By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Raisin Marketing Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

As of late, I’ve been eating a lot of slaw. Probably because I’m living in the south and down here, ya’ll eat a lot of slaw. As I was looking into the history of cole slaw, I found that it actually originated with the Dutch, who termed it koolsla. When Dutch immigrants settled into New York, the term became americanized and is as we know today, cole slaw.

Although slaws differ by region, the main thing they all have in common is their base of cabbage mixed with other vegetables. And whether vinegar-based or mayo-based, slaw can be quite healthy of a dish…until we get to the sugar. Many versions of coleslaw are loaded with sugar, drastically reducing its health factor.

Enter California raisins, nature’s sugar. They are an all-natural, dried-by-the-sun fruit you can feel good about feeding your family – especially during the holidays. The ingredient list says it all: Raisins. For this recipe, I used raisins to sweeten the slaw dressing and honestly, it tastes great. Unlike sugar, raisins offer 9% of your daily fiber and potassium, and 6% of your daily iron per quarter cup. Give this healthier slaw a chance! To make the dressing, the raisins are cooked, releasing their inner sugars. They are then blended into the oil and vinegar creating a naturally sweet dressing.

There are also some raisins tossed about it in the slaw so every now and then you get a good, sweet bite. Go on, give it a try.

Raisin Cole Slaw

serves ~8

Slaw

1/2 large head green cabbage, julienned

5 large collard leaves, julienned

10 radishes, julienned

1/2 cup California Raisins

Dressing

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp horseradish

1/8 tsp salt

Directions

• Toss all the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
• In a saucepan, simmer all dressing ingredients for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into blender. Blend until raisins are fully incorporated into dressing.
• Pour dressing over slaw and toss to mix. Chill in refrigerator before serving.

*For best results, make this slaw the day before and let sit to marinate before serving.