Sweet & Spicy Cole Slaw

I have issues with raw carrots and celery, so I don’t use them in my cole slaw. I’ve developed my own sweet and spicy recipe. People are always asking me for it, so here it is.

Here’s everything you need:

I was making this dish for a dozen friends, so the ingredients in the pictures are doubled.

Chad’s Sweet and Spicy Cole Slaw

• ½ head green cabbage
• 1 large (or 2 small) Granny Smith apple
• 1 large bulb fennel, trimmed
• ½ large red onion
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons spicy mustard
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• ½ teaspoon each, salt and black pepper

Use a mandoline to finely shred the apple. Make sure you don’t cut into the core.

In a very large bowl, mix the lemon juice with the julienned apple to keep the pieces from turning brown. Next, divide and core the cabbage and peel off the outer layers of the onion and fennel.

Shred the onion, fennel and cabbage and add them to the bowl with the apple.

Save and chop some of the the fennel fronds (maybe a half cup). I usually add most of the fronds into the bowl and reserve a tablespoon or two to garnish the dish.

Stir together the honey, vinegar, oil, mustard and celery seed in a bowl.

Immediately toss the dressing with the cabbage, apple, onion and fennel. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

As you can see from the top picture, this recipe makes enough to fill a 2.5 quart casserole dish. I suggest making it ahead of time and letting the flavors blend in the refrigerator. Unlike most cole slaw recipes, this one is relatively light on the mayonnaise. That means it’s a more picnic-friendly version.

NOTE: If you don’t have a mandoline, you can still make this recipe. Just make sure to take the time to slice the ingredients as finely as possible. And if you double the recipe, cut down on the vinegar by a tablespoon or two and add a little more olive oil.