Pink Coleslaw
Pink Coleslaw adds crunch and a splash of colour to any meal where coleslaw would be served. The addition of shredded raw beets ensures you will have a beautiful pink salad.
As soon as I saw the recipe I knew I'd make it. Pink is a favourite colour of mine and as yet I haven't eaten any pink food I haven't liked, ha, ha.The recipe for Pink Coleslaw is in the "Black Family Reunion Cookbook", a book I came across in a box of books at a thrift store. Cookbooks always grab my attention and this one was no different. I browsed through the pages and was fascinated by the vignettes and personal memories that were shared by the women of the National Council of Negro Women. This was no ordinary cookbook put out by an organization with a name attached to the recipe. On the outer margins of many of the pages a story about that particular recipe was given about the family connection to the recipe. This is what makes this such a warm and friendly book to read. Yes, I said "read" because that's what I did before I ever tried any of the recipes. Reading about the memories a food conjured up in the mind of the contributor was something I could identify with, because so many foods in this blog brings me such happy memories, I knew how these women felt about the food of their families.
And because these recipes and stories are from and about real people there were hints and clues to the struggles so many of these women and their families have endured over the years. The Houston Post summed it up in their review, "Not only do you get terrific recipes, you partake in history, culture and tradition." If you come across this cookbook I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.
Of course, as most people do, I changed just a few things about the recipe to make it more to my taste. I upped the sugar from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon because I like a sweeter dressing on coleslaw. Other than that, the only other change was the order of adding the dressing ingredients to the mix. I also tried using a Miracle Whip type of salad dressing just to see what that was like but I'll stick with the original ingredient mayonnaise, thank you.
Printable recipe at end of post.
Pink Coleslaw- 1 medium head cabbage
- 1 small fresh raw beet, peeled and finely shredded
- ¼ cup onion, finely grated or minced, optional
- 2-3 carrots, coarsely shredded
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Quarter and core cabbage. Slice into thin slivers using a sharp knife. Place in large bowl and cover with ice water. Refrigerate one hour. Drain well, blot with paper toweling, and return to bowl.
Add the shredded beet, onion (if using) and carrots to drained cabbage. Toss together.
Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper in small bowl. Stir well. Pour over cabbage mixture. Toss to coat vegetables. Cover. Refrigerate several hours before serving. You can make this the night before serving as it does not become wet and runny if you have dried the cabbage well.
Makes 10-12 servings.
Peel and shred raw beet using a box grater or food processor.
Shred cabbage using a sharp knife. Cover with ice water and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Grate the carrots and onion. The onion may also be minced using a sharp knife.
After chilling for an hour, drain the cabbage and blot dry.
Combine the vegetables and salad dressing in a large bowl.
Toss and stir until all the vegetables are well coated with the dressing. See how the beets turn the dressing a pretty pink.
If you have an extra beet you can peel it and make a rose or two to garnish the bowl of coleslaw.
Wind thin strips of beet into a rose shape and secure with a toothpick. Add some greens for leaves.
Serve as a side dish as you would any coleslaw salad. Pink Coleslaw would be very fitting to round out a Mother's Day meal.
Pink Coleslaw adds a splash of colour
to any meal where coleslaw would be served.
To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩
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