Spicy Garden Coleslaw

I think I love all coleslaw.  And I definitely love coleslaw with seafood.  This is one of my favorites and would go perfect with the Crispy Shrimp and Scallop Burgers on this blog, or with any other fish you might be craving. (Fried, broiled, baked...all good.)  What's so nice about this is that you really do have the whole garden jumping in together on this one.  Besides green cabbage, there's also some sliced Napa Cabbage and Belgian Endive - all giving their distinct texture and flavor.  And there are the gorgeous colors from 3 kinds of bell peppers, the sweetness of carrots and the subtle scallions. This is not a creamy coleslaw, but it's one that has this great lovely sweet-tangy-spicy taste from so many layers of flavor.  The dressing in this recipe makes more than you need when tossing all the ingredients, but keep the extra and pass it at the table.  Someone might just like one more little spoonful of the zesty stuff.

SPICY GARDEN SLAW

For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

2 Tbsp. honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup light olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Garden Slaw:

1/2 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 small head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

1 head Belgian Endive, thinly sliced

1/4 pound carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, and grated

1/4 cup scallions, sliced

1 medium orange bell pepper 

1 medium red bell pepper

1 medium yellow bell pepper

3/4 cup Dressing

In a blender mix together the cider vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, honey, salt and pepper. Add the oils in a slow, steady stream with blender running. Transfer 3/4 cup of the dressing to a medium size bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside until needed. Leave the remaining dressing in a small bowl and set aside.

Add the prepared cabbages, endive, carrots, scallions and bell peppers to the dressing in the medium size bowl. Toss to combine thoroughly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Whisk the remaining dressing.  Taste the slaw and add a little more dressing if necessary.