Coleslaw for People Who Hate Coleslaw

I am a coleslaw hater. I think it smells funny, and the thought of eating cabbage drenched in drippy mayonnaise makes my stomach curdle. That being said, I needed a summer side dish for a dinner I was hosting at my house, and the first thing I thought of was coleslaw? Makes total sense.

Even as I was waltzing down the aisles of the market, I couldn't help but doubt my decision to use coleslaw as a side dish. Alas, the grocery list had been made and there as no turning back.

This recipe makes a lot of coleslaw. So I'd recommend either falling madly in love with the stuff, where you'd want to eat an entire bowl in one sitting, or invite a large group of friends over to enjoy it. I halved the recipe, although then I was stuck with half a cabbage I had no idea what to do with.

Once you've chopped, sliced, diced and shredded all of the veggies you can put them aside to make the dressing. An interesting combination of ingredients, it is the perfect balance of acidity, sweetness and a little spicy bite.

It's important to make as big of a mess as possible while doing all this. Helps the flavor.

Mix well, and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving, so the flavors combine. It's so, so good! Brought a smile to more than one coleslaw hater, so I consider it a success. Best served as a side dish to all kinds of summer foods, but my favorite is putting it on pulled pork sandwiches. YUM.

Coleslaw Haters Coleslaw

• 1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 large carrots, finely shredded
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3/4 cup best-quality mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons minced green onion
• 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Sriracha to taste

- Combine the shredded cabbage, onion and carrots in a large bowl. 

- Whisk together the mayonnaise, dijon, sugar, vinegar, celery salt, sriracha, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. 

- Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning - add more salt, pepper, sugar or celery salt if desired. 

...

{Picnic Fare}

For Chris and my anniversary, I knew I wanted to make a picnic, but wasn't sure what I wanted to include. After searching around for good recipes, I decided on making italian pressed sandwiches, which were a hit!

To make the sands:

1. Find a loaf of crusty ciabatta that is nice and soft in the middle, and split it evenly in half.

2. Spread some spicy mustard over one half of the bread. 

3. Layer slices of cheese, I choose to use provolone. 

4. Layer slices of salami, and any other meat you want to include. This would also be the time to layer on some roasted red potatoes, basil, tapenade, sun dried tomatoes, etc. BUT I happen to be dating someone with child-like taste buds. So ours didn't have any of that goodness. 

5. Once you have all your ingredients on the sandwich, place the top back on and wrap up with saran wrap. Put the loaf in the fridge, and put as much pressure/weight on top of the sandwich as you can. I used a cookie sheet, and a ton of random cans, red sauce bottles on top of that. 

6. Let the sandwich sit for a few hours, or over night. When you take it out, it'll be flat!

7. Cut the sandwich into a rectangle, removing (and snacking) on the outside crust. 

8. Slice into personal size sandwiches, and wrap each with parchment paper & a ribbon to keep secure. 

9. Enjoy!