Endurance Foodies: Summertime Fare (Slaw!)

Another month, another #endurancefoodies blog carnival! What is that, you ask?  Well, Jason from Cook Train Eat Race is bringing together athletes who like to cook and eat to share recipes each month, with a theme to our postings.  This month’s theme?  BBQs and picnics – also known as summertime fare! 

When I was thinking about what to post, it struck me that posting a everyday recipe is just as good as leafing through cookbooks to find some new inspiration.  I thought about what is a regular feature in my kitchen, and what also just so happens to remind me of summer.  And I landed on slaw.  Yep, good old fashioned slaw.  But definitely not boring, and not creamy or slimy – good fresh delicious and crisp – just like summer!

I rediscovered slaw in 2010 when we started ordering a weekly fruit and vegetable box.  In the autumn months we received cabbage after cabbage. So I went in search of cabbage based recipes – and I also went back to the basics with slaw and started experimenting.

I discovered that rather than staying with old ideas about what constitutes “cole slaw” I could turn slaw into a vehicle for whatever raw vegetables were in my fridge.  That in reality, slaw (to me) was simply what happened when you shredded and grated raw vegetables and added THE dressing.  It was a revelation – slaw is code for a particular flavour dressing on whatever raw vegetables I have to hand.

And the dressing?  The dressing has got to have celery seed for it to classify as slaw in my books.  Celery seeds have a distinctive, kind of celery peppery taste.  And they are what my mom used to give her cole slaw its unique flavour.  In doing a little online research, I discovered that celery seed has been found to act as a natural mosquito repellent – no wonder mom always included it in her summertime cole slaw!  Another apparent benefit is that it may help to calm down nerves and reduce muscle spasms – great natural benefits especially for me as I can get firing nerve pain and cramping from my CMT.  So not only is celery seed a secret flavour blast for my slaw, it brings with it natural health goodness.

In the slaw pictured above (which we serve with slow cooker pork and beans, and rice) I used the following vegetables:  Half a head of pointy cabbage, finely shredded; one small beetroot peeled and grated (I used my food processor to grate as it is SO FAST), one large carrot peeled and grated (in the food processor), one diced apple (for a little extra sweetness, as we were having pork and beans). 

I often add walnuts and celery into the slaw, for more texture and crunch.  In the winter I have made slaw using celeriac (celery root).  I have served red cabbage slaw on Boxing Day – slaw is for any season, and any vegetable.  Basically, slaw has become an outlet for me to shred and grate any vegetables in my fridge to create delicious salads.

The dressing makes the slaw.  Here is my take on it.  I prefer a more liquid dressing to creamy, and I also recently moved away from using a mayonnaise base to greek yoghurt (trying to make things a bit healthier).  I use honey and highly recommend a delicious raw honey – but if you don’t have honey to hand, use a teaspoon of fine granulated sugar.  We do not add salt into our dressing, preferring instead to salt our salads to taste. 

Slaw Dressing

1/4 cup greek yoghurt
1/4 cider vinegar (you can also sub out for another vinegar type here – my mom used rice vinegar, I just like the cider taste)
Note: this is equal parts yoghurt and vinegar, you can scale up accordingly
1 teaspoon honey (more to taste if you like a sweeter dressing or if you find vinegar too sour)
1 teaspoon celery seed (I double this amount because I love celery seeds but 1 teaspoon is fine)
a few turns from the pepper mill

Add all ingredients to a sealable plastic container.  Cover and shake vigorously.  Then pour onto your shredded grated vegetables, toss to coat, salt to taste.  And enjoy!

May Endurance Foodies Participants

Check out the following posts and participants for this month’s #endurancefoodies challenge.  I have loved checking out the recipes and have definitely found some new people to add to my blog reader through the monthly challenges.  Enjoy, happy cooking, and bon appetit!

Brittany – The Fit Formula
Meg – Gillmer Girl
Clare – Maple Syrup And Me
Lindsay – Cotter Crunch
Courtenay – Twitter (Jason will post the recipe on Cook Train Eat Race)
Adrienne – Six Kick Switch
Ann – Ann’s Running Commentary

2 responses to “Endurance Foodies: Summertime Fare (Slaw!)”

  1. I have been on a ‘slaw’ kick this week with taper going strong.  Yesterday was Egg Salad that was really Egg Slaw with Rye Toast Points.

    Today is chickpea salad but this time I will use the coconut yogurt and apple cider vinegar to match your recipe here.

    Thank you again for participating in the #EnudranceFoodies as well as coming up with the theme for May.

  2. OOh, I am a slaw convert too. And the possibilities just keep coming—it’s delicious in stir fries and braised with apples!
    Thanks for the recipe. And the tip on the celery seed. Great stuff!

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