Amber's Blog: Your Local Publix Grocery Expert. Also, Crabcakes.

So guys, I went to Publix today to pick up a couple ingredients for dinner tonight. This is how the conversation with the cashier went:

Publix cashier: "Hmmm.... cabbage.... what are you making?"
Me: "Coleslaw, nothing too exciting."
Publix cashier: "Really? Coleslaw? I don't think I've ever had it."
Me: "You've never had slaw....?"
Publix cashier: "No, what is it exactly?"
Me: "Cabbage and stuff... pretty sure you guys have some in your deli...."
Publix cashier: "Hmmmm, ok, well your total is..... blah blah blah."

I SERIOUSLY hope he was being sarcastic but he just seemed way too interested in this mystery called slaw. Thank goodness I didn't tell him I was actually making apple-lemon poppyseed coleslaw. It may have caused an aneurism.

So since I've already mentioned the slaw, here is the recipe:

Apple-Lemon-Poppy Seed Coleslaw

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups chopped or shredded green cabbage
1 cup chopped or shredded red cabbage
3/4 cup shredded carrot
Half of one granny smith apple, julienned (thinly sliced)
3 TBSP mayo
3 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
2-3 TBSP lemon juice (depending on how sour/tangy you like)
1 TBSP poppy seeds
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix cabbage, carrots, and apple in a large bowl
Combine mayo, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, poppy seeds, & salt & pepper
Toss together and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving

Here is a visual- this is what I made for dinner tonight:

Guess I may as well give you my recipe for crab cakes as well, huh? That I can do... the lemon aioli on the other hand, there was no measuring or anything involved so I don't know what to tell you here. Other than it included mayo, dijon, and lemon juice.

Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1lb lump crab meat
1/4 cup bread crumbs or 2 slices of white bread, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
2 TBSP mayo
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp "old bay" seasoning
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes (or not, its really optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
olive oil for sautéing

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except crab & olive oil
Fold in crab and refrigerate for at least half an hour
Pat into 3oz size patties (give or take a little)
Sauté in olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side or until a nice brown

Parmesan Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

large head of cauliflower
1 tsp minced garlic
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop stems off cauliflower
Boil the cauliflower florets with the garlic and vegetable stock for 40 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
Drain cauliflower.
In a mixer with a whisk attachment, stir cauliflower with parmesan cheese, salt, & pepper until desired consistency. You could also mash the cauliflower and mix it by hand, the mixer is just much easier.

My review on above recipes??

The slaw: If you aren't a big fan of tangy stuff, you won't like it. Do not waste your time.

The crab cakes: Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, deliciousness.

The cauliflower: Great alternative to mashed potatoes if you are trying to eat lighter, but no replacement. I would still eat mashed potatoes with steak ;)

On to other things...

Today I finished Day 7 of my 30 day shred goal. My endurance is building quicker and quicker it feels soooo freakin' good! This is also my 4th day of finishing the day under 1200 calories. I can feel the progress, just gotta have patience until I start seeing it more (that's the hardest part).

I realize its now 26 minutes into Friday but I'm gonna pretend like it's still Thursday because I technically started this blog on Thursday. I opened this page on Thursday. I just wanna post my Throwback Thursday pictures because as lame as these theme days are, the throwbacks are fun and get me looking though old pictures I normally wouldn't have thought twice about. Since it's now prom season, here are a couple of throwbacks from my junior and senior high school proms:

Prom, Junior Year 2007