Dress up cole slaw with apples

I'm not a big fan of cole slaw. No offense to our local barbecue establishments, but I really don't like the yellow side dish that so many people, including my husband, team with pork barbecue.

But for some strange reason, I decided to try apple cole slaw at a seafood restaurant in Wrightsville Beach several years ago, and I loved it. I made sure I got it on a return trip to the restaurant a year later.

I looked on the Internet for a recipe for apple cole slaw, and I found many, but I never made it at home until last week.

I had been craving seafood, so I planned a shrimp dinner for my husband and me. We had eaten so many green salads in recent weeks, and I really didn't want another one. But the apple cole slaw came to mind as a good side dish for our meal.

I went back online and looked at many recipes. One looked vaguely familiar, using a similar dressing to the one I mix into a broccoli and apple salad. We love that salad, so I decided to go the easy route and use that dressing recipe.

I also had no intention of grating cabbage, so I bought a bag of broccoli slaw mix that contained shredded cabbage, broccoli and carrots. The mix is a good source of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Making the slaw couldn't be simpler. To the slaw mix, which I washed first, I added a chopped Red Delicious apple. Then I mixed in my dressing of mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. It was ready in less than 10 minutes.

I really enjoyed this simple side dish. The different textures of the fruit and vegetables made a nice combination, and the slightly sweet dressing was a good complement. I didn't think it would be good the next day, but it was very tasty and the apple and vegetables were still crunchy.

Next time I make it, I'll probably add in some celery. It's certainly a recipe that can be added to easily.


Apple Cole Slaw

• 1 12 oz. package broccoli slaw mix
• 1 large Red Delicious apple, diced

Dressing:

• 3/8 cup mayonnaise (I use reduced fat.)
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Toss slaw mix with apple.
Mix dressing ingredients and stir into slaw mixture.
Chill until ready to serve.