Friday, June 18, 2010

Tricolor Coleslaw

Tricolor Coleslaw


Leftover madness continues!

This vibrant coleslaw was inspired by leftover shredded cabbage and more chopped green onions from the Taco Salad Bar the other night.

A night or two later, I decided coleslaw would be good with the salmon patties I was planning.

And I was so right! The flavor match was perfect -- fresh, bright, crunchy and fruity played nicely with the rich salmon.

And what a lovely feast for the eyes too!

I'll be making this all summer long, with variations on a theme.

Like lemon or lime juice -- pineapple, mango or tart apple -- and other varieties of cabbage, as they become available at the farmers' market -- although that red cabbage can't be beat for its dramatic punch of color, don't you think?

What the heck -- how about a little extra crunch with almonds, pecans, chow mein or rice noodles?

Just let you imagination run wild through your vegetable drawer.

But let's be careful out there.

While technically a leftover, unidentifiable vegetable slime falls way beyond the scope of leftovers for coleslaw -- or just about anything else. Except maybe a prize-winning science experiment, but school is out, so forget about that.

Vintage is not an endearing quality in a vegetable.


And it's not at all trendy like, say, heirloom vegetables.

In fact, I don't want to be a snob or anything, but if you don't know the difference between "heirloom" and "vintage" as it applies to vegetables, please stick to the ready-made coleslaw from the deli counter.

But please keep reading food blogs, even if it's just for the valuable service provided for healthy eating!

(Note to self: Clean out vegetable drawer!)



TRICOLOR COLESLAW
Note: These measurements are all approximate - please adjust for your taste and what you have on hand.
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped or shredded
4 green onions, chopped
1 can mandarin oranges, chopped (reserve juice for dressing)
2 carrots, grated or shredded
Citrus dressing:
1/3 to 1/2 cup light olive oil
reserved mandarin orange juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 - 2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a large bowl, toss together the red cabbage, green onions, mandarin oranges and carrots. In a small bowl or jar, blend dressing ingredients and shake in a jar or whisk to blend thoroughly. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat evenly. Cover bowl and refrigerate coleslaw for several hours before serving.

Another Note: This would be great on fish tacos!
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