Cole Slaw and Potato Salad

Cole slaw and potato salad are the main courses of side dishes. But even if someone shows up with the same dish, this healthy and adventurous recipe is sure to be eaten faster than aunt Elva's recipe...sorry aunt Elva.

Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage
1/2 large cucumber
1/2 large carrot
1/2 large onion or 1 small onion
3 stalks of celery with leaf
Approximately 1/2 cup of sour cream
and/or Approximately 1/2 cup mayonnaise or Vegenaise.
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional
1/2 cup of either broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus
Seasoning salt to taste
A splash of Ranch or Italian salad dressing
Splash of vinegar
1 wedge of lime
1 tbsp. mustard

You don't have to have a Kitchenaid to make great coleslaw.

Just slice the cabbage off the head in thin layers, making fine chopping a much easier task. Do the same with a half a carrot, half a cucumber, half an onion and that celery that you bought because it was so cheap (but is now wasting away in your fridge because everyone's tired of ants on a log). Finely chop the stalks and stems of any broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus you happen to have in the fridge.You don't have to be obsessive about how you chop your veggies. Let them be chunky and uneven to add to the fun look of this dish.

Mix the vegetables together and add just enough mayo or vegenaise to make the mix creamy. You can substitute or mix 50/50 sour cream (cheaper and healthier than mayo). If you have an almost-empty bottle of salad dressing (of any kind) that you've been holding on to because you didn't want to be wasteful...now's the time to shake it up with a few drops of water, pour it in and recycle that bottle.

Mix it all up and add salt, seasonings and a splash of vinegar (doesn't matter what kind). Add a little mustard or squeeze in a wedge of lime to add a little tang.

This is a healthy treat that saves money and tastes great!

Potato Salad

You can make a great potato salad by using all the ingredients and directions above! All you have to do is substitute the cabbage for some cooked, chilled and diced potatoes. Use 3 large potatoes or 5 small ones. They are just about the cheapest produce you can buy, and this delicious hodgepodge is a great way to sneak healthy food to the kids or uncle Alan, who usually eats nothing but red meat and white bread.

Happy Labor Day!