Gratitude Slaw for Holidays and Everyday

Thanksgiving tables come with plenty of hearty, rich, celebration dishes, but finding something bright, green and fresh can be a challenge. Try my crisp, green, and absolutely delicious solution: You’ll see why it’s called gratitude slaw!

Gratitude Slaw from The Kitchn Is the Best!

I love The Kitchn, as excellent online recipe and cooking resource. Given the site’s overall goodness,  it is no surprise that I came across this jewel of a recipe while browsing The Kitchen in search of good green recipes for Thanksgiving.

What’s in Gratitude Slaw?

Created by Christine Gallary, it consists of a small mountain of thinly sliced green cabbage, tossed with lots of fresh parsley, dried cranberries, purple onion, and sliced almonds, and dressed with a marvelous and simple vinaigrette in which Dijon mustard and maple syrup star and dance together wonderfully. Good for us, great-tasting, and gorgeous.

What’s to Be Grateful for? 

Besides its deliciousness, Kitchn readers love the portability (take it along for any holiday gathering or covered dish, year round), flexibility (dress it and serve it after it sits just a few minutes to season, OR make the dressing and the greens and fixings hours ahead, and toss them together just before serving time.

You could transport salad greens in one container and dressing in another if you want to take the this slaw on a little road trip before serving time.

Can I Make a Bigger Batch? 

The Kitchn’s recipe makes a most generous quantity, which for a Thanksgiving menu could be just the ticket; but we are two people and much as we love it, 5 cups of slaw at a time work just right for us.

For the full recipe, and for the pleasure of seeing the short delightful video of this recipe and all the surrounding beauty and useful information awaiting you on The Kitchn, click HERE.

Making It Ahead Makes a Difference for Ease and Flavor

Though I have made this slaw several times since Thanksgiving 2017, this time, when fixing it in order to photograph it for this blog post, I got in a hurry and forgot to add the red onion to the dressing so it could soften, season, and transform its excessively oniony-ness to a state of tender, slightly pickled purple perfection.

I simply added the chopped purple onion to the cabbage, along with the cranberries and almonds. Tasting it, I found it overly onion-y and made a note to tell you lovely readers to add less of it. Then I realized my mistake, and the wisdom of the original recipe.

How Do We Make This Dinner-Winner?

Here’s the plan: Make the dressing. Add the thinly sliced red onion to the dressing, toss, and set aside for 10 minutes or longer so that the purple onion can soften and add its flavor to the dressing in a gentle way.

Meanwhile, prepare the cabbage and accompaniments; and then finally, toss it ALL in gigantic bowl, thinly shredded green cabbage, parsley, cranberries, dressing, the works, with the dressing.

While the recipe notes say this keeps for 1 day, we have kept it for 2 days and still enjoyed the flavors and texture.

Let’s Talk about Cabbages, of Which There Are Many

In the comments, much discussion covers The Kitchn’s photo– what makes the Kitchn’s photo look so lovely with bright green shreds among the pale green cabbagey familiar ones? The Kitchn folks say it is their use of the very green outer leaves on a head of cabbage. I decided this time to include some dark green leaves from tops of bok choy, the Cantonese cabbage with white stalks and emerald green leaves

Use leafy outer leaves along with inner ones for the dark green effect. I used 5 cups cabbagey-cabbage and one cup bok choy leaves and I loved the effect this gave of multiple colors of greenness in a refreshing tangle. You can hold the shredded cabbage plus the almonds, cranberries and parsley in one container, and the dressing in another container, if you have more than 2 hours time to wait before serving. For 2 hours or less lead time, I would go ahead and toss them all together, because I think a little wilting here is magic.

Thankfulness Works Year-round, So Make This Often

I am thankful and I am grateful when I think of this salad, or taste it or share it with friends. This salad truly is cause for Thanksgiving!

So call it Thanksgiving Slaw, or Gratitude Greens, or Appreciation Appetizer — it does not matter much what you call it— just remember to make it and know that thankfulness on many levels is likely to ensue.

For another wonderful way with cabbage, check out my Leeks and Cabbage recipe, and for cabbage’s first cousin, broccoli, consider my Broccoli with Fresh Ginger. 

Video Time!

Here’s a quick (1 minute 18 second) little video of cabbage on TV, or rather, on your screen right here. This is a simple saute with butter — and remember, you can use olive oil for a vegan  version. (Note: For my slaw recipe below this video, you will chop your fresh, raw cabbage into super-thin strips and skip the cooking completely!)