Coleslaw Recipes for Every Occasion

In small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; add to cabbage mixture. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley, if desired.

The slaw dressing can be made in advance and stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator, where it will keep for several weeks.

Fresh Summer Basil Slaw 

The lime juice makes this a light, refreshing slaw for summer’s hottest days, and it is lightning quick to throw together. You can dress it up with a few basil blossoms if your basil is blooming. 

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 large lime or 2 medium)
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
4 cups shredded green cabbage, fresh from the garden or farmers’ market, if possible
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed.
1/4 cup pine nuts 

Whisk together olive oil, lime juice and honey. Toss with cabbage.

Before serving, roll basil leaves into a tube and chop roughly; add to slaw mixture.

In dry skillet, over medium heat, toast pine nuts for a few minutes until they just begin to take on a golden color. Remove from skillet and allow to cool.

Top each serving with sprinkle of nuts. Yields 8 servings. 

Quick Bok Choy Slaw

No time to shred cabbage? This mild, juicy relative doesn’t have to be chopped fine. It’s tender, though, so don’t add the dressing to this slaw more than an hour before serving. Mirin, sweet rice wine, is key to the sweet/sour balance and can be found in your grocery’s Asian section along with the other ingredients. 

2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin
1 head bok choy, coarsely chopped, white and green parts
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
1/4 cup roasted soybeans
Salt, to taste 

Whisk together oil, vinegar and mirin. Toss with bok choy.

Refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.

Before serving, top each individual serving with sprinkle of black sesame seeds and roasted soybeans. Yields 4 servings.

Susan Clotfelter writes for The Denver Post, blogs at www.DenverPost.com/diggingin, and is growing three kinds of cabbage this year.