Creamy Coleslaw

Every other year I plant cabbage in the garden. I don’t plant it yearly, because cabbage doesn’t store for long periods which means when it is ready to harvest there is a lot to eat. And too much of something can make you tire of it. I can walk out to the garden and find multiple heads ready for harvest. Here are three I picked one evening – with dirt and all on the outside.

Once the harvest has started I try to use the cabbage in a variety of ways.

I put it in stir fry, cook it with kielbasa sausage, add it to soup, and of course make coleslaw. Sometimes I make a creamy dressing for the coleslaw and other times I’m in the mood for a vinaigrette type dressing. Cabbage is always the coleslaw base, but the other vegetables are dependent on what is in the house and/or the garden.  I start by getting the core out of the cabbage.

Then shredding or chopping. If I’m prepping a lot, I’ll use the shredding attachment on the food processor otherwise a knife works just fine.

The creamy dressing starts with a mayonnaise base. I use a canola-based mayo to add some omega-3 fats.

I add some milk to thin out the dressing. Evaporated adds the best flavor, but low-fat regular milk works as well.

For flavor a little vinegar and spoonful of sugar gets mixed in.

Lastly a sprinkle of celery seed to give the dressing that “what is that?” flavor.

Now comes the veggies. I usually add shredded carrots to the cabbage, but I didn’t have any in the house. So, I put in what I had – red peppers and purple onions.

The veggies and dressing get a good mixing and I top it all off with some chopped chives (because I had them in the garden.)

Creamy Coleslaw

Serves about 8
 
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup other vegetables diced (carrots, onions, red peppers, etc.)
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup evaporated milk (other milk is fine as well)
2 Tbs vinegar
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp celery seed
 
 
In large bowl mix combine cabbage in vegetables. In smaller bowl, mix mayonnaise, milk vinegar, sugar, and celery seed. Pour dressing over vegetables, toss to coat. Cover and chill.