Easy Cole Slaw

There is no relation between the cole slaw in the deli case at my local grocery and the homemade versions I love.  Home made with fresh vegetables and lightly dressed, cole slaw is healthy and delicious.  Great with barbecue sandwiches or ribs, it works well with fried chicken and chicken wings too.  I won't describe the stuff that sits in the grocery store deli display because my mom taught me not to say anything if I don't have anything nice to say.  

Normally I don’t do recipes on Friday, but having just made this cole slaw, and since it went so well with pot roast, I thought I’d put it out right away.  This cole slaw is pretty, easy to make, and quite inexpensive.  Especially if the main dish is plain looking, the colors really brighten up your meal.  If you don’t have a mandoline, the hand grater I used to make small, thin pieces of carrot and red pepper, you can cut them into matchsticks by hand.  It's simple to change the number of servings – just keep the ratios of the various ingredients roughly the same. 

The dressing contains a small amount of mayonnaise, so the cole slaw should be kept refrigerated.  For a mayonnaise-less, summer version, see my July health salad/cole slaw post. I think this version improves after it sits for an hour or so (refrigerated), which gives the flavors time to meld.  However, that’s not essential.  It’s quite good the next day too. 

Easy Cole Slaw with Mayonnaise

Serves – 4   Cost - $1.05 total/$0.27 per serving

Ingredients

• Total of 4 heaping cups of thinly sliced green and purple cabbage (approximately half of each color) Note: cabbage is sold by the pound and 4 cups only weighs about half a pound.  Some groceries sell hunks of cabbage so you don’t have to buy a whole head. 
• 1 med-large carrot (approximately 6-8 inches long), grated or cut into thin matchsticks 
• ½ red pepper, grated or cut into thin matchsticks (Red pepper is sweeter than green, which is why I prefer it for this recipe.)
• 3 small or 2 larger green onions (also known as scallions), cut into thin matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon of white sugar
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• ¼ teaspoon deli-type mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Equipment 

• Cutting board
• Knife
• Vegetable scraper
• Mandoline grater (optional)
• Measuring spoons
• Small bowl  and fork for dressing
• Large bowl and fork or spatula for vegetables
• Small spatula or knife to get mayonnaise & mustard off measuring spoons (not pictured)

Preparation

1. Cut the cabbages into very thin slices.  Start with a hunk and then place your knife diagonally to cut the hunk into very thin slices.  Once you’ve got a batch of long, thin matchstick-shaped slices, cut them in half, so that they are shorter.                                                                                                                   
2. Grate/cut the other vegetables into matchstick-sized pieces.  I used a mandoline for the carrot, but you can cut it by hand.                                                                                                                                   The stages in hand cutting carrots are shown in the photo below.  Cut the carrot in half on its width, then in half lengthwise, and finally into smaller, long, thin pieces.  The same hand cutting method works for scallions, though they are a bit slippery.  The mandoline works for the red pepper, though it tends to make some some of the juice ooze out.  If you prefer a cleaner process or don’t have a mandoline, cut the red pepper into wedges and proceed as you did with the cabbages.                                                                                                                                               
3. Mix the vegetables in the large bowl.  Here’s a picture of the mixed vegetables using only hand-cut ones. (No mandoline-cut carrots or red pepper.)  It still looks like cole slaw!                                                        
4. Mix the mayonnaise, vinegar, and celery seed in the small bowl                                                                 and pour them over the vegetables.
5. Toss the cole slaw to distribute the dressing evenly throughout the vegetables.                                        
6. Add salt and pepper.
7. Refrigerate the cole slaw in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a lid.

Cost 

Ingredient	Cost	Cost Explanation
4 cups cabbage	$0.35	$.79 a pound
1 med-large carrot	$0.15	$.79 for 1 pound bag
½ red pepper	$0.50	$1.00 each
3 small/2 larger green onions	$0.20	$.75 bunch
2 tablespoons mayonnaise	$0.00	pantry
1 teaspoon of white sugar	$0.00	pantry
1 teaspoon celery seed	$0.20	$5.39 for .95 oz bottle
¼ teaspoon deli-type mustard	$0.00	pantry
salt and pepper to taste	$0.00	pantry
Total	$1.05