Colored Coleslaw

Did you know coleslaw came from the Dutch term koolsla, meaning cabbage salad?  The kool part is the Dutch word for cabbage and the sla part is a Dutch abbreviation of the word salade.

[su_expanding_quote_web alignment=”full” source_site=”Culinary Lore” source_url=”http://www.culinarylore.com/food-history:where-does-coleslaw-come-from” full_quote=”Coleslaw has come to mean any type of dressed salad with shredded vegetables. Slaws may be sweet or savory, chilled or warm. But most of them still tend to contain some type of cabbage, probably because cabbage is able to be shredded and still give a good crunch. However, root vegetables, fennel, beets, carrots, and many other vegetables can be used. The main difference, except for the shredding part, between a slaw and a regular salad is that a slaw can stand up to being stored to allow the flavors to meld with turning into a limp, soggy, mess.” short_quote=”Coleslaw has come to mean any type of dressed salad with shredded vegetables.”]

Rather than an exact recipe, this is the foundation for many a salad to come out of my kitchen. The combination dark greens and cruciferous vegetables with onion and seeds/nuts makes it nutrient-dense; hence some version of this salad shows up almost every week, sometimes multiple times (with variation) a week, on our dinner plates.

• Use any kind of cabbage (white, red or bok choy) and any type of dark green (lacinto or Tuscan kale, beet greens, collard greens, I’ve even used broccoli greens out of the garden).
• Instead of green onion, finely slice about 1/4 red onion or 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (white or yellow)
• Instead of pear, use mango, peach or avocado or a combination.
• Instead of sunflower seeds, use pumpkin seeds or any tree nut, toasted and coarsely chopped.

It’s also easy to put into a a wrap with beans and a dollop of Greek yogurt, or toss with left over grains for a quick lunch.

CMF Basic Salad Dressing

I used either the basic version  of the CMF Basic Salad Dressing or the Dijon mustard version or the Greek yogurt version; adjust to taste adding more of one or the other. I change it up as the mood strikes me.