by the handful

Compost Coleslaw

Rescuing a few throw away vegetable parts in this way makes something out of nothing and although I do not have a lot of ways to do that, here is one really good way. Actually going into the compost pile or bin to retrieve scraps is not the idea here but I would not shame anyone who does that. The first time I put this together I was not expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised, this coleslaw preparation is really good. The dry herbs and variety of vinegar can be changed out to help the coleslaw match your food choice. For example, red wine vinegar and dried Mexican Oregano or Epazote would help this match up to a taco plate or rice wine vinegar and any oil, ideally sesame oil to alter it as a side Asian foods, and dried basil and oregano with red wine vinegar for Italian food. You could even add a spoonful of mayo to make it a creamy coleslaw.

Compost Coleslaw

1 large broccoli stem

1 large cauliflower core

1 carrot

¼ tsp Salt

¼ tsp dried oregano or other dried herb

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

Dressing: add salt and dried herb(s) to a small bowl and add a few drizzles of hot water. Roll the bowl around to allow the salt to dissolve in the water. Add vinegar and olive oil to salt water and whisk with a fork. Set aside.

Slaw: Peel carrot and remove and save any remaining little leaves from the broccoli. Use a cheese grater to grate each vegetable. For the carrot, start with the big end and just grate it down being careful not to ding a finger when you get close to the small end. For the cauliflower, hold the core side in your hand and grate it most of the way through until you get close to the end. Discard the very end.  Do the same for the broccoli, only grating about half of it though. The best parts are higher up and broccoli tends to get grainy the closer you get to the end of the stem. Chop up broccoli leaves if you have them and add those in. Add dressing and toss. Eat right away or leave in fridge till ready.