...Cole Slaw...

Wow, haven't posted in a WHILE.... Things have been busy and ever changing, but here I am today with an exciting recipe.

I've always avoided coleslaw on the assumption that, "I don't like it." (Picky kid thinking). A couple years ago, I worked at a five star resort and was regularly in charge of making salad dressings from scratch, including the cole slaw dressing. There I learned that a "proper" slaw dressing is just: 1/3 vinegar (I suggest apple cidar for a standard coleslaw), 1/3 sugar, and 1/3 mayonaise. You combine this in equal parts because the vinegar cuts the sugar, the sugar cuts the fat, and the fat cuts the vinegar. Its works together...

So I was in charge of making this dressing about once a week. And the first time I tried it, I thought, "well I can understand how this would be appealing to some and I can taste it for the sake of knowing what it is supposed to taste like." It took a few more tastes, but eventually, I was pulling more and more cabbage out of the mix, "tasting again" to "make sure the proportions were correct."

Nowadays, my husband and I have a little sushi joint we go to every once in a while that has this awesome salad they serve. Its not the typical asian salad (lots of iceburg, a couple carrots, a tasty ginger dressing) but instead an asian slaw. It has cabbage, crab, carrots, a DELICIOUS dressing, and is garnished with toasted sesame seeds. At times, I find I am craving it.

On a side note, We have long been attempting to make the ultimate Asian salad dressing. We recently realized that the ingedient... the "little thing that is missing" most likely is MISO. (opinion based on watching a "Good Eats" show based on Miso)

Well, a series of accidents later, here I am with an AWESOME Asian coleslaw recipe.

~1/2 head green cabbage, sliced very fine (or a package of "coleslaw salad mix" in the bag salad area of produce section
~1 large carrot, cut into matchstick sized pieces
~1/2 cup bean sprouts
~1/2 jar of "Galeos worlds best miso toasted sesame seed dressing"
~1/4 lb crab meat

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. You can also add "crispy wonton strips" that are commonly sold in the produce / salad area of your grocer.

Now, for the awesome news: this is MUCH healthier than a typical coleslaw. a) you get some protien from the crab. b) this is my final reason for loving the galeos dressing: its not a nasty greasy oily salty thing as so many prepared ("convenience") foods are. In fact, comparing the labels on the miso dressing with kraft foods Balsamic, the miso dressing has 22 calories as opposed to over 100, 1/4 the fat, 1/10th the sodium, 1/8th the carbs..... And it has tons more flavor!

So, I suggest giving it a try. I think you will find it is a refreshing alternative to what we all think at the suggestion of cole slaw: this is no cabbage soaked in mayonaise.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
LiA