Apple Wasabi Coleslaw

This is probably one of the best coleslaw's I have tasted.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cabbage finely chopped - about 5 cups
5 apples finely chopped
2 spring onions finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons wasabi
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
few pinches

Method

1. Mix together the cabbage, apples, onions and celery.
2. Mix together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, wasabi and mayonnaise. Mix well.
3. Incorporate the mayonnaise mixture with the cabbage mixture and spread evenly throughout the slaw.
4. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Palin

I just saw Sarah Palin at her inauguration speech at the Republican National Convention. It brought an uneasy chill. Now, before I get accused yet again for not "standing up" and being "too tough" on women, I have to say, I welcomed the fact that McCain was smart enough to put a woman on the ticket - but for heaven sakes couldn't he have found one who is qualified.

She is tough - no doubt about it. Ruthless, and will likely give Obama a run in the next few months. An attractive lady who like Hillary, knows how to get a crowd ready - but what does this woman stand for and can you take someone like her seriously. She seems to stand for "American Values" but the more I hear that term, the more I ask "What is that?"

Her 17 year old daughter does not get sex-ed in school because Palin abolished it by cutting all funding for sex-ed in high school. So, she gets pregnant. At 17, she is expected to marry a boy who proudly calls himself a "redneck", and to start a family with no high school education or understanding of the world. Of course this is much easier for her because her mum will get her a bunch of nannies and Bristol will likely show up for occasional visits from university. As for the "Christian Values" thing about having a Down Syndrome child - for Christ sakes - I strongly question the judgment of a woman who gives birth to a special needs child and parades him in front of thousands of people for her own political mileage. Did Sarah Palin ever sit to wonder how women of far fewer means would be able at age 17 to take care of a baby, or for that matter a special needs child. All this in a country that shamefully does not have universal health care , and where one third of the population is losing their homes??? What message is she sending girls today? They won't even get decent paying jobs - because Palin doesn't believe in equal pay for women! Welcome to the dark ages!

What did Sarah say other than beat up on Obama? Did she say what her policies are on health care? Did she say where she stands on Iraq?Iran? What are her policies on anything except teenage pregnancies? Wait - she did explain her energy policies - let us not focus on green energy, let's start drilling up in the Arctic and destroy whatever pristine land there is left so that Americans can continue to drive their large cars and pollute the world even more.

What is wrong with the Americans? They have a 301 million people (150.5 million women) and the best they could find is a woman who ran a rural town of 5000 in Alaska and who thinks on the PTA prepared her for the White House! I don't care if she has had to make "executive decisions" - when you are dealing with a small, non-controversial town of 5000 - you can't really need a lot of serious executive decisions in that setting and it speaks to her "executive decision making" that she left the town with a big deficit.

This race started out with 10 excellent candidates - to think that the fate of 301 million people now rests in the hands of a woman who has never done anything significant on the world stage, and who thinks Americans should be walking around with guns and the bible.
Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!

Hearty Country Style Gazpacho

This is by far the easiest soup I have ever made. The key to getting the soup right is to use ripe, fresh ingredients. This dish showcases mother nature's flavour.

Serves 3 as main course or 5 for a starter

Ingredients:
1 kilo fresh tomatoes - cherry tomatoes are better.
2 small cucumbers peeled and chopped
1 large red pepper chopped
5 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 onion chopped (for the soup)
1/4 onion chopped (for the garnish)
2-3 slices of bread (whatever you have at hand)
2-3 tablespoons chopped basil, parsley or other herbs you like
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Tobasco sauce
generous pinch of salt

Method:

1. Take all the ingredients except the herbs and the onions for garnish. Put it in a blender and blend until it is well blended.
2. For a more refined version, you can put the soup through a sieve and strain out all the seeds and skin - but for the hearty version enjoy as is.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until it is cold.
4. Serve cold, garnish with the chopped onions and herbs. For an extra kick add a dash of Tabasco.

Emie's Japanese Chicken and Egg Melody

Part of my friend Emie's usual dinner repertoire, this is the fastest, yummiest chicken I have had in a long time. The Mirin (Japanese Rice Wine) and the Memmi (Japanese Soup base) are imperative to use to get the flavoring right. In Toronto, I found these at the Japanese store "Sanko" on Niagara & Queen.

Serves 3 as a quick hearty meal

Ingredients:
1 onion chopped up
2 chicken breasts cut in 1 inch cubes.
1 cup veggies (use either mushrooms, beansprouts or red peppers) cut in bit size pieces.
1/2 cup Mirin
1/4 cup Memmi (for cooking the chicken)
3 tablespoon Memmi (for additional flavour on top)
3 eggs
2 tsp oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in the pan. Add the onions and cook on MEDIUM for about 4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the chicken pieces and saute until the chicken is slightly brown on one side. Turn and cook on the other side. Add the vegetables.
3. Add the Mirin and Memmi and continue cooking. Cover and lower flame to LOW and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Beat eggs slightly, add to the chicken and stir until eggs are almost cooked. Remove from the heat and allow the eggs to cook in the residual heat of the pan.
5. Serve immediately over hot rice. Sprinkle a tablespoon of Memmi on top of the chicken.