Little Step No. 45
What to do:
Make your own coleslaw (the devil’s in the details)
Why this step works:
The inspiration for this week’s little step came from a chat with a lovely friend about cabbage! Err yes I actually did have a chat about cabbage. Note to self: time to widen my interests a bit haha ;)
So, back to the cabbage chat; we both had a bit of a glut and were trying to think of easy ways to use it up. Homemade coleslaw I said! So I made it; remembered how easy it is to make and how nutritious it can be, and here it is as Little Step no 45!
Easy Homemade Coleslaw
Time needed: 10 mins
You will need:
1/4 medium red or white cabbage (or a mix of both)
1/2 medium white or red onion (or a mix of both)
1 small carrot
Freshly ground salt & pepper (to taste)
Freshly grated nutmeg (to taste)
2 heaped tablespoons (good quality) mayonnaise
What to do:
Slice your quarter of a cabbage in half again, then finely slice each section into thin strips. Do the same with the onion and grate the carrot. Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise and mix well. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Hey presto done! Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. We enjoyed ours with beef burgers, homemade wedges and salad for dinner, and used the rest up in our lunchtime salads over the next few days.
I said the devil's in the details when you make your own coleslaw, so here's the very important details bit.
First up I’d recommend using organic veg if you can. Cabbage, onion and carrots are all super nutritious to start with. Even more so if you choose organic.
Second, buying a good quality mayonnaise is absolutely key. Mayonnaise is typically made from egg yolks, Dijon mustard, some form of oil and white wine vinegar or lemon juice. Contrary to what many people think, it can actually fit nicely in a healthy diet (in moderation) but only if you choose a good quality one. You’ll find huge variation in the supermarket so here’s my top buying tips:
Top tips for buying mayonnaise:
No added sugars or artificial sweeteners - Mayonnaise really doesn’t need to contain added sugars or sweeteners and your health isn’t going to benefit from these either, so personally I’d avoid any that do.
Free range eggs – Eggs laid by free range hens that forage among grass are more likely to contain a higher proportion of omega 3 fats and most of us would benefit from getting more of these in our diets. Choose a mayonnaise that's made from free range egg yolks.
Avocado oil or olive oil base - Proportionally, mayonnaise contains quite a lot of oil and brands vary massively in the type of oil they use. This has a big impact on whether the mayonnaise is a good addition to your diet or not. Choose a mayonnaise based on avocado or olive oil and avoid those containing sunflower or safflower oil. Knowing which fats and oils to choose, when to use them and why can be a minefield that many people find confusing, so this is something I promise I’ll keep coming back to, one little step at a time. For now though, choose your mayonnaise wisely. And if you're making your own mayonnaise (which I have to confess I've never tried) you can follow exactly the same tips. Here's my favourite shop-bought olive oil based and avocado oil based mayonnaises.
A lovely little step designed to quickly turn a glut of cabbage into a very simple, tasty and nutritious homemade dish, and to demonstrate what a big difference you can make when you pay attention to the smallest details x