They Fought the Slaw (and I won)

The word "slaw" is not greeted with enthusiasm at my house, because my three taste-testers believe America's third-favorite condiment, mayonnaise, should be outlawed. You'll never find potato salad, egg salad, tuna salad or coleslaw gracing our dinner table. Even the minuscule amount of mayo I use to bind my crab cakes together has gotten me in trouble with the family.

Last night I was planning to make grilled wrap sandwiches on the panini press (prosciutto and shredded Gruyere on Joseph's Wheat and Flax Flatbread - outstanding!) and thought slaw would be the perfect partner, especially since I had a variety of crunchy vegetables doing time in the veggie drawer. The dressing would have to be something familiar and mayo-free, so I got out a couple of Asian condiments and went to town.

The family waived their right to remain silent and gave high praise to the mayo-free slaw. What they didn't know was that they were getting a powerhouse of nutrients in every bite; I'll keep that information on the QT for now.

Asian Slaw
Make a little or make a lot

A variety of crunchy vegetables, shredded or sliced thin (red cabbage, green cabbage, bok choy, carrots, scallions, snow peas, cilantro... use what you've got. A bag of broccoli slaw from the produce section would be great, too.)

low-sodium soy sauce
toasted sesame oil
fresh ginger, grated, or a gingery condiment such as chutney

A handful of toasted nuts or seeds for more crunch

Toss all the vegetables in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix up the soy sauce and sesame oil with a whisk; start with about 2 T. soy sauce and a scant tablespoon of sesame oil for 2 - 3 cups of raw vegetables. Add some fresh grated ginger or something else gingery to amp up the flavor. I happened to have some very gingery mango chutney open, so I added about a tablespoon of that. Taste the dressing and see what you think. If you like it, pour it over the vegetables and toss well. They should be lightly coated with the dressing and not swimming in it.

Before serving, toss in the nuts or seeds for another layer of crunch. Enjoy!