‘Healthy’ Coleslaw and a Party

If you haven’t jumped in the water yet this summer, do it. If your response is “but its too cold!”.. Suck it up. Seriously, and get your feet wet.

Water is one of the most refreshing, rejuvenating elements and I’d give just about anything to dive in, swim deep and float on the shimmering surface every day of the year.

The weekend of this gathering was the first time I’d been able to get into the water all year and I soaked it up as much as possible. From paddleboarding, jetskiing, lounging and midnight swims we were in the water almost as soon as we’d dried off from the last plunge.

Though the perks of this long weekend were to reunite with dear friends and get some much needed relaxation time near the water, the main purpose was to celebrate a super well-deserving lady near and dear to my heart. Jeanie has been teaching for 30+ years and this weekend gathering was a surprise retirement party in her honor.

If there were a theme to this party (other than celebrating Jeanie, which we should do everyday!) The theme would be cheese. My friends and their families love cheese… so do I, perhaps that’s why we’re friends (there are so many other cheese-less reasons why we’re friends). Really though, every possible cheese dip/sauce/platter you could think of we had and it was glorious.

In celebration of Jeanie’s retirement from teaching, my friends named signature hotdogs with incredible toppings by the mascots and schools she had taught at. The Whitman Wiener, the Brothwell Brat all in jest to make a fun party even MORE fun. These dawgs paired with Nathan’s fresh homemade french fries and the potluck of incredible dishes, made for a truly delectable feast. A celebration isn’t celebratory without a feast as fine as this one and I think we knocked it out of the park.

My contribution to the feast was a ‘healthy’ coleslaw made with greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. I don’t know about you, but too much mayo and I get queasy even talking about it. However, I really enjoy things like potato salads and coleslaw this time of year. Typically these dishes are packed with mayo, but the versions I make and prefer, use plain non-fat greek yogurt instead!

Ingredients:

1 head red cabbage, chopped

1 head green cabbage, chopped

5 medium sized radishes, julienne

2 medium sized carrots, julienne

Greek Yogurt Dressing-

1 cup plain, non-fat greek yogurt

2 tsp honey

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp celery seed

salt & pepper to taste

The process is really simple, its just the chopping that takes a little time. My only tip would be to make the dressing in a separate bowl and taste it as you go. When you get the right flavor, slowly add dressing to your slaw and mix. A soggy slaw is about the only way you can mess up this dish, so just add dressing and stir until you’ve got the perfect consistency.

Happy Retirement Jeanie and thanks to all the friends and family that helped put this ‘summer welcoming’ gathering together.

I’ll meet ya by the water!

love,

tricia