Asian-Style Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

My mother-in-law makes this very yummy Asian-style substitute for traditional coleslaw. It omits the mayo and instead substitutes oil. In my heart-of-hearts I would like to believe that this version is much healthier, when in fact, I know better. This recipe can fetch up to 548 calories per serving, leaving me on a mission to health it up a bit.

I had been wanting this recipe for quite some time. I am not a fan of mayo in anything (I often substitute non-fat sour cream for dishes like chicken salad or potato salad), so I decided that this recipe was right up my alley. I found a few recipes online, compared them, and they were pretty much the same.

The recipe calls for oil so naturally I used olive oil. Olive oil is good for you, but like most things, only in small portions. The oil coated the slaw very lightly, which made me feel less guilty. The recipe called for the whole seasonings packet that comes with the Ramen Noodles. Knowing this is LOADED with sodium, which retains water, I only used about 1/4 of the packet. I also omitted the salt because I felt like it would be salty enough with the Ramen packet. Probably one of the biggest changes I made to this recipe is the fact that I used honey instead of a 1/4 cup of sugar, and I only used about 2 tablespoons, if that. Everything else in the recipe is the same, except I did not have any sesame seeds on hand.

After I mixed up my slaw and took a bite I was so happy that I altered the recipe. I felt that I was left with a great flavor, and I did not feel that I sacrificed calories for flavor at all. The next time I make this recipe (which will be soon as I have a lot of slaw left) I will try to put together a seasonings packet on my own that will allow me to cut even more sodium out of the recipe. Tonight I am going to serve this with hamburgers.

Salad
4 green onions, chopped (use less or more desired on taste)
1 (6 oz) bag of cole slaw mix
3 TBSP toasted sesame seeds
1 cup toasted almonds
1 packet Ramen Noodles, broken into small pieces

Dressing
1/4 cup oil
3 TBSP white vinegar
2 TBSP honey
1/2 TSP pepper
Seasoning packet (reserved from Ramen)

Mix salad ingredients in a a large bowl, remembering to crumble the Ramen first.
Mix dressing ingredients in separate bowls.
Pour dressing over salad mixture and refrigerate for a couple hours for best results.

Skinny Crock Pot Balsamic Chicken

As you might have read before, I am a FOOL for my crock pot. Seriously. I. Love. It. I actually wish I had two, but I guess I should be thankful I have one, right? I made this recipe the other night from a recipe I found via Pinterest.com, a website I have recently found and am highly addicted to. I am quite sure that a coke habit would be cheaper.

Anyways, recently while vacationing in Hilton Head, I found myself in the a shop called Oilerie. It is an awesome little shop where you can sample various kinds of olive oils and seasonings before buying. THey also bottle and seal all products while you are there. Though I am a fool for some olive oil, their claim to fame is their balsamic vinegar that is aged for 25 years. It is so sweet you could almost drink it. It doesn't have the bitterness that many of the store-bough balsamic vinegars have. Since I have purchased this I have been looking for recipes that call for balsamic vinegar. You can purchase their products by clicking the link below.
Oilerie

This recipe was super quick to make. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe to accommodate what I had on hand, saving me a trip to the dreaded WalMart. I pulsed the canned tomatoes in the blender just for a few seconds because Bryan nor I like whole tomatoes. I also forfeited the herbs because I simply did not have any on hand. I just used Italian seasonings and extra garlic. I also used pork instead of the chicken because I unthawed it by accident. It actually turned out great and the pork was very tender. I will try chicken next time though.
I found this recipe at:
http://skinnycrockpot.com

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (or pork, cut thin)
1 large 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (I diced mine)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Pour olive oil in bottom of crock pot. Salt and pepper each chicken breast and place in crock pot. Add onion, garlic, and herbs on top of chicken. Pour vinegar on top and then top with tomatoes.
Cook on high for 4 hours, serve over pasta (I had thin pork cutlets that I cooked on high for 2 hours and then turned to low).

Pork, onions, garlic, seasonings

Add the balsamic

Top with tomatoes

After 2 hours of cooking on high

I served with cheese-filled tortillinis

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I found this amazing recipe for a pizza that crust that has little to no carbs in it! Yes, it is made with cauliflower, BUT if you are trying to be healthy then it's a small price to pay, right?

I have not tried this recipe yet, but I plan on stocking up on cauliflower at Whole Foods tomorrow. I plan to make this pizza plus some cauliflower mashed potatoes this week. I know Bryan will be super stoked to hear this.

I just wanted to go ahead and share the recipe with you all and I plan on posting pictures when I do make it.

I got this recipe from eat-drink-smile.com and you can find the recipe by clicking the link below...
Cauliflower Pizza Crust