The whole cole (slaw)

My refrigerator has a shadow life. Maybe yours does, too. My fridge keeps dark secrets in its corners. It hides things. You'd think a mostly rectangular object like a Kenmore refrigerator would be easy to navigate. Finding the milk/gigantic assortment of olives/leftovers/aging carrots should be a snap, but no. My fridge hides its favorite things like a sulky child hides her favorite toy.

This month, it hid the cabbage.

A month ago, at Aldi, I purchased that head of green cabbage in full faith. I planned to use it, but my fridge wedged it somewhere betwdeen the bottle of whiskey that will never be finished and the half-eaten container of hummus. I unearthed it yesterday.

As an apology to my neglected cabbage and as a practical solution to my post-work hunger, I made a cole slaw of sorts. Not one of your homey, may-o-naise and marshmallow concoctions, this slaw is sweet and sour and refreshing in a crunchy way. My measurements were not exact, so yours need not be, either. The dressing I made was sweet, savory, and refreshing; mess with my measurements until your dressing is, too.

KICKY COLE SLAW with BROWN SUGAR Dressing

1/2 one large head of cabbage
1 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sucanat cane sugar (or turbinado, or other whole, granular sweetener)
1/2 to 1 tsp caraway seeds
pinch of salt
1-2 tsp coconut oil (or favorite liquid oil)
1-2 Tb sweet mustard or Bavarian mustard (optional)

Chop cabbage into small slivers on a cutting board. This salad is especially pretty with a combination of red and green cabbage as well. It depends on what you can fish from the depths of your fridge. When you think the cabbage is sufficiently chopped, give it another few cuts with the knife. Set the slivered cabbage aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine red wine vinegar and sucanat, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. (I had to heat the mixture for 10 seconds in the microwave to break down the sugar a bit; however, you could skip this step depending on the sweetener you use.) Mix in coconut oil, then the caraway seeds. Add a little salt to the mixture - just enough to make the dressing a little savory. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes while you whistle/skip about the kitchen/drink your neglected coffee/wash dishes.

Toss the cabbage and the dressing together. Though the dressing will slip through the cabbage and make a bee-line for the bottom of your bowl, keep tossing until the whole mess has been coated well. I think this cole slaw is better after at least 24 hours, but if you're in a hurry, several hours in the fridge will do.

This cole slaw made my lunch a little more fun, and my fridge a little less cluttered.