Easy Coleslaw with Blue Cheese & Apple ♥ Recipe Plus The Economics of Bags of Coleslaw

Today's easy coleslaw recipe: A quick coleslaw made from a bag of coleslaw (or chopped cabbage) and blue cheese dressing with a few apples tucked in for crunch and sweetness. Plus a lesson in coleslaw economics and a smart shopping tip!

Skip Straight to the Recipe

So if you could buy cabbage for $.66 or $1.89 or $2.52 a pound, which one would you choose?

For $.66 a pound, buy a cabbage, wash, trim and quick-quick chop it. Assume 11% waste -- but I accounted for that in the price.
For $1.89 a pound (that's almost three times as much), buy a 16-ounce bag of cabbage slaw, already chopped with a little carrot and red cabbage included for color. No waste – just be sure to rinse the cabbage in cold water to freshen it up.
For $2.52 a pound (that's almost four times as much), buy a 12-ounce bag of finely shredded cabbage – that's the only difference between the two bags, well, except price.
Want to see how the two bags were placed side-by-side in the grocery store? Here's my photo on Flickr. I wish I could say it was "accidental" – but see just too many instances where grocery stores seem to intentionally display products, including produce, in ways that influence our choices to the higher-margin product.

Still, life isn't always about cost and there's no doubt that "convenience" matters. So no judgment, we each get to make our own decisions, what's right for us. Some nights? A bag of coleslaw is as good as it's gonna get.

And this coleslaw is worth making – no matter who does the chopping. Summer easy, 'tis the season.

This recipe is so quick and easy that I'm adding it to a growing collection of easy summer recipes published all summer long ever since 2009 at Kitchen Parade, my food column. With a free Kitchen Parade e-mail subscription, you'll never miss a one!

---

EASY COLESLAW with BLUE CHEESE & APPLE

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time to table: 5 minutes
Serves 4

8 ounces coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons blue cheese dressing, thinned with a little milk if you like
1 apple, chopped, reserve a few slices for garnish if you like

Freshen up that bag of coleslaw! Just rinse under cold water and then run through a salad spinner to dry. Stir in the blue cheese dressing and apple. Best served right away or within an hour or so, see TIPS.

ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
I don't very often buy salad dressings but every once in awhile, when I want just a bit, will pick up a package of dressing from the salad bar. That said, when I did that the first time I made this salad, the packet said it was "blue cheese salad dressing" but it sure wasn't very "blue cheesy". When I made it again with bottled dressing, very good!
Blue cheese salad dressing can be a little "gloppy" -- so I like to thin it down a bit, so it'll go further and coat the slaw less heavily, with a little milk.
If you do make a little ahead of time, to prevent the cut apple from browning, chop it up and add just before serving or toss the cut pieces with a little lemon juice beforehand, the acid will prevent the apples from turning brown. UPDATE My friend Kirsten (see comments) suggests using pineapple juice instead of lemon juice – same effect, less "sour lemon"!

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 80 Calories; 4g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 1mg Cholesterol; 92mg Sodium; 12g Carb; 3g Fiber; 8g Sugar; 1g Protein, WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 1

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Many thanks to Christine Wallach for this recipe! She made it for her father's funeral luncheon and everyone just dug in!

---

Still Hungry?

NEVER MISS A RECIPE!

For "home delivery" of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here.
Once you do, new recipes will be automatically delivered straight to your e-mail In Box.

MORE FAVORITE COLESLAW RECIPES

~ Cowboy Coleslaw ~
~ Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw ~
~ Jicama Slaw ~
~ more slaw recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Alice Waters' Coleslaw ~
~ Holy Slaw! ~
~ more salad recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

SEASONAL EATING: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Fresh Kohlrabi Spinach "Jelly Roll" Pancake Butter-Simmered Carrots Chutney-Glazed Carrots Pied Piper Refrigerator Pickles Roasted Asparagus with Browned Butter Pasta with Shrimp, Asparagus & Sun-dried Tomato Eggplant Caviar Kalyn's Roasted Asparagus & Mushrooms Arugula Salad with Smoked Trout & Peach Preserve Dressing Pimm's Originals for a Mother-Daughter Weekend Spinach Burgers Barely Roasted Asparagus Warm Black-eyed Peas with Yogurt & Ginger Easy Coleslaw with Blue Cheese & Apple Easy Easy Radish Appetizer Afghan Eggplant & Tomato Casserole (Borani Banjan) Deep Mexico Carrot Soup with Tomatillo & Lime

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2011 & 2019