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Another creamy coleslaw... using up the cabbage left over from the last one.

And it was high time indeed - high time to make this recipe which I have had in my files for over 40 years!

This is not a recipe I ever made previously, but I was always reluctant to throw it away - it did seem cool.

After all these years you can't blame me for not remembering the source - but that's what the Internet is for - and what a surprise!

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This website reproduces the recipe and attributes it to Recipes for a Small Planet by Ellen Buchman Ewald (1973). Turns out that it was a cookbook follow-up to the 1971 book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé. Both books were considered ground-breaking at the time, arguing for "environmental vegetarianism — practicing a vegetarian lifestyle out of concerns over animal-based industries and the production of animal-based products."  Of course, we all know these concerns persist. In fact, in 2006, Lappé's daughter, Anna,  wrote Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It - in which she reviews "the disturbing connection between food production and climate change and outlined how we can eat food that’s better for people and the planet."

Since I have not looked at the original source, I am not sure if this was actually called "cool slaw", but it was being touted as a salad for teens. Not sure who to credit for these intro remarks: "Teenagers seem to go on food "benders" - one month it’s peanut butter bender, next month a yogurt bender. Always, it seems, we're in the middle of somebody’s banana bender. This salad should satisfy a few cravings at once."

One more bit of food trivia. The "dressing" is made in a blender and could almost qualify as a "smoothie". When, I wondered, did the smoothie trend begin? Wikipedia suggests the big surge in popularity was in the 1990's, but notes that the term smoothie was around as early as the 1930's. [Source] Anyhow, making this "salad dressing" made me wonder if any smoothie could be used as a "dressing"? What do you think?

My tweaks? I did not measure the veggie ingredients exactly, so (sort of ) doubled the dressing. Figured it was better to have a bit left over (which is what happened) than not enough. And I added some salt and honey. See Notes - I bet you too might come up with a range of variations.


1 cup grated carrot
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup roasted peanuts (see Notes)
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup diced apple

I prepped the cabbage and the carrots with my food processor's shredding tools.

See Notes re variations.

Toss all ingredients together with dressing below.


1/2 banana
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup creamed cottage cheese
1/4 cup apple juice

salt to taste (optional)
Manuka honey to taste (optional)

This is the exact recipe, but I doubled the banana, yogurt and apple juice. (Greek yogurt would be a nice choice.)

Whirl in the blender until smooth.

Toss with the salad using the amount that matches your preference. I found the taste improved with a sprinkling of salt and a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!


Notes and Tips...

  • Ingredients Misc - you can see from the photo that I used roasted pumpkin seeds instead of peanuts. I also did not use apple (which would be good) because I was not using all of the slaw right away and did not want to the apple to discolour. I did use raisins, but clearly there are many dried fruit options these days!!
  • Variations - seems to me you can change up the salad ingredients according to what's fresh at the markets - maybe add shredded celeriac, jicama etc.
  • For KB Recipe Attribution Practices please click here.

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