Cole slaw that’s creamy without being gloppy

I can’t get enough of fresh veggies with delightful dressings. And I do like a lot of dressing. Some of my girlfriends order it on the side when we go out, and the only reason I do that is so I can add more than a normal drizzling.

Let’s talk coleslaw. It’s not a salad I grew up eating. We ate tabbouleh, fattouch and the occasional iceberg salad with Ranch. The traditional coleslaw with mayo and sour cream isn’t my bag. It’s just too gloppy or something. The dressing covers the crunchy cabbage, carrots and whatever else is in it. I used to claim I didn’t like coleslaw until I tried some other kinds, namely the Ramen noodle Asian-flavored one. Remember when that was the “it” salad in the early ’90s? Every potluck had that slaw with the broken up Ramen noodles, toasted almonds and sesame seeds. We’ve all likely moved on from that one, although it was really good.

This week, I’ve shared two of my favorite coleslaw recipes: Spicy Cilantro Slaw and the famous Brookeville Hotel’s Sweet and Sour Coleslaw. The spicy cilantro one is a longtime favorite at our house because it goes with about any dinner – tacos, smoked barbecue, burgers and dogs on the grill or chicken satay. The dressing takes minutes to make in your blender. The flavors are fresh, bright and slightly spicy – which you can adjust if you prefer milder food like I do. I want to like spicy food but it literally overwhelms my palate and I’m very sensitive to the heat. To explain, I simply licked a jalapeno last night to see if it was spicy and hours later my lips still burned. I realize how strange it sounds to tell you I licked a jalapeno, but I wanted to make sure the slaw wasn’t too spicy for our 2 ½-year-old granddaughter, Charlotte. Although truth be told, Charlotte is tougher than I am when it comes to spicy food.

The Brookville Hotel Coleslaw is something to write about. The dressing is so light and creamy, which I realize doesn’t make sense. But if you’ve had this slaw, you know I’m correct. My first experience at the Brookville Hotel restaurant was in Abilene, not Brookville, its original home. Randy took me there on the way home from a Kansas State University football game. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. They served some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had plus mashed potatoes and gravy, the slaw, spiced apples and ice cream for dessert. If you haven’t been up to Brookville in Abilene, make a road trip of it. It’s a darling atmosphere in a new building, but it feels old-fashioned. Your delicious food is served on pretty china and the sweet waitresses just keep bringing you more rolls and more chicken. About 10 years back, when my uncles still had an RV, one Tuesday evening the whole family loaded into that RV and went to Brookville for a fried chicken dinner and came home. It was a fun, memorable evening.

Why try these slaws? Both are simple as can be, go with about anything you want to serve as a center-of-the-plate protein and they keep well in the fridge. Cabbage is hearty and doesn’t wilt when it’s laden in dressing. You can snack on or lunch on it all week long.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Cole slaw that’s creamy without being gloppy."