Tuesday, August 31, 2010

And I Thought I Hated Coleslaw!

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. My weekend actually ended yesterday (oh, and it started yesterday too..). But I can't complain because I get three days off next week :)

If you're interested in some updates on my new job, and our new house, stay tuned for some posts coming up next week. I'll be providing some updates/recaps on both. Until then, I'm talking about FOOD!



When I was a kid I truly despised coleslaw. I never understood the interest in such a runny and "sour" food (that's what I thought back then).
After college I worked at a restaurant that served fish and chips and of course we also served coleslaw with the fish. If you've ever worked in a restaurant you understand how certain foods may become completely unappetizing to you after handling them so often in a restaurant setting ( although I worked in an ice cream shop once, but I never got sick of ice cream....). I already hated coleslaw, but then after having to serve it (from a cardboard container, no less) over a thousand times to hungry customers, I truly detested the stuff. That is.....until I discovered broccoli slaw!



I also discovered the beauty of having control over how much slaw dressing I used. Most places drench their coleslaw in dressing to the point where it's ruined (similar to what some places do with salads). I probably add half the amount of slaw dressing to my coleslaw.



Why make a healthy food unhealthy?
Slaw dressing is far from healthy, but the broccoli slaw itself, well, take a look!


Three great highlights of this product include; fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C. And of course there are certain nutrients missing from this nutrition panel, and those would include; folate, vitamin K, quercetin (a type of flavanoid with anti-inflammatory properties), and lutein/xeazanthin (types of carotenoids, which can benefit the aging eye).




A WILD WHOLE GRAIN

After researching a bit on Wikepedia, I learned that wild rice is grown in shallow lakes and slow-flowing streams. It's made from four species of grasses, meaning it's not even a variety of rice at all. WILD! A while ago I posted a video blog about the nutritional differences between quinoa and brown rice, but wild rice is pretty impressive too. Like quinoa and brown rice wild rice is wheat and gluten free and does count as a whole grain (even though it's a grass). It has a characteristic nutty and mild flavor.

A while ago I received some free samples of wild rice. The one below is a fusion of brown and wild rice.


Delicious!


Nutritional Highlights For 1/4 cup of the average dry wild rice (~1/2 cup cooked)

Fat: ~1.25- 1.5 grams

Protein: 5-10 grams (similar to quinoa), and this includes the amino acid lysine, which is the limiting amino acid in most whole grains. This can be used as a great complementary source of protein for vegetarians.

Fiber: 4-5 grams (more than brown rice and quinoa)

Good source of: B vitamins, phosphorus, and potassium (quinoa is the better source of iron)



Question: Is there a food that you hated as a kid, but now you really love?!

Source: iStockPhoto

Other than coleslaw, I hated tofu (oh wait, I still hate tofu) and artichoke hearts (love them now). Something else I hated was chunky peanut butter. Now that's all I eat!

32 comments :

  1. I still am not a coleslaw fan! But I really hated pasta growing up. Not sure why! I still don't love it, but I do somewhat enjoy it.

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  2. I found broccoli slaw at TJ's and got it a few times, but we never ate it fast enough before it went bad! There are tons of foods I didn't like as a kid but love now, like strawberries! I thought the seeds and 'fuzz' on the skin was gross, but now I can't get enough of perfectly ripe, juicy strawberries!

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  3. I do love broccoli slaw...in fact sometimes I just use it as salad toppings because it has such a great crunch. It's also great to sprinkle in nori seaweed wrap sandwiches.

    I hated broccoli as a kiddo and now it's one of my favorite things!

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  4. interesting to know about the wild rice!

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  5. I never liked cole slaw either. I do like broccoli slaw...but I prefer to "dress" it with other things.

    Can't wait for the life updates!

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  6. I like broccoli slaw in stir-fries, but maybe I should try the real coleslaw salad.
    I don't remember any food that I hated when i was kid... but not anything that I really loved either. when I was a kid.... I didn't think about food much... because food was scarce in china, even fruit was kind of luxury.
    I'm so happy that the country is doing better and food is not an issue anymore. I should probably post about this... it's so interesting that 20 years ago the situation is so different than what is now.
    looking forward to hear your updates!

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  7. I'm picky about my coleslaw! I prefer a vinegar based dressing, and I hate when places drown their slaw, blah! I've made the broccoli slaw too, and my sister has used it in egg rolls before. Interesting abt wild rice, I never knew that. I love it!

    As a kid, I hated almost everything! I wouldn't eat any kind of chicken salad, tuna salad, and now I love both! If made correctly that is ;)

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  8. I only like my mom's recipe for coleslaw. All the others are either too sweet, vinegary, or mayonaissy.

    I lovee wild rice. It's so chewy. It's like extra al dente rice!

    I used to hate broccoli! But now I absolutely love it. Funny how your tastes change.

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  9. I never really took to coleslaw. I hated brussel sprouts when i was little.... now I love em'

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  10. I love broccoli slaw! I steam it, then saute it in tomato sauce and eat it like pasta!

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  11. I think slaw definitely gets a bad rap for the reason you listed-- it's usually DROWNING in dressing!! Yuck! I love coleslaw, but only if it is VERY lightly dressed.

