Coleslaw recipes for picnics
Traditional picnic food
and a great way to get people to eat cabbage!
Cabbage often gets bad press but eaten raw in coleslaw it can help to detoxify the liver and combat arthritis. Red cabbage is also rich in Vitamin C and cancer protective phyto-nutrients and anthocyanins.Coleslaw recipes are numerous and varied - but all of them should really contain cabbage because the term arose in the 18th century as a partial translation from the Dutch word "koolsla", a shortening of "koolsalade", which means "cabbage salad". It's a great way to get the children (and some adults!) to eat cabbage and other vegetables. They'll happily tuck into this crunchy raw mixture as a side dish for fried chicken or other picnic delights. A food processor is a real boon for this because there is so much chopping to do - especially if you're making it for a crowd. I'm going to presume you know that you either have to chop, grate, shred or cut the vegetables into thin slices or strips - with or without a food processor. Traditionally the vegetables are mixed with a vinagrette dressing but nowadays you'll often find mayonnaise as the binding ingredient. (Mayonnaise is not so good for a hot weather picnic, however, as it can spoil unless you keep it cool). So let's go! Mix 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar. Use this to dress:
- a mild onion
- half a small white (or red) cabbage
- 2 medium carrots
- a tablespoon of sultanas
- a tablespoon of chopped walnuts - Scatter some freshly chopped parsley or pumpkin seeds over the top. If you prefer you can add some thick natural yoghurt to the dressing - or, as mentioned above, some mayonnaise. You can also add an apple or a couple of sticks of celery. Beetroot is also an option and will turn the mixture a pretty pink colour. Spring onions can be used instead of an onion and this will appeal to many as the taste is less harsh. Think about using other nuts and seeds as well. How about caraway seeds for instance? - a traditional cabbage accompaniment. Nigella Lawson makes a good coleslaw using pecan nuts and she adds a little maple syrup to the dressing to enhance the flavour of the nuts. Do YOU have a good coleslaw recipe? Then
please let us know!
Here's the first . . .
Apple coleslaw
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