Coleslaw Recipe

Coleslaw was not that appealing to me. I grew up eating lots and lots of salads and coleslaw was just strange to me. Until I ate this coleslaw recipe and now I am a fan! 

Coleslaw is pretty much a cabbage salad. You can also say it is the precursor of sauerkraut. If you let the cabbage ferment for a long period of time without the dressing it becomes sauerkraut. Another food I did not try it until a teenager and found it interesting. Sauerkraut is an ancient food and it is actually really healthy for you. It was made back in the day we did not have refrigerators and so we needed to have some way to store our foods without spoiling them so we could have something to eat during the winter months or harsh times. By fermenting the food we make the good kind of bacteria multiply which aids digestion and we also increase the vitamin content of the food. In sauerkraut the content of vitamin C increases and so this food will help fight free radicals, flus and colds which are also common in the winter. No wonder people that live longer eat these kinds of foods.

Ingredients:

Coleslaw

• 2.5 pounds green cabbage, finely shredded (about 1 medium head of cabbage)
• 8 oz yellow onion, julienne (about 1 small to medium onion)
• 12 oz carrots, scrubbed and shredded (about 4 regular medium carrots)
• 1.5 tablespoon sea salt

Dressing

• 1 1/4 cups Vegenaise (if you are NOT vegan you can use regular mayonnaise)
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the vegetables and sea salt in an oversized (6 to 8 quart) mixing bowl.
2. Knead the salt into the vegetables with your hands until cabbage starts to shrink and release water, about 5 minutes.
3. Allow salad to rest in the mixing bowl for 2-3 hours, until soft, then mix and knead for another minute or two. (This is ideal but if you don’t have the time let it rest for at least 45- 60 minutes and it will still taste good.)
4. Tightly pack the wilted vegetables into quarts jars, adding the salty brine (water salt solution), from the bottom of the bowl. This liquid will prolong the shelf life of your salad. (If you are eating right away no need to put it in the jar)
5. Cover and refrigerate what you don’t plan to use immediately.
6. To serve, place a colander or strainer over a medium bowl and drain the cabbage you plan to serve.
7. Rinse briefly with cool filtered water, the squeeze excess salt and water.
8. Mix the dressing and toss with the cabbage to coat. Enjoy the coleslaw!