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Homemade Coleslaw
By Nikki Willhite
Many people don't like cabbage and don't include it in their
diet. However, cabbage is one of those foods that is just plain
good for you. It if full of fiber, low in fat, and has an
impressive array of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C,
Vitamin K ,Calcium, Iron and Magnesium, and many studies place it
among the leading foods to stop serious illnesses like cancer.
Add to that that it is a great diet food, available all year, and
relatively inexpensive, and it is worth the effort to work it
into the foods that your family eats.
A possible first-step into working cabbage into your diet is
start eating coleslaw. If you can learn to make coleslaw that
your family likes, you can start to develop a taste for cabbage
and move on to serving it in other ways.
Coleslaw begins with a choosing head of cabbage and some carrots.
How do you know how to select the best cabbage and carrots?
Cabbage should have a slightly shiny appearance. When you pick
it up and squeeze it, it should feel dense.
Carrots can be bitter. Buy the freshest carrots you can find.
You can always tell if carrots are fresh when the greens at the
top are still attached. You just can't tell how old carrots are
if the top has been removed. You want your carrots to be fresh
and crisp.
If you prefer, you can buy cabbage in bags that has already been
shredded, with or without carrots. However, the quality of the
vegetables will be questionable.
The sauce and the seasonings you add to the shredded cabbage and
carrots is the key to making coleslaw that your family will like.
Another trick is to always chill your coleslaw at least 2 hours
before you serve it.
Here are some of the seasonings that are commonly used:
Celery Seeds
Poppy Seeds
Salt
Pepper
The liquid ingredients are usually:
Mayonnaise
Vinegar
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Here is a fast and easy recipe for coleslaw:
Ingredients
1 bag coleslaw mix (16 ounces, with
carrots)
1 Tbs diced onion
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup mayo
1 Tbs white vinegar
3 Tbs vegetable oil
Blend all the ingredients together, and then pour over the
coleslaw mix and stir until well blended. Chill.
Coleslaw can be too sweet, or too runny, depending on the
ingredients. Add you ingredients slowly, and taste as you go.
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One of the most famous "cloned" recipes on the Internet is for
the coleslaw from KFC. It has more ingredients, but is very
good. Here is one version of that recipe:
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 head finely chopped cabbage (about 8 cups)
1/4 cup shredded carrot (about 1 cup)
2 Tablespoons minced onion
Combine all the ingredients except the cabbage, carrots and
onion. Beat until smooth.
Then mix in the cabbage, carrots and onion.
Chill.
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