Harvest Apple Cranberry Slaw Recipe Review

As a long time proponent of the carnivore lifestyle, Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine, in all of its meaty goodness.

There's the meat, the gravy (made of meat juice), the stuffing (pulled from inside the meat) -- really the meat is the star attraction!

It wasn't until much later in my life that I realized that vegetation can be pretty tasty too when it's not unflavored or boiled beyond recognition.

This harvest slaw recipe, with the great pops of color, is one of those good looks for vegetables. Like putting your cat in a really spiffy tuxedo suit; it looks fancy and tastes great too! Wait...maybe that cat analogy wasn't so great after all.


The harvest apple slaw or harvest slaw is a recipe I spotted on Better Homes and Garden. I played around with it a bit, but really didn't need to mess with the simple good flavors. I tried a batch without the fresh herbs, which tasted fine and really allowed the piney taste of the caraway seeds to shine through. Then I tried a batch with cilantro, which added a subtle kick.

But since I often think of sage this time of year, I had to try another batch with sage. Guess what? Still delicious!

I've never worked with caraway seeds before, and they were quite a pleasant flavor to add to my spice armory. The seeds have a similar aroma to dill and I imagine it could work in a fancy sandwich. I'll have to experiment.

Harvest Apple & Cranberry Slaw Recipe

(Recipe based on Better Homes and Garden)

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
Pinch of salt and black pepper

4 cups red cabbage, finely shredded
2 red apples, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp cilantro, parsley, or sage

1. Heat olive oil to medium heat in a skillet. Add garlic and caraway seeds and heat for a minute.
2. Mix in the vinegar and honey with a whisk and allow to simmer for a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Allow dressing to cool to room temperature.
3. Toss red cabbage, apples, cranberries, nuts, and dressing in a large serving bowl. Top with fresh herb, like sage or cilantro, for extra flavor.

Rating of Difficulty: 1 out of 5.  This is a super easy recipe since it only requires a little chopping and a little simmering. Heating the dressing is quick and doesn't burn easily. This can be thrown together immediately before serving, which gives it a crisp salad texture. Or it can be prepared the night before, which really allows the flavors to merge and softens the cabbage and apples into a more traditional slaw texture.

What colorful sides do you have accompanying your turkey and meat this year?

Linking at: 
I Gotta Create, Whatever Goes Wednesday,