Big ol’ bowl of coleslaw.

I love coleslaw – tangy and sweet, it’s my favorite summertime side dish. Because I like it so much, I make my own so I can control the ingredients and make it a little healthier.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 head of red cabbage (better for you and prettier too)
• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 white onion
• 1/2 cup of low fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 1/4 cup of 1% milk
• 1 tsp of kosher salt
• 1 tsp of granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tsp of pepper
• Juice from 1/2 lemon

First, chop your cabbage. I like to leave it in pretty big pieces so it feels more like a salad, plus it doesn’t get soggy like some of the finely chopped varieties do. Also, I don’t really know if it makes a difference, but I use a ceramic knife when I cut things like lettuce and cabbage.  I’ve heard that using a metal knife makes the leaves brown more quickly.

Then, add your carrots. I julienne mine with a neat tool from the Pampered Chef.

Finely chop your onion.

Next it’s time to mix your seasonings and wet ingredients. Milk, lemon juice, mayonnaise, white vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar.

Whisk to combine.

Then, take your heaping bowl of chopped vegetables…

Mix it with your wet ingredients.

Next, the most important step – taste!

Add whatever you think is missing. This batch came out great, but sometimes it needs a little more vinegar or pepper. Lastly, I store mine in a ball jar, and every few hours, I turn it upside down so the mixture continues to coat the cabbage.