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  12. I think my diet is a complete 180 from when I grew up. I don't remember ever having tofu. I know I detested most vegetables. And I practically lived off of junk food/frozen meat. The only foods that haven't changed are french fries and chocolate peanut butter ice cream. How could anyone not like either of those?!

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  13. yayy i can't wait for your life post updates :) i've been wondering how you've been!

    hahaha surprisingly i used to HATE peanut butter. like not for diet purposes or anything like that just because the smell made me want to puke. now? pshhhhhhhh i can't live a day without the stuff.

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  14. I used to HATE sweet potato and any kind of squash, now I love them!

    Have you been to Northstar Cafe? I'm not a fan of slaw either, but they have a peanut slaw that's amazingly good.

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  15. I totally agree with you on drenching the coleslaw with the dressing! I love making mine with greek yogurt as the base and just a little Mayo.

    I am sorry if you have already mentioned about this and I have missed it, but have you tried the Vegan mayonnaise made with Tofu? What are your thoughts about it?

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  16. I prefer homemade coleslaw, too! Funny how our tastes change sometimes. :-)

    I used to hate oatmeal, which is very hard to believe...but it's true!

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  17. I love broccoli slaw! I just need to figure out some exciting ways to use it! I think coleslaw from restaurants has way too much mayo. I used to hate mushrooms and now I loveeee them!

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  18. I used to hate chocolate when I was a kid. I know, what was wrong with me? Now I'm a huge chocoholic!

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  19. I couldn't stand any white foods. Mayo, Milk, cream cheese. Now I'll eat cream cheese but that's it. I was never picky with my fruits and veggies though. Always loved those.

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  20. I still can't handle slaw of any kind. I worked at Ruby Tuesday's through college and grad school and it ruined me for life. As a kid I only liked three foods, and I like most foods now.

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  21. It's funny cause I am not a coleslaw fan. I will have to give the broccoli slaw a try!!
    I used to not like any fish but I am getting better. I like crab and tuna but still don't have them often.
    I was actually a pretty good eater when I was younger so that helped. I was a foodie before I even knew it I guess.

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  22. I'm not really a big coleslaw fan either but I love adding broccoli slaw to my salads for some extra crunch action. Have you ever tried peanut butter crusted tofu? It's what made me and my husband actually like eating tofu. I think another trick is to make sure it's pressed well. Spongy tofu is kinda gross.

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  23. I love coleslaw and broccoli slaw. Hubby used to hate coleslaw until he met me. Now he really enjoys it... :)

    I used to seriously dislike bananas when I was little. I just couldn't stand the texture at all. Now, I really like bananas.

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  24. I love broccoli slaw! Tastes great with craisins...

    I used to hate lobster and I love it now. I also used to hate brussels sprouts but they are amazing...roasted especially!

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  25. Definitely live Brussel sprouts now
    And fed them Tongue dog when I was little
    Tomato sauce with curry is my favourite broccoli slaw dressing with a tad touch of sirachi sauce
    You should review sirachi sauce... Is it bad for me?

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  26. Broccoli slaw, my love! I've crunched down on so many bags of broccoli slaw that it's practically criminal. It's a great point your bring up about how you can control how much dressing you put on your slaw when you make it yourself. I find that restaurant slaw really turns me off with its bits of cabbage floating in mayo-soup. Ugh. I can imagine that you would hate coleslaw after serving it to hundreds of diners.

    I used to hate shrimp, ginger, natural PB, and celery. Wait, still hate the celery ;) Have a nice week, Gina!

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  27. bahh i still hate coleslaw...even the smell throws me off a bit BUT I love that broc slaw!! its awesome in stirfries, salads, wraps--so good!!!

    I used to HATE tomatoes! but love them now (I know, so random) but I always thought they were so gross and had a wierd texture

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  28. I am new to your blog and I am loving it. Let's see I hated peppers when I was a kid. Now I love the, cooked or raw!

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  29. you're right, you were gonna do a post about this!! nice!

    my list includes: fish, cilantro, capers, mustard, sour cream, sweet potatoes, spinach, celery and beans

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  30. I think I can recall hating vegetables, but that was until I realized that not every vegetable came over-processed and from a can. My mom was fond of the canned vegetables drowning in salt laden water.

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  31. Thanks for your comments on my blog. Glad I could give you a few more ideas about the topic. There are so many new buzz words that drive me nuts and I am hesitant to jump on the band wagon. I just prefer science backed guidelines over media fueled terminology.

    I am curious now about this slaw cause I hate cole slaw. I actually think it was more the distaste of mayo. I used to hate broccoli, but now it is my favorite. I also used to hate nuts. I recently discovered I actually do like most nuts. What I hate is nuts in something, like ice cream, cake or brownies. It seems I only like them plain. I am thinking it is a texture issue (one reason I am a vegetarian), and the nuts in something soft just makes me not like it.

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  32. I loooooooove coleslaw! Shame, shame! :) But broccoli slaw...YUM! We make a recipe that uses equal parts sugar (or sugar sub...I've used PureVia -- but 1/2 the amount you'd use of sugar), olive oi, and vinegar. And you toss it with the broccoli slaw, almond slivers, and sunflower seeds. It's DELICIOUS!!

    Don't work too hard, and let me know when you guys are free to hangout!

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