Crimson Coleslaw

I am going through a purple patch, if that is how I may describe months of purple cabbage always in my fridge and often in my meals.  While I often buy cabbage, it is usually the green type and is often in the background of a stew or fried for a side dish.  The purple or red cabbage has been featured far more both in salads and sandwiches.  It is beautiful to look at and good for you too.

Often I just made some coleslaw as a side dish.  A bottle of coleslaw dressing in the fridge makes this quick and easy. Together with some baby spinach this has often been an easy way of increasing the vegies in our dinner. 

On the weekend the weather was so rotten that a planned group trip to the Pentridge Festival morphed into a games afternoon at a friend's place.  I baked bread and made coleslaw.  As I was low on my bottle of dressing, I decided to have a go at making a dressing.  As I had vegannaise, I made it vegan.  I played around with the flavours until it seemed right.

It was a most enjoyable salad.  Not terribly sweet but tasty.  I love the fresh crunch of the vegies too.  Eating a pile of this salad is easy.  It went well with the bread, little cheese pastries and dips before we started on the serious business of Scrabble and Uno.

I am sending this salad to No Croutons Required and Healthy Vegan Fridays.

More cabbage in salads on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Asian napa cabbage salad (gf, v)
Cabbage salad with lime and mustard dressing (gf, v)
Cranberry and mustard coleslaw (gf, v)
Rainbow salad with orange and sesame dressing (gf, v)
Roasted broccoli and apple salad (gf, v)
Spicy peanut and lime coleslaw (gf, v)

Crimson Coleslaw
Adapted from taste.com.au
serves 6-8 as a side dish

1/4 large purple/red cabbage
1 large carrot
1/2 red capsicum
1 spring onion*
6 tbsp mayonnaise*
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp maple syrup

Finely slice the cabbage, capsicum and spring onion.  Grate the carrot.  Mix the remaining ingredients together and toss well through the cabbage.  Best eaten fresh or at least by the end of the day.  If you want it for the following day, you can prepare the vegies and dressing ahead of time

NOTES: My cabbage weighed about 300g.  You can do this with green cabbage but purple cabbage is much prettier.  You could slice the vegies with a food processor or mandolin but I find it easier to just use a large chef's knife.  You can use a regular mayonnaise - I used Vegannaise which made the salad vegan.  I didn't have a spring onion (which I have been using in other coleslaws) so I added 1/2 tsp of dried onion flakes instead.  Using the whites of the spring onion keeps the red colour.

On the stereo:
Saint Low - self titled