Eating With Deb

I usually don’t like too many coleslaws, but I’ve learned that using purple cabbage makes a crisper, crunchier slaw. Add in some fresh basil and dried cranberries for a different, yet delicious coleslaw that you’d be happy to bring or serve at just about any barbecue.

In a large bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients.

Prep all your ingredients and put them in the bowl with the dressing.

To slice the basil, or chiffonade the basil, stack the basil leaves and then roll them up. Gently slice through the rolled stack of leaves.

Just mix it all together and you have a quick and refreshing slaw.

Try with Pepper Burgers or Chile Lime Burgers or BBQ Rib Burgers.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Basil Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a summertime favorite salad with picnics and barbecues. Use purple cabbage to make a crisp slaw and add fresh basil for a refreshing flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

Total Time15

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Basil, Cabbage, Coleslaw

Servings: cups

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

Large bowl and rubber spatula
Cutting board and knife
Citrus Zester

Ingredients

Slaw Ingredients

4 cups purple cabbage shredded
2 each carrot shredded, approximately 1 cup
1 each red bell pepper julienned and cut down to about 1’ strips
1 each green onion sliced
¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade
¾ cup cranberries dried

Dressing

¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp granulated garlic
½ each lemon zest and juice
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine dressing ingredients and set aside.
Prepare veggies and add to dressing up to 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!

Notes

To chiffonade basil, stack and roll the leaves into a tight roll. Gently slice through as basil bruises easily.

You can use green cabbage if you wish, I use purple because it holds up to the acid in the dressing longer so it stays crisper.

Nutrition

With summer approaching, I get excited to start grilling more. So naturally, I need sauerkraut to go with a lot of the items that get grilled.

Making sauerkraut is very simple and doesn’t require any special tools. The fermenting process creates probiotics which are what is found in greek yogurt and helps maintain your gut health.

You need about 1 pound of cabbage, green or purple, sea salt, and potentially a little distilled water.

I like using purple cabbage over green because is stays firmer longer. I like the crunch. But use what you like best. It took some of my friends a bit to get used to the firmer sauerkraut because they never knew any different. They only had store bought kraut made from green cabbage.

Shred about 1 pound of cabbage. I use a knife, but you could use a food processor or mandolin if you desire.

Sprinkle in 2 teaspoons of sea salt and massage it into the cabbage. You can already see the water being pulled out of the cabbage.

Push the cabbage together, top it with a plate and a weight. I fill the jar I’m going to put the kraut in with water and set that on top of the plate.

Now walk away for about an hour.

It’s time to fill the jar. For a long time I used my fist to smash the cabbage down in the jar. I finally broke down and bought a small fermenting kit that came with this handy pestle to smash the cabbage down.

Be sure all the cabbage is submerged in the brine. If not, you need to add more brine. If any cabbage is not submerged, mold will start growing during the fermenting process and ruin the sauerkraut.

If you don’t have a fermenting kit, a smaller jar filled with water will do the trick.

If you have a fermenting kit, you should have weights and fermenting lids in the kit. The fermenting lid allows gases to escape, but no air will be allowed in. This helps reduce the chances of mold growing.

You are ready to store this away for a week. As the cabbage ferments, it produces more liquid so put it on a plate just in case water seeps out.

Store it away in a dark, cool spot. I put it in my pantry, that way I won’t forget to check on it daily to ensure there is enough water. It needs the dark to ferment properly, so don’t leave it out on a countertop.

After a week, this is what you have. Mine produced a little foam during the fermentation process. I scrape that off with a spoon before I remove the weight.

After the weight is removed, I need to add some more salt water to my jar to ensure the kraut stays fully submerged.

I have plenty of room for a full cup of salt water. This way I make sure I have enough liquid. The sauerkraut is packed tight in the jar and as you start using it and loosening it up, you will need the additional liquid.

You now have a delicious, probiotic rich sauerkraut.

Time to get grilling!

Print Recipe

Sauerkraut

Homemade sauerkraut is simple to make and tastes better than any store bought kraut. Using green or purple cabbage you can make a delicious kraut in a week.

Prep Time15

Resting Time7

Total Time7 15

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Cabbage, Fermenting, Probiotics, Sauerkraut

Servings: servings

Calories: 14kcal

Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

1 quart jar
1 pint jar or weight and fermenting lid
Pestle of some sort or your fist to smash the cabbage down in the jar
Cutting board and knife
Large bowl and plate that will fit in the bowl

Ingredients

1 pound cabbage purple or green, shredded
2 tsp sea salt

Additional Salt Water

1 cup distilled water
1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

In a large bowl, toss cabbage with salt, massaging the salt into the cabbage. Put a plate on it and weigh it down. I put water in the jar that I am going to use to put my sauerkraut in.
Let sit for an hour or up to 6 hours to wilt the cabbage and produce water.
Transfer to a jar and smash it down and be sure all of the cabbage is covered in brine. Add more salt water if needed (1 tsp sea salt to 1 cup distilled water).
If you have a weight and ferment lid, those work great. Otherwise fill a smaller jar with water and set that on top of the cabbage to weigh it down.
Put it on a plate and then in a cool, dark place. I use my pantry.
Check daily for water level (must stay above the cabbage so as not to produce mold).
Check for flavor starting at 7 days. Refrigerate when you have the flavor you want. It will continue to slowly ferment in the refrigerator over time.
Remove the weight and foam before refrigerating.
Add additional salt water to the jar to cover all the sauerkraut before refrigerating.

Notes

Makes about 3 cups of sauerkraut.

Use within 6 months. If it sits too long in the refrigerator, it starts turning mushy.

Nutrition