The Covered Dish - Simple Cole Slaw

Well; it certainly takes a while to catch up on needed rest these days. After my big weekend up north I’ve been taking things pretty ‘easy’. I’ve found when you’re still working full-time you have a hard time keeping things done on the home-front. This past weekend I found myself resting at every opportunity. A great deal of things did not get done, but I decided my health was calling, so downtime it was. In the long run of things pushing ourselves can certainly have repercussions. Don’t get me wrong I ‘did’ things, but on Sunday I called a halt and rested, and I’m glad I did!

This week I wanted to share my simplest Cole slaw recipe, the one I go to 90% of the time. Actually; with enough compliments on a recipe all of us tend to stick to what gets good feedback.

When I’m asked to make coleslaw for 30, 50 or 100, this is my go-to. There will be plenty of space for added ingredients, anywhere from meat, vegetables or fruit.

These days when our family takes a road-trip I do as many things as possible to keep from eating processed or "fast" food meals. This frequently means a good deal of planning before departure. Cole slaw is an easy side dish, with the addition of pre-cooked chicken pieces it can turn to a main entrée. I've given 3 main ingredients for my standard fav., but I would enjoy the cooked meats, raisins, nuts or sunflowers too. The biggest tip is to put the salad together when you are at the table. If it's a picnic take along a large gallon Ziploc and put all the pre-prepared ingredients in the bag, with the dressing and shake. Zip up any extras for later, and there’s no bowl to wash. I’ve also done the Asian Cole Slaw recipe with the ramen noodle mix, in the same way, added chicken made It a one dish meal. You might take along a few fresh muffins to go with either salad format.

Another salad that makes a great travel meal is the cauliflower, broccoli, green onion, bacon cream salad. If this is a chosen travel salad purchase 4 oz. containers with lids and pre-pack it for the trip. A quick trip to a large grocery store can also yield potato & macaroni salads versus French fries and onion rings. If I’m traveling solo hard-boiled eggs are one of my favorite tag-a-longs. Should you be staying in a condo or camping, versus a hotel stay, make breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches before departure allowing the family to have a healthy breakfast while you sleep in, drink coffee or go for a morning walk.

The dressing for the Cole slaw is predominantly a poppy seed dressing. You can certainly make it fresh, but often a bottled version is handier. I have not commented on which label, because I feel that’s more of a personal decision. So here we go, Simply Yours, The Covered Dish.

Simple Cole Slaw

1 bag of Cole slaw blend

Chopped radishes

Halved grape tomatoes

Green Onion, chopped fine with tops

Chopped Celery or peppers, optional

Poppy Seed Dressing

Purchase ingredient amounts based upon the number of persons being served. AND consider if you're using the recipe as a main entrée or as a side. As a side expect 1 bag of Cole slaw to feed 4-5 persons.