Memorial Day BBQ

We had some really good friends over for a BBQ on Memorial Day weekend. As expected, my husband bought different kinds of high quality meat (I urged for organic when possible), organic corn, and a variety of tasty veggies, but my favorite part was the peanut coleslaw. I often shy away from regular cole slaw because it tends to have more mayonnaise than veggies, but this slaw is made with oil and vinegar instead of mayo and also contains heart-healthy nuts. I adapted the recipe from this website, which I found when I Googled "Wood Ranch peanut cole slaw recipe." For those of you who live in the Los Angeles area, Wood Ranch is perhaps one of the best BBQ restaurants around, known as much for its peanut slaw as it is for its ribs. I wanted to bring a bit of "home" to Arizona for my LA-native husband. My Google searching did not yield a Wood Ranch-sponsored recipe, but this knock-off tastes pretty darn close!

Of course, I made a few substitutions: cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for vegetable oil and stevia instead of sugar. It was a hit at the BBQ, and my husband and I polished it off the next day.

Here's the recipe, along with a few pictures of our BBQ. Hopefully you will enjoy many fun evenings with friends and family this summer, even if you reside in the (freakishly) hot Arizona desert like we do.

Peanut Cole Slaw

**Use organic vegetables whenever possible

1 16-oz package shredded cabbage and carrots

1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage

3/4 cup finely sliced celery

1/3 cup finely chopped green onions

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon sugar (or stevia to taste)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Garlic pepper or black pepper to taste

1 cup dry roasted peanuts

In a large mixing bowl, combine all vegetables. Combine remaining ingredients (except peanuts) in a small bowl. Pour dressing over the vegetables and mix. Stir in peanuts.

This recipe tastes best if you refrigerate for a few hours before serving, as it lets the flavors set in. Don't worry about being really strict with the serving sizes of vegetables. I wanted to use up both packages of cabbage, so I added more vinegar, water, and olive oil. Also, don't be afraid to taste as you go! If you think it should be sweeter have more garlic, cook with your taste buds.

Here are a few shots of our BBQ. First, the delicious cole slaw:

Our marinating shrimp (pre-grilling):

Stunning summer veggies, including super creamy and perfectly ripe avocados:

The spread! Notice the organic sauerkraut, my new favorite topping, and a slew of sauces. My only requirement was that none of them had high fructose corn syrup if possible. Such a buzz kill!