Colorful Caribbean Cole Slaw

Summer time = picnics and summer concerts in the park. We are certainly making the most of both. It was time for another concert in the park, but before the concert, we packed another picnic, that was really more like a feast. Picnic are supposed to be simple, but not ours. 🙂 Lauren brought a lot of food and so did I. Of course we had way too much food. But, we had a wide variety of tasty things and had our pick of whatever we wanted to eat.

One of the dishes I brought was a colorful Caribbean Cole Slaw Caribbean Cole Slaw. I’ve made it before, many times, but it’s been a while. It was long over due, and I had both the green and the purple cabbage, so it was definitely time to make it again.

Colorful Caribbean Cole Slaw

This colorful cole slaw has just about everything Caribbean you can think of. It’s loaded with all kinds of color and texture and taste.

First, I candied the cashews with a little butter, brown sugar and jerk sauce.

1 1/4 cups cashews

2 tsp jerk sauce

salt to taste

1 TBSP butter

3 TBSP brown sugar

Throw everything together and either roast in the oven or in a skillet on top of the stove for a few minutes, or until the cashews are golden brown. Then spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to let harden for a few minutes, while preparing the rest of the salad.

The Dressing

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 TBSP liquid lemongrass

2 TBSP hot honey

2 TBSP honey ginger vinegar, optional

1 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

salt & pepper to taste

6 TBSP lime juice

Mix everything together and set aside.

The Cole Slaw

1/2 head red cabbage, shedded

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

1/2 red and yellow bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks

1 carrot, shredded

1 cup fresh pineapple, diced

1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

1/3 cup cup green onions, sliced Asian style or at an angle

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup toasted coconut

Add the candied cashews and toss everything together. Add the sauce and toss again to thoroughly coat all the vegetables and cashews.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. No matter where you take this delicious and colorful dish, you will be taking a little bit of the Caribbean with you. Enjoy! It is a different kind of a cole slaw, with a very definitive Caribbean flair to it.

The band was great, and had a large horn section. They played a wide variety of great tunes. The bongo player was another friend of Mike and Lauren’s. Once again, we were rockin’ out and singing to all the songs. It was yet another fun and delicious picnic in the park. That’s what summer is for, right?! 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.