So it’s summer, and one is likely to go a bit nuts in the
produce department…fresh fruits and veggies….best time of year!
I do tend to overbuy for 2 people – a whole pineapple
(Costco has some beauties), a 5 pound carton of strawberries (cheap in spring) and
so on.
There are lots of ways to use things, but the other night
I had some fresh pineapple and strawberries to use up, plus a fresh bag of
3-color coleslaw, and needed a salad. At first I considered two: cole slaw and
fruit salad (I also had bananas, apples, and oranges on hand.) But then it
occurred to me to make a 2-in-1 and here is the result. I wondered if Gary would
find it palatable, but he raved about the sweet/sour flavor! The lightness of
the dressing is also perfect as a hot-weather dish.
Fruity Summer Slaw
3-color coleslaw
fresh pineapple, chopped small
fresh strawberries, chopped
grated Daikon radish
pine nuts
for dressing:
Annie’s Asian salad dressing
raw sugar or agave syrup
rice vinegar
Mix some sugar or agave syrup and rice vinegar into the
salad dressing, until you achieve a pleasing sweet/sour balance. Add other
ingredients and toss. (Suggestion: use only enough dressing to lightly coat the
solids. You don’t need swimming slaw.) If you like, you can add a little punch
with a pinch of ground cinnamon or 5-spice.
Another version, good with fish:
Zingy Summer Slaw
3-color coleslaw
Chopped fresh pineapple
Craisins
For dressing:
lemon juice
agave syrup (or raw sugar)
horseradish sauce
mayonnaise
Using small amounts, balance lemon juice, sweetener, and horseradish
sauce until it’s to your taste (should be on the tart/spicy side). Add a dollop
of mayo for a clinging consistency and toss with slaw and pineapple. Don’t
overdo the mayo!
I actually used some chopped fresh apricots in this last
version instead of the craisins…since they were there and needed to be used.
Never be afraid of trying something different. If nothing
else, you’ll learn something.
