Colourful Coleslaw with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

I like a nice creamy coleslaw as much as the next girl but, for the most part, our winter and spring budgets limit us to purchasing seasonal vegetables.  Cabbage is high on the list of affordable foods and that means we end up eating a LOT of coleslaw.  Repetition can easily lead to boredom so we like to change things up whenever we can.  With that in mind, I started making this  coleslaw, with a honey mustard vinaigrette. 

If you serve this salad right away, the first notes you’ll taste are a balance of sweetness and acidity but if you let the salad sit, the heat of the mustard continues to develop and becomes the dominant flavour in the dressing.  I often make this in the evening and then use it as a bright, sharp accompaniment to meat the following day.  It’s absolutely wonderful in a sandwich.

This recipe makes more dressing than you’ll actually use in the salad.  We like to have extra vinaigrette to drizzle on greens or to use as a marinade.  If you don’t want leftover dressing, reduce the quantities for everything except the vegetables by half.

To make Colourful Coleslaw with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, you’ll need:

• 1 cup of shredded or finely sliced red cabbage
• 1 cup of shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup of radish
• 1/3 cup vinegar (I used plain white vinegar this time but rice vinegar is very nice too)
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• a generous amount of coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place the vegetables in a medium sized bowl.  Toss to combine.

Combine the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until the honey and salt are dissolved.  While whisking constantly, gradually stream in the olive oil to form an emulsion. 

Pour about half the dressing over the vegetables and toss to distribute the dressing through the salad.  Cover the bowl and store the salad in the fridge while the flavours develop.