Red Cabbage Slaw with Lemon-Ginger Vinaigrette

   

Serves 6-8
Recipe from Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Quite honestly, I didn’t have all the actual slaw ingredients in my fridge when I made this.  I just had some red cabbage left over from another recipe and needed to use it up.  So, I mixed it with shredded carrots, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds, whipped up the vinaigrette and put it all together for a quick slaw to have as a nice side dish for lunch.  Including the snow peas and red pepper would definitely take this up a notch to party fare for company, but the vinaigrette is just so good that it makes a simple cabbage/carrot combo taste terrific. Serve this with burgers, steak, fish or even grilled tofu. (Pictured here with Stuffed Squash with Bulgur and Feta served with lemon wedges and fresh kiwi.) 

Slaw Ingredients

4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about ½ head)

1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into very thin strips

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

1 cup blanched snow peas, strings removed and sliced into thin strips

3 scallions, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish and crunch

Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

1 Tablespoon raspberry vinegar or rice vinegar (I used raspberry vinegar.)

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger (I cheated and used minced ginger from a jar.)

4 teaspoons maple syrup or honey (I used maple syrup.)

3 Tablespoons canola oil or sunflower oil (I used sunflower oil.)

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil (Make sure it’s the toasted kind.)

In a large serving bowl, toss the slaw ingredients, except the sesame seeds, together.  Add the vinaigrette to the slaw just before serving and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.  (This slaw tastes quite good even after it has been chilled a day or two.)

Notes:  You could substitute chopped unsalted roasted peanuts for the sesame seeds.  You could also add a cup of blanched broccoli florets for variety.  To make this a main dish, mix in 1 to 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken.