Purple Cabbage Salad with Raisins, Carrots, and Almonds

Dear Purple Cabbage,

I'm sorry that I never understood or appreciated your deliciousness before. I was blind, but now I see - and I wholeheartedly promise to chop you, shred you, and even saute you more from now on.

Fondly,
Allison

Now that that's out of the way - this is SUCH a great summer salad! I found this recipe online the other day, and was intrigued. It has tons of flavors with so many ranges - from sweet to salty, and even a little tangy. The crispness of the cabbage is perfectly contrasted with the chewy raisins. I changed the original recipe from currants to raisins, and added in some spring onions for a little more bite. Keeps well in the fridge too!

Ingredients:
1/2 head of Purple Cabbage
3 Spring Onions, chopped
3 Carrots, grated
3 Tbs Almonds
3 Tbs Raisins

Dressing:
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs Rice Vinegar
1 Tbs Water
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Sugar (I used Agave Nectar)
1 tsp Maple Syrup
2 Tbs Canola Oil

What to do:
1. Cut off the bottom stem on the cabbage, and cut the half into half again, coring the thick white middle
2. Thinly slice and place in large bowl
3. Grate the carrots, and add to the cabbage
4. Toss in the onions and almonds
5. In a separate bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients, except for the oil together
6. Once combined, slowly whisk in the oil
7. Pour dressing over the cabbage mixture, and serve immediately, or store in refrigerator

From: Vegan Yum-Yum

Potato, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Samosas

I have had filo dough in my freezer for about a year. Every time I opened the freezer, there it was - staring back at me saying, "do something me with me already!!" What I like most about this dish is its versatility. You could take it in so many different directions just by changing the ingredients a little bit. Instead of goat cheese, you could add a little curry spice and some peas for an authentic Indian dish. You could also use roasted red peppers and goat cheese. The possibilities are endless! Note: I don't know if it was because the filo dough had been in the freezer for so long - but it was kinda difficult to work with. Easy to make, hard to manage. Delicious outcome though! And at the end of the day, that's really what's important, right?

Ingredients: Makes 7 samosas
14 sheets of filo dough, thawed
2 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 cup sliced yellow onion
4 tbs goat cheese
1 ts salt
1 tbs either dijon mustard or dijonaise
1 tbs melted butter
1/2 ts brown sugar 
cooking spray

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Steam potatoes for 8-10 min, or until tender
3. At the same time saute the onions in olive oil for 10 mins on med heat, then add in the sugar
4. In a mixing bowl, mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher
5. Add in the goat cheese, dijon, onions, and salt
6. On a clean work surface, lay out the 7 sheets of filo dough
7. Spray each layer of the dough with cooking spray
8. Pick up 2 sheets of filo dough and cut it lengthwise in half
9. Layer one spoonful of the potato filling in the corner of one end of the dough strip
10. fold one side over the filling to form a triangle, then continue folding it all the way the strip to form a sealed triangle
11. Continue with the rest of the dough, using two sheets at a time
12. Place finished triangles on a baking sheet and brush the tops of each with the melted butter
13. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown on the top

Serve with a green salad!