Sweet Winter Slaw

After enjoying KFC coleslaw for many years, I figured out how to make yummy coleslaw at home
from scratch and while making it- I realized how much sugar goes into not just KFC but other restaurant
coleslaw recipes. I used only half of what the original recipe for sugar was, but it was not sweet at all
even with,  I think what was half a cup meaning the original recipe called for a full cup of sugar, wow!

I've cultivated the regular coleslaw that is still good but it's always about making it
slightly different than the norm, keeping it simple and most importantly yummy!
So here goes:

Recipe:
1/4 head of red cabbage
3 TBSP of maple syrup (or splenda)
2 TBSP of sesame oil
2 TBSP of soy sauce
1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar
1 whole mango cut into slivers
1 hearty handful of cilantro
2 limes
pepper powder (about 1 TBSP) or to your liking
(my guess is that this will be enough for 3-5 people as a side dish)

I first started by cutting the red cabbage (yes, it's purple but they call it red cabbage) into slivers
and taking the cilantro and giving that a quick chop. (maybe cut about each inch of the cilantro stem)

 The purple hue mixed with the bright green hue is quite vibrant along with adding the golden mango slivers!

I took one lime and squeezed the juice into the raw cabbage, cilantro and mango mixture to add
some acid.  I used the juice of the 2nd lime with the rest of the sauce/marinade which is
3 TBSP of maple syrup or any sweetener, 2 TBSP of sesame oil, 2 TBSP of soy sauce,
1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar and about 1 TBSP of pepper powder.
I like to use the Korean pepper powder rather than the pepper flakes or seeds that are way bigger and
harder to control the spice level. I also made the sauce/marinade in a separate bowl so I could taste it
before mixing it into the slaw. I also took a stem of lemongrass and grated that with my microplane grater.
I suppose you could leave the lemongrass out if you don't have access or feel like buying lemongrass.

The colors and flavors are very vibrant and delicious. I will honestly say this one is totally a
pay for restaurant quality dish!

Oh, and for all you cilantro haters out there... you can't taste the "cilantro-ness" in this slaw... I think
the sesame oil flavor over powers it and makes this Winter Slaw just plain old yummy!

It's not too difficult to make and this one's a 2 thumbs up! Vibrant and flavorful Sweet Winter Slaw.