Red Cabbage Slaw

Every once in a while I get a craving for some cabbage. It only happens every five years or so, but last weekend was one of those times. This is a big deal in our house because BeeBop absolutely detests cabbage. Thinks it is of the devil. Believes it smells like the contents of the septic tank. So, when I came home with several in my grocery shopping on Friday, he gave me the sideways look. You know –  that side-eye glance that says “I can’t believe you have brought this into our home.”

My intentions were to make a recipe that I’d seen Jamie Oliver prepare on one of his shows that involved cooking a smoked ham hock and then adding to the broth a combination of potatoes, celery, turnip roots, carrots, green and red cabbages. On the show it looked delicious! I even thought, “My goodness this could definitely be a Southern recipe with the smoked ham hock and cabbage.” I really talked it up to BeeBop and stressed how there were lots of other ingredients besides the cabbage that he could enjoy. He gave me that sweet smile of his and said, “Well you know I’ll try anything once.”

I was really excited about that recipe and spent several hours on Sunday afternoon making stock, peeling and chopping vegetables. The colors were bright and beautiful. The aroma was fantastic. It looked delicious. We sat down to eat, took about two bites each and… decided we should have called for a pizza. Blech. It was an epic failure.

The only good thing was that I had some red cabbage left over so I could make this light and tangy red cabbage slaw. This slaw doesn’t use any mayonnaise so it has very few calories and is easy to transport even in warmer weather. I served it with barbecued chicken and potato salad last night, but you can use it any time you would serve a mayonnaise-based coleslaw.

And, no, BeeBop didn’t even taste it. That fellow just really doesn’t “do” cabbage.

1 medium head red cabbage, grated, shredded or chopped

1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, grated

3-4 green onions, finely chopped

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons celery seed

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preparing your vegetables. Remove the outer leaves and core from the cabbage. Shred, chop or grate the cabbage. Whichever you prefer. Put the cabbage in a large bowl.

Slice the bell pepper very thinly and add it to the bowl. Grate the carrots and finely chop the green onions and add them as well.

Add the vinegar, celery seed, mustard and sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. I use about a 1/2 teaspoon of each. Stir well so that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Let the slaw sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. Leftovers refrigerate well.

Enjoy!

Download a printable copy of Red Cabbage Slaw.

Other cabbage slaw recipes you might enjoy from around the internet: