Are there days when you just want to get in your car and drive somewhere far, far away? When I was younger, I did that all the time. Late at night, I’d get in my car, point it in one direction and just drive. I would drive until I could see the sun come up. Now that I’m older, married and supposedly more responsible I can’t give in to those urges the way I used to.
The urge to escape my life has never been more intense. Maybe it’s being weighed down with responsibilities, maybe it’s a mid-life crisis, maybe I just need some adventure in my life. Whatever the reason, I am feeling restless, itchy and unsatisfied. My son is reaching an age where he really doesn’t need me anymore, except for food and rides. My husband is coping with his own dissatisfactions and we are having a hard time communicating. I guess the urge to escape is to get a new perspective on my life and figure out what I really want moving forward. I have been really disappointed with myself lately, like I can’t do anything right.
My creativity is ebbing and flowing in huge spikes as well. Somedays the ideas come so fast I have to write them down so I won’t lose them and others I can’t even focus long enough to decide on what to make for dinner. This dish came from one of those days where the energy was high and creativity was flowing. I am always looking for ways to pack a lot of flavor while keeping things fairly healthy and this was a happy success. It’s a simple cabbage slaw with a roasted onion dressing. The dressing takes a bit of forethought, you roast a few onions in the oven for 45 minutes or so and then blend them with a bit of lemon juice, olive oil and nutritional yeast. The result is a slightly sweet, creamy, tangy dressing that works well on this slaw as well as your favorite bowl. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and is great on roasted vegetables as well.
- 2 sweet yellow onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ medium green cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced
- ½ medium red cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced
- 1 medium avocado
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the onions in a heat proof baking dish, drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the onions for 45 minutes or until they are soft and collapsing slightly. Let cool for 10 minutes. Cut the onions in half and remove the white flesh of the onion and add to a high speed blender. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired or a bit more vinegar or lemon juice to balance out the sweetness of the onions.
- In a bowl toss the cabbage with the dressing. Add the avocado and pine nuts and mix just to combine.
Yum, I’ll be trying this dressing for sure!
Thanks Annet, I hope you like it. I’ve been using the dressing without the nutritional yeast as a taco topping and I’m loving it! Enjoy and thanks!
I hope you are ok Tina, take care. Your recipes and photos are still gorgeous, thank you xx
Thanks Rachel, I’ll be fine, just having one of those weeks! See you soon!
Thankful that your creativity was on fire, specifically with ingredients that I have *right now* in my refrigerator! I am right there with you on all counts in life, except with a passel o’ kids who need to be fed regularly — and now, helped with college decisions, algebra homework, etc. Some days I can’t believe i’m no longer a young mom; on others, those days seem very long ago. Praying for you to find a smooth groove in this time.
Hi Carrie,
I hope you like the recipe! If you aren’t into nutritional yeast the dressing is great without it too! I’ve made it both ways and to be honest I’m on the fence about which version I prefer!