'Slaw Recipe - from simple to dressed up

I've been making tons of different cole slaw lately - I've been inspired by the beautiful-looking cabbage, carrots, and onions at my local farmer's market. I just love it because it's crunchy, flavorful, and you don't have to heat up your kitchen to make it! First, let's start with my basic cole slaw recipe, then I'll offer some ideas for dressing it up...and feel free to chime in with your ideas!

Basic 'Slaw

Ingredients (to feed a small crowd):

• 1 head of cabbage, grated
  
• 3-4 carrots, grated
• 1 medium onion, diced
  
• 1/4 C mayo
• 1/4 C Dijon mustard
• 1 T agave or honey
  
• dash of salt
• 1 t pepper

Directions:

1. Grate the cabbage using a mandolin or your food processor...or buy it already grated! For the carrots, I use either a grater or my food processor, but you can find those pre-grated, too.
   
2. Put all the cabbage, carrots, and onions in a large bowl.
3. Mix together the remaining ingredients.
4. Pour all over the veggies. I find the best way to mix it up is with my hands.

Dress it up:

• Use some red cabbage and some green for a color variation.
• Use red onion for a different bite and color.
• Decrease the mustard to 1 T and add 1-2 finely diced chipotle in adobo + 1 T of the adobo sauce to add a kick!
• Toss in some combination of caraway, sesame, and/or flax seeds. Toast them first for extra flavor.
• Add 1 T of ground cumin for a southwest flavor. Smoked paprika would also work well.
• Omit the honey or agave and add in a handful of raisins or dried cranberries that you have soaked to plump ahead of time.
• Replace the mayo with a good quality olive oil. Use the mustard with the oil or substitute for your favorite vinegar. Or, add 1/4 C fresh squeezed orange, lemon, or lime juice along with some zest for a citrus note.

I could go on and on...Enjoy!