Lightened-up Classic Coleslaw

Hi everyone!  If you're in need of a simple, light, side dish to pair with a quick protein for an easy weeknight dinner, then today's recipe is for you!

Let's face it-  salad gets boring.  It doesn't matter how good the dressing is or how vibrant the vegetables are; salad, when consumed daily, gets boring.

Enter coleslaw.  What's the first thing you think of when you hear about coleslaw?  Mayonnaise? The sad, soggy goop that sits like an abandoned orphan at your local grocery store deli?  One bite of this lightened-up coleslaw that I'm sharing with you today and all of your negative misconceptions about coleslaw will be instantly shattered.

There are two ditches in making coleslaw.  The first ditch is the one that most people tend to fall into:  the mushy despair ditch.  In this ditch, the dressing to veggies ratio is way off.  Because of this, the fresh, crunchy cabbage, carrots, and celery are lost in the mayonnaise dressing translation.  The other ditch in coleslaw concocting is the dry trying-to-make-a-rich-dish-light side.  Like the mushy despair ditch, those who fall into this ditch do so because their ratio of veggies to dressing is way off, except in the other direction; the wonderfully flavorful dressing gets lost in a maze of cruciferous vegetables.

In today's coleslaw recipe, both of these common and deadly culinary ditches are avoided while yielding a creamy, yet crunchy and nutritious coleslaw.  The trick?  A lightened-up yet satisfyingly creamy dressing.  A mix of vinegars, low-fat plain yogurt, and light mayo leads to a satisfyingly creamy dressing that adequately coats the toothsome vegetables while still preserving the classic crunch of coleslaw.

While this coleslaw is perfectly delicious all on its own, you can make it an accessory to a classic Southern meal when you serve it with creamy polenta and Cajun shrimp 😋.  Serve it with salmon patties for a low-carb weeknight meal.  Lastly, you can even serve this coleslaw with tandoori chicken (an iteration of which I will be having for dinner tonight) for a food fusion night.

I tweaked this recipe to bring you today's recipe.

That's all for now.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram!  I look forward to posting again on Friday 😊.

Lightened-up Classic Coleslaw

• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 5 cups finely shredded green cabbage
• 2 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 T. white vinegar
• 1.5 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 T. granulated sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a large bowl, toss together the vegetables, then set aside

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients until smooth and well-combined.

3.  Add the dressing to the vegetables, tossing them together until the vegetables are evenly coated.

4.  Let the coleslaw sit a bit before serving to let the flavors mingle.

5.  Enjoy!  This coleslaw is best if eaten all in one sitting as it gets too soggy if stored as leftovers.