I use Best Foods Light mayo with rice vinegar to thin it. Dijon, honey, celery seed, s&p, honey to taste. Personally I like all salads to be lightly dressed. But for someone who likes more dressing you could serve additional dressing on the table for him to add the amount he likes.

Somewhere I have seen a creamy dressing that uses Miracle Whip, sweetened with a little sugar and thinned with a little milk.
And the salad itself is just cabbage and onion.

My grandmother used to make a salad dressing with milk and sugar stirred together, and then vinegar slowly added to taste. it's important to dissolve a fairly large amount of sugar in the milk, she said it keeps the milk from curdling when you add the vinegar. It was my boring task to stir the sugar and the milk until the sugar dissolved....I would think that with some dry mustard added it would be good.

My DH prefers a creamy slaw dressing too. Awhile back I was stuck for a dressing and didn't want to go into town...he likes the bottled stuff!!!

Anyhow I made a buttermilk dressing with sour cream, mayo, buttermilk and vinegar. Can't give you amounts it was a "Nike recipe"... I just did it!

Turned out really good. I prefer a vinegar dressing but this was OK.

My own recipe so no measurements but I just mix Mayo, balsamic vinegar, honey, kosher salt & pepper. It's just the right amount of creamy, tangy, sweet & salty for my taste.

Funny that this thread should come uip today. Had lunch with friends yesterday and she mentioned she had eaten coleslaw that was just shredded cabbage from grocery produce department and mixed with ranch dressing. She said it was good, but I know our tastes are different so only posting this for what it might be worth.

This coleslaw and dressing is a favorite in my family. I named it Alaskan coleslaw cause that's where I had one similar to this both time I went to AK to a goldmine camp fish cookout.

Alaska cole slaw
5 cups shredded cabbage **I buy the preshredded plain, no carrots, etc at WalMart
1/2 cups almond slivers, toasted
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup celery, diced**don't use
1/4 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper **don't use

This is the creamy dressing I used and it works great:

mix 1/2 c mayo with 2 Tbl cider vinegar **I used white wine vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, salt and pepper to taste Pour over coleslaw right before serving and toss JUST TO COAT

Combine cabbage, almonds, cranberries, celery, green onions, and green pepper in a large plastic bowl with a snap-on lid.
Combine all dressing ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour dressing over slaw just before serving. Stir well

I got this recipe from a woman who ran a catering business. I always loved her coleslaw and it's all I've ever made for over 25 years.

Dolly's Coleslaw

1 head cabbage, shredded finely
6 stalks celery, shredded
4 carrots, shredded
1/3 sweet onion, shredded
1/3 cup sugar
Hellman's(Best Foods) mayo to coat
Salt and pepper to taste

Shred cabbage and top with sugar, toss to coat and set aside. Shred celery, carrots, and onion. Mix them with cabbage. By now the sugar will have sweated the cabbage. Mix in enough mayo just to lightly coat. Let sit at least 4 hours, stir well before serving. The flavors all meld together as it sits.

Very simple slaw that you could add to if you'd like, but I never have and get compliments and requests for this all the time.

My bug-a-boo with coleslaw is when it's drenched to the point it's literally swimming in the dressing of choice. I prefer a light vinaigrette, but a creamy concoction is nice too, and I make both and like new ideas and recipes.

My favorite recipe is for CAROLINA COLE SLAW (spelled as two words not one, for whatever reason), but I only make/use 1/4-1/2 of the dressing called for in the recipe. I've been making this recipe since the early 1970's and the recipe is similar to this one at Epicurious - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carolina-Cole-Slaw-1539

The link below is a local favorite creamy coleslaw recipe from the Brookville Hotel in Abilene, KS. If you attend a potluck around here, you'll always find at least two bowls of this recipe.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Brookville (Hotel) Sweet and Sour Coleslaw

Well Jude that was my old coleslaw secret--I dressed it with poppyseed dressing that I bought at the store, always got raves. Not sure how that option will go with dill and caraway, because it was kind of sweet. And it wasn't very low cal either. But ranch would definately match. I'm allergic to MSG though, so I have to find alternate brands that don't have that as an ingredient.

Lpink, do you like garbanzo beans/chick peas? If you like them and poppyseed dressing I think you'd like a recipe I have posted before for Chick Pea Salad. It's very good and if you're interested I'll post the recipe. Gets lots of compliments and requests for the recipe.

jude

BF and I totally LOVE chickpeas! In fact we eat them every week! And I have poppy seeds languishing in the freezer so I would love the recipe! Not sure how I missed it but I have not been hanging out here as frequently as I did when I had more time to cook.

