{"id":473,"date":"2017-04-19T09:33:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T09:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bostonzest.com\/?p=473"},"modified":"2017-04-19T09:33:00","modified_gmt":"2017-04-19T09:33:00","slug":"slaw-options-abound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bostonzest.com\/?p=473","title":{"rendered":"Slaw Options Abound"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cCan you use half-a-head of cabbage?\u201d a friend asked. She had made soup with the other half, was watching her caloric intake, and didn\u2019t want to make a mayo-based salad with the rest. Penny took her up on the offer, turned it into a tangy, low-calorie slaw made with lots of carrots, scallions, celery, mustard seed, and lightly dressed with a vinaigrette. She returned a container of this to our friend to use as a side dish or a healthy topping for sandwiches. It was a hit!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Slaw or Coleslaw?<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the site WiseGeek<\/a>, \u201c<\/span>The word \u2018coleslaw\u2019 most likely came from the Dutch word <\/span>koolsalade<\/span><\/em>, which means \u2018cabbage salad.\u2019 However, in Dutch, <\/span>koolsalada <\/span><\/em>is often shortened to <\/span>koolsla<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s slaw may be a cabbage salad, but it may also star broccoli, kohlrabi, kale, or other gems from the produce stand. Dressing can be creamy, spicy, sweet & sour, or low-cal. <\/p>\n

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Here, Penny was julienning<\/a> some white turnip to add to a slaw of cabbage, carrots, and scallion<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And, the resulting salad can be a side dish, snack, or sandwich condiment. It is another one of those wonderful dishes that is even better after the flavors have time to meld and the vegetables wilt a bit, so make it ahead and enjoy having a big bowl of healthy food on hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Slaw Variations<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are entire cookbooks of recipes for these shredded salads. This means you can fit one into menus beyond cookout and BBQ. <\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional Chinese-American restaurants in New England used to serve a sweet and sour slaw as a side dish. So round out your Asian menus with a version that includes soy sauce and ginger in the dressing. And what is Kimchi but fermented slaw? <\/span><\/p>\n

If Tex-Mex is on the menu, make cilantro the herb of choice and add some chilis to the mix. Use it to top a taco or alongside a quesadilla.  <\/span><\/p>\n

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Shopping for Slaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your choice of ingredients can add color and zip. Red cabbage, radishes, rainbow carrots, beets, and peppers create a bowl of colorful confetti slaw on a buffet table. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is a great place to use vegetables that show up in CSA boxes such as: celeriac, kohlrabi, bok choi, fennel, garlic scapes, radicchio, sprouts, sunchokes, turnips.  <\/span><\/p>\n

You can also add fruit. Apples are a common ingredient, but you can use oranges in both the salad or the dressing. Slightly under ripe pears can be a fun addition to a slaw to serve with pork. Dried cranberries, currants, or raisins can brighten a winter slaw. A few recipes call for grapes, so ground cherries would also work, as would julienned quince.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon<\/a>\"\" from here to support this site!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n