June has arrived, so I’m going to keep the summer slaw recipes rolling even though the weather in Los Angeles has been uncharacteristically chilly and gray for months. May Gray is now June Gloom and the marine layer is refusing to let summer make an appearance.
Sorin and I sat out on our front deck for happy hour on Memorial Day and I actually had to wear a stocking cap to keep warm. There’s nothing I love more than a cozy stocking cap, but even my Pacific-Northwest-loving heart is ready for tank-tops and flip-flops and hot days at the neighborhood pool.
When the heat of summer finally comes to Southern CA, I’ll be ready with this sunny lemon-poppy coleslaw. It’s mayonnaise free, making it a good option for outdoor parties. The crowd-pleasing flavor is light and lemony with just a hint of sweetness.
Lemon-Poppy Coleslaw
There are only two main ingredients: cabbage and carrots. You can buy both pre-shredded at the grocery store, which I definitely do when I’m low on time and energy. For the photo above, I bought shredded carrots and then sliced a head of cabbage that I already had in the fridge.
If you’re going to do the shredding for either or both veggies at home, a food processor can quickly slice cabbage and carrots for coleslaw. This video shows how to grate carrots then switch blades and slice the cabbage.
If you grate the cabbage instead of slicing it, it’s not a tragedy, but the texture of grated cabbage is less crunchy than sliced cabbage.
Coleslaw with Lemon-Poppy Dressing
1 small head of green or red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 to 2 cups shredded/grated carrots
Plus, the dressing:
1/2 cup sunflower oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Combine the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
I like blending the dressing in my small Nutribullet blender. If you do this, DON’T add the poppy seeds until after the dressing is blended.
You can also whisk by hand. Just combine the lemon juice, shallot, Dijon, sugar, salt and poppy seeds in a bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking.
Drizzle half of the dressing over the slaw. Toss well, then decide if you want to add more dressing or not. (You can save extra dressing for kale salads, or regular greens)
This part is important: As with all coleslaw, you need to taste and adjust the flavor. I almost always add more salt and lemon juice.
Recipe Notes
You don’t have to add Dijon mustard, but it definitely adds flavor and I like the dressing better when it’s added.
If you like a sweeter coleslaw, add another 1/4 teaspoon of sugar.
If you like creamy coleslaw, you can whisk 1/4 cup of mayo into the dressing.
The neutral flavor of sunflower/canola oil works better for coleslaw than olive oil.
Dinner Last Week
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week.
Monday: Grilled salmon, boiled green beans, Instant Pot potatoes with butter and chives (To make the potatoes, put 2-inch chunks of golden potatoes into a steamer basket. Add 1 cup water to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Cook for 8 minutes at high pressure).
Tuesday: Josie came home from school early with a sore throat, which derailed my plans to pick-up groceries. I just made what we had on hand, which was simple black bean quesadillas with roasted sweet potatoes seasoned with smoked paprika and cumin.
Wednesday: Chicken soup, to soothe Josie’s sore throat.
Thursday: Broiled tofu, steamed broccoli, white rice with scrambled egg added.
Friday: It was a long week. We ate random leftovers and I made a big bowl of popcorn later in the evening.
Reading & Cookbooks
I grabbed Kitchen Confidence off the shelf at the library, although I wasn’t familiar with Cooking Channel star Kelsey Nixon. Her cookbook is filled with “essential” dinner recipes like stove top mac n ‘cheese, grilled pork chops and chicken piccata. If you like to stick to the basics but you want your basic meals to have lots of flavor, this might be a cookbook for you.
I just finished the novel Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. I definitely liked it, but how much I liked it depended on the chapter. Each chapter introduces a new character and a different moment in time, all linked by their connection to the main character, Eva Thorvald. Eva has a “once in a generation palate” and the book follows her over decades as she grows from a young girl to a legendary chef.
This is a great summer read, engaging and filled with good food and quirky Midwest characters. My regret is that we don’t get to know Eva better. We see her through the eyes and experiences of others, but for the reader she always stays just out of reach.
That’s it for this week! The end of school is just around the corner and it feels like we’re coasting in on fumes. I’m hoping for some downtime this weekend, some exercise and maybe a cocktail on the deck without a stocking cap.
Hope you have a good weekend!
Jenny