3 cds as wedding gifts, and I’ve listened to them countless times. Is his Christmas music any good?
What a totally unique recipe! Love these ingredients Kath!
Cabbage is so delicious, cheap and underused! Looks delicious!
I could eat cabbage everyday for the rest of my life and never get sick of it – my mama say’s it’s the Slovak in me
But I’m glad you enjoyed your lunch until the semi-gagable ending!
That’s a brilliant idea. Cabbage fruit salad? With persimmon? Yummm. Though I’m with you on not being the biggest cabbage fan—too bitter for me. Sounds pretty good with the mustard though
Looks delicious. I need to try tofu again, I just don’t think I cooked it right…something seemed off!
Yay for the last crazy class schedule!
Interesting combo – way to be creative. I often make an Asian style coleslaw with cabbage, but it has red onion, so I don’t think it’s a recipe for you =) Yaya, last day of school. Lucky gal!
Nice to see you back on the persimmon train! They are my newest food find and I love em! Good luck with the classes…this semester has flown by (well, easy for me to say as a non student, I guess)
Oh, I luv those goodies!
Enjoy!
Those pretzels look soooo good. Yay for discounts!
I was curious to see how the recipe turned out after you tweeted about it. Glad it was good, for the most part! It sure looks pretty.
Those pretzels DO look good. Also good- your homemade cranberry! Fabulous!
i love micheal buble! hes cute too.
Very *colorful* lunch!!!!!!
Listening to Grooveshark as I read your blog…thanks for the recommendation! “Watcha Say”
Your salad looks so great, what a yummy creation.
those pretzels look so good
now i am going to have building a mystery in my head all night!
What is tamari anyways? i have never had it! what does it taste like? i am always looking for something besides EVOO and spices to add to my tofu
I’m not exactly sure, but it’s better-than-soy-sauce.
Between the kale smoothie and the cranberry goo cabbage salad, your not having the greatest food day. You have earned an extra delicious dinner tonight. It’s a good thing these yucky recipes weren’t the first blog posts of yours that I’m reading! You would have lost me after that yucky smoothie for breakfast (and I say that as someone who likes the green Amazing Grass).
Oooh. I have a typo. I hate that. “You’re” not “your”.
Sometimes the most random combinations end up being the tastiest. Enjoy your last 3 back to back class day!
the roasted tofu looks yummy!
Thanks for the Sarah McLaughlin reference–love her!
Love persimmons! Its probably a good idea you don’t eat the core anyway as it causes constipation! I usually eat it peeled, but maybe I will try it with the peel on one day…
What about it causes constipation??
I’m honestly not sure…persimmons are a huge fruit in the Korean community and everyone seems to just avoid the core because of its supposed constipation inducing symptoms. I think persimmons in general help with constipation (like most fruits) but most places will tell you to cut off the core
Wow I’m so impressed with the tofu dish – looks great!
YIPPEE for the last time. I need to start eating tofu for lunch again (Shaun won’t eat it).
“inexpensive photochemicals” hahaha love it! Sounds like something I’d say. Only us dietetic students would talk like that