I found some ranch dressing at the store yesterday that doesn't have MSG in it, and not too pricey either. But I'm still going to try some riffs on these other recipes and save the dressing for when I'm more rushed. I have this week off of work. Well sort of, I have TONS of stuff to do for school and personal paperwork.

Here ya go Lpink. The recipe came from a little coffee shop in SC which has since closed. I always get requests for the recipe when I serve it.

This chick pea salad is really good and a little different.
It makes a lot but it keeps well.

Chick Pea Salad:

2 16 oz. cans Chick Peas, rinsed and drained
2 C. chopped Romaine Lettuce (use scissors)
1 1/3 C. Seedless Red Grapes, halved
1 C. Sweet Red Pepper, chopped
2/3 C.thinly sliced Celery
1/2 C finely chopped Onion
1 1/2 to 2 C. Poppy Seed Dressing â¦start w/1 C dressing, add more if needed.

*Poppy Seed Dressing:
3/4 C. sugar
1/3 C. cider vinegar (heat to boil and pour over sugar)
1 teas.salt
1 teas. dry mustard
1 teas. finely chopped green onion
1 C. vegetable oil
1 T. (+) poppy seeds
Combine first 5 ingredients in blender til smooth. Turn blender on high and gradually pour in oil in slow steady stream. Stir in poppy seeds - cover and chill.
*I have sometimes used purchased poppy seed dressing to save time and it's still good.
jude
;

Well, here was my attempt at making something BF and I will both like. Looks good but not very successful. I accidentally bumped the jar of ground caraway and got about 3 times more added than I had planned. Then threw in some additional dill to counteract. I mixed sour cream, mayo and yogurt with a touch of cider vinegar and sugar. I should have known better on the yogurt, that was a mistake too. I thought it could stand in for buttermilk . . .
Next time I am just going to use the bottle of dressing I bought and shake some dill and caraway on it! Ya know though, I don't really like caraway! :) He doesn't like anything sweet and sour or the honey mustard flavor either. I guess coleslaw is one thing BF and I are going to have to part company on!

L, I think you're right, I'd just take half of the cabbage and make what he likes, with bottled dressing if necessary, and then make the other half the way you like it. Sometimes it's the only way, and people do it all the time with other salads.

Some people want french dressing, some Italian, some ranch, some bleu cheese. No one thinks anything of it, so why not just dress your cabbage differently too?

Annie

My partner prefers the vinegary coleslaw and I prefer the more creamy type. I make both and nothing is written down.

A secret to making a good vinegar/sugar/celery seed base is to combine those 3 ingredients and then quickly BOIL and reduce to simmer for a couple of minutes only. Then add it to the cabbage etc and refrigerate.

For a creamy coleslaw:

1 large cabbage shredded
1/2 large red onion cut and sliced (optional)
shredded carrot (optional)

1 cup real mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup salad oil
2 TBSP sugar,
4 TBSP white vinegar
3/4 TBSP Celery seed
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt (kinda optional)

Blend thoroughly, pour over cabbage and refrigerate

Note; before you pour it over all the cabbage, take a couple of forkfulls of the cabbage and mix it with a tablespoon of the dressing and see if you find it too sweet or sour and you can either add a another tablespoon or sugar or vinegar.

LPink, looks good! My husband and I used to have the same problem, but this is one that we both happily devoured. The dressing has a creaminess similar to mayonnaise but with just enough tang and seasoning to keep me interested. I don't think I've posted this before- if I have, I apologize.

Caribbean Jerk Jicama Slaw with Roasted Edamame and Avocado

Coconut Caribbean Jerk Dressing:
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1- 1 1/2 tbsp caribbean jerk seasoning
1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Whisk ingredients together.

Salad:
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
1/4 cup grated jicama
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup shredded red bell pepper
1/2 avocado, chopped

Mix together all ingredients except for avocado (you don't want it to get mushy) and toss with dressing. Top with avocado and roasted edamame.

Thanks for sharing PK and Backwards Jenny! I am going to have to try your recipes!
I am so happy to have this great selection of coleslaw wisdom! We eat it a LOT!

I'm going to try Edamame in my slaw; might as well, I've had a bag in the freezer for a year.

No wars here, DH loves my coleslaw. It's on the sweet side with a punch from horseradish. Even though I don't have a recipe, it's pretty consistent: mayo, heavy cream, honey, celery seed, horseradish cream.

For gatherings I make Asian Slaw, it's always a hit.

Our favourite is the Asian Slaw (I throw away the seasoning packet). It's makes a bunch, so it's excellent for get-togethers.

Generally the creamy coleslaw gets made here, but I do like the vinegary one as well. I don't make it for myself though.