Back in the Saddle with the Scandinavegan!

Hot on the heels of last year's epic fail (11 in 2011 with the Scandinavegan) comes Round 2: 12 in 2012! (still with the Scandinavegan!)

Jeps, last year I had high hopes. I imagined telling the world about how an American ex-pat could create new and exciting vegan dishes in Denmark. The only problem was, last year I still wasn't very good at it.

Sometimes I'd stand there in the aisle at the grocery store, paralyzed by indecision, wondering what on earth I could make for dinner. Føtex would play their happy little tune,

"Føtex er sej,
Vi gør mere for dig!"

but I'd just wish they'd tell me what to make for dinner, and that it wouldn't be liverpostej.

Now I'm getting pretty good at it, though. I know where to find the non-traditional foods we like (tofu at the Asian market, beans at BazaarVest, winter squash at the health food store), so we can eat almost all of our old favorites. Which means, of course, that I now have to break into the Nordic culinary scene. How can I adapt traditional Danish meals, which tend to be heavy on the pork and fish, in order to delight the vegan palette?

B. gave me a helping hand at Christmas with Claus Meyer's excellent cookbook, "almanak."

It's all about eating good, natural food when it's in season, and making new and creative use of typical and traditional Danish foods. It is organized by week number (obviously) so you can just go through the year, cooking the menu for the day every day. Plus it's beautifully illustrated with photos of both the meals and the origins of the foods--stormy harbors, wild mushrooms, fields of rhubarb.

So for my first 12 in 2012 entry, I'm sharing with you this salad recipe from "almanak." We had it for dinner tonight, and it's great! Don't be scared of the cabbage!

Salad with avocado, baked onions, grapefruit and cabbage

2 onions
1 T olive oil
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. honey (bonus Dane points if you use local Danish honey your friends or neighbors raised themselves!)
1 large or 2 smallish grapefruits
1 avocado
about 1/3 of a large cabbage, washed and shredded.

Stick your onions in an oven safe dish and bake them at 350 F for about 45 minutes. Take them out, let them cool; then chop off the ends, peel off the skin, and coarsely chop the rest. Stir up your dressing with the oil, vinegar, and honey, plus a dash of salt and pepper. Pour it over the onions and let them sit while you do the rest.

Peel and chop the grapefruit into small pieces. Peel and chop the avocado, too. Stir the cabbage into the onion and dressing mixture, then gently fold in the grapefruit and avocado. Season to taste and serve!