Winter Slaw with Ranch Dressing
I am far from a vegetarian, but I am very interested in new salad and vegetable recipes. Nothing excites me like a new spin on old greens. A great salad recipe is one that is versatile: it can be substituted with what is in your fridge or garden. Keep this recipe as more of a general format and substitute any hearty vegetable. Feel free to add in crunchy nuts, or a sweet dried fruit. The combinations are endless.
This salad has all the tangy benefit of ranch dressing, with hearty fall vegetables that taste best this time of year. The dressing is creamy but not heavy. You will likely have leftovers, but they keep for up to 5 days in the fridge and taste great on salads or as a dip.
If using cabbage, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts, the food processor does a nice job of cutting the vegetables into equal sized portions. But feel free to chop by hand if the thought of lugging out the processor sounds like work!
A note on cutting kale: When kale is torn or chopped into large chunks, I find that it exudes bitterness. I like to roll a few leaves into a tight package and slice into thin ribbons, like you would a handful of basil. The result is far more appealing.
Winter Slaw with Ranch Dressing
Serves: 6-8
Ranch Dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk)
1 Tbsp chopped dill
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped chives or green onion
2-3 Tbsp tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
In the bottom of a large mason jar, place the garlic, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, yogurt and milk. Shake until well combined. Thin out with additional milk if needed, to desired consistency. Add the herbs and lemon juice and shake again. Season to taste with additional salt and lemon juice if needed.
Slaw
6 cups any combination of the following: thinly chopped green cabbage, red cabbage, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts, or thinly ribboned kale
1/2 cup, grated carrots
Combine the vegetables. Add 1/2 of the dressing and combine. Add additional dressing if needed. The slaw can be made up to 3 hours in advance, and benefits for sitting. Add a little more dressing before serving if the slaw has dried out.
The vegetables can be chopped without dressing the day before. Extra dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.