About this Recipe

Growing up we ate salads. Green salads, red salads, warm salads, cold salad, fruit salads, crunchy salad, salads with chicken, salads with nuts, salads with cheese and always homemade dressings.

When people ask what kind of recipes we share in Grandmother's Kitchen, my answer is always comfort food. This consists of casseroles, soups, stews and treats. The reality in our own day to day lives is that although we make these heartier meals - we never make a meal without a delicious salad making up about 70% of the plate. This coleslaw recipe is so delicious with the addition of apples and dried cranberries, and for a little extra crunch you could also add some pecans. The coleslaw salad dressing recipe is lemony, creamy pairs perfectly with the salad.

Grandmother's TIPS for Cranberry Apple Coleslaw Recipe:

1. If you have one, use a Mandoline Slicer to speed up the slicing and dicing. They are a little bit intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, they speed up the process so much with certain things like onions and cabbage.

2. If you are safety lover like we are you can use these Cut-Proof Gloves when you are using a mandoline for slicing.

3. You can make coleslaw ahead and keep refrigerated for days in ziploc bags. If you are doing this Do NOT add the dressing or the apples. Instead, add the dressing to it the day you are eating it.

4. You can also just make up individual portions without the dressing and send along in lunches.

5. A good tip when making coleslaw is to tenderize your cabbage after it's been shredded. To do this simply toss the cabbage in some salt and allow it to sit for 5 minutes or so and then drain off the excess moisture. This will allow the cabbage to stay crunchier longer.

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Ingredients

(Print)

Makes: 8 servings

6 cups shredded cabbage

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

2 apples, we used Gala, cut julienne style or shredded

2 Tablespoons pure lemon juice - to coat the apples to keep them from browning

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons pure apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup sliced almonds

Optional- If you want your dressing more liquidy you can add 1/3 cup olive oil.

Directions

1. Have ready a cutting board. Start by preparing the cabbage, carrots and apples.

2. Wash the cabbage, peel the carrots and wash the apples.

3. If you have a mandoline slicer you can use that to shred the cabbage and if you have a similar model to ours - the PL8, you can also julienne the carrots and apples. The traditional method otherwise is to thinly slice the cabbage with a large sharp knife and to use a medium size shredder for the carrots and apples.

4. Place the prepared cabbage, carrots and apples into bowls to measure out. Add the real lemon juice to the apple bowl. Use a spatula to stir around and be sure to coat the apple. This will keep them from going brown.

5. Mix together the mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. Stir in the salt and pepper. Set aside.

6. Combine the cabbage and carrots into a large mixing bowl and toss together until evenly combined.

7. Add the dried cranberries and sliced almonds and apples and mix together.

8. Add the dressing, stir in and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The flavors will be enhanced and the dried cranberries will plump up.

ENJOY!

Return to this Cranberry Apple Coleslaw recipe or check out more recipes at Grandmother's Kitchen

Apples are one of those fruits that you can easily interchange between sweet and savoury recipes. You may often find them in dessert recipes, but they can also just as easily be used in a salad recipe. This is one of the easy apple recipes you can try out if you've never had apples in a salad before.

This is the best salad because it has so many great nutritious ingredients in it starting with cabbage, carrots, and apples as the salad ingredients. You will also be adding in some cranberries and almonds to kick up the nutrients a bit more too. The coleslaw includes its own dressing recipe which goes really well with the apple and all of the other salad ingredients.

A good time-saving tip when making this easy salad recipe is that you can buy a bag of premade coleslaw mix where all of the cabbage and carrots are already shredded up for you. This will be great if you're short on time and don't feel like shredding it up yourself. With the cabbage, carrot and apples in this recipe, you are getting a source of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, some vitamin A, vitamin K, dietary fibre, and potassium.

Apples also contain a lot of water which will help you to stay hydrated and healthy. Great ideas for this coleslaw include using it as a topping for sandwiches and burgers, or as a topping for any green salad. It would also be a yummy addition to a wrap particularly a tuna wrap.