The Summer of Slaws

With Memorial Day behind us and summer solstice right around the corner, BBQ season is full steam ahead. Barbequing warms my heart, both mentally and physically. Yes, the food is scrumptious but my favorite part of barbequing is joyous time with family and friends. It’s so inspiring to see what delicious dishes my friends can create, and I won’t lie, I love the opportunity to show off my culinary creations from time to time.A few summers ago, I came to realize my obsession with coleslaw. It may have something to do with my taste for cabbage or my love of sweet and tangy concoctions. One of the things I don’t like about traditional coleslaw is the lack of quality ingredients, so last summer, I made it my mission to create "the perfect slaw" free of inflammatory oils and processed added sugar. The “Summer of Slaws”, if you will. I would take each BBQ as an opportunity to try out a new version of my favorite dish and take notes on the results.I’m happy to report, I have finally formulated my perfect vision of coleslaw. It’s colorful, tangy, sweet & even a little spicy, and, full of fresh, nourishing ingredients. In this slaw, I swapped the usual mayonnaise made with soybean oil for avocado oil mayonnaise for an anti-inflammatory spin. For the sweetness, I skip the sugar and use dates in the dressing and green apples in the slaw for a naturally sweet alternative. The secret ingredient in this slaw would have to be the fresh grated ginger. Ginger gives the slaw a bit of a tangy bite, turning it up just a notch on the flavor scale.To be fair, everyone has their own preference of coleslaw & I’m willing to accept that mine may not be yours. But I will to take a moment to say, this slaw has been known to turn slaw-fearing fellows into, well, slaw-amiable fellows. Give it a try yourself, or have fun creating your own slaw concoction at your next BBQ and let us know how it went!

Stay tuned for more of my favorite kitchen concoctions this summer!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:54]