june 23, 2017

Grilling season is in full swing. It’s so much fun to look through foodie magazines and dream of menus for backyard meals and picnics. The easiest menu items are simple grilled entrees—marinate, grill and done. The hard work comes in choosing and preparing sides to please a crowd. Make-ahead is best so that all you need to do at the last minute is grill the entree. I like an array of sides in the form of crunchy or creamy salads. Today’s cranberry coleslaw is both although not excessively creamy and perfect for the vegans in the crowd. 

Vegan Products Have Greatly Improved!

Vegan mayonnaise has come a long way on the flavor front. Early versions tasted more like something you had to eat and not something you chose to enjoy. Overly thick with an off taste, earlier egg-free mayos were quick to develop a stale oil taste once opened and more often relegated to the back of the fridge, and we know what happens to those items in fridge Siberia.

Now there are so many to choose from on the shelves and in the refrigerated sections of most grocery stores. I have my favorites in use for vegan (or egg-allergic) clients and I will share my favorites with you : Just Mayo Hampton Creek, Follow Your Heart Vegenaise and Earth Balance Original MindfulMayo.

This coleslaw is minimally sweet (although you have the option of adding one or more tablespoons extra sugar to sweeten the salad), crunchy with raw sunflower seeds and chewy with dried cranberries. The shredder attachment of your food processor does a beautiful job of making finely shredded cabbage, but you can get into the zen of shredding by hand with a sharp serrated knife.  A hint of garlic keeps the salad current and a good partner with grilled items. Shredded carrot is for visual appeal and flavor.

This coleslaw may be made ahead at least one day before serving, and will keep in the fridge up to a couple of weeks as long as you use a clean spoon to remove portions. If you need a flavor boost at serving time, a dash of lemon juice or a squirt of cider or red wine vinegar will do the trick.

Cranberry Coleslaw

recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company                            

makes about 6-8 servings

ingredients

½ head small cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium carrot, grated
½ cup dried cranberries
¼  cup raw sunflower seeds
one small clove garlic, zested on fine grater or minced finely
½ cup vegan(or regular) mayonnaise – I like Just Mayo Hampton Creek
1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

directions

1. In glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, toss together all ingredients and chill at least one hour before serving.
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons more sugar if you like a sweeter coleslaw.
3. After chilling, adjust salt to taste.
4. Salad will keep in the fridge up to a couple weeks as long as you use a clean spoon to remove portions.

cook’s note : the shredder attachment of your food processor does a great job of evenly and finely shredding the cabbage