Red Cabbage Revive Summer Tradition

A cabbage harvest in July?

In California, it works. (We planted late in a mild winter.)

That means just in time for out door dinners, we have the basic ingredient for coleslaw.

But with this gem-like vegetable sitting on my kitchen counter, I couldn't bear the thought of traditional coleslaw: cabbage shreds drowned in mayo and sugar.

I decided the celebrate the color. The following recipe is adapted from several sources. It's light on dressing and uses no sugar, salt or pepper in my version.

1 head of red cabbage, thinly shredded
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/4 large, red onion, finely sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely sliced
1 cup thinly sliced celery, preferably from the leafy tops
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or a hot, honey mustard)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Blend or whisk together the mustard, vinegar, mayonnaise, sugar, chopped cilantro and chopped garlic in a bowl.

In a large bowl, toss together the shredded cabbage, red pepper, red onion and celery. pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss again.

This slaw tastes best if it is allowed to chill i the refrigerator for a couple of hours. As a variation, a half cup of crumbled blue cheese can be added. It can be served as a side dish or spooned over a sandwich or into a pita.

The dressing isn't heavy, so the vegetables have a starring role. The cabbages tastes peppery by itself, so I skipped additional pepper or salt. It's an explosion of color on a plate.

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