Canadian Recipes : Salad Recipes

Old-Fashioned Cabbage Salad — Just Like Jake Remembers

Some recipes don’t just fill a bowl — they fill a gap in your heart. Jane grew up calling it cabbage salad. Jake, her partner, just calls it “coleslaw the way it should be.” No mayo. No sugar overload. Just the tang of vinegar, a little crunch, and that unmistakable taste of something old-fashioned and right.

Jake’s always been a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to food — the kind of guy who lights up at a pot roast and measures a good weekend by how full the fridge is with leftovers. So when Jane went searching for the “right” version of coleslaw — the kind he remembered from backyard picnics and Sunday suppers — she wasn’t looking for modern twists or fancy tweaks. She wanted real.

She stumbled on this version at peelwithzeal.com, and it was like time travel in a bowl. Sharp, tangy, and absolutely simple. Jane watched Jake take the first bite, pause mid-chew, and just smile. “That’s it,” he said. “That’s exactly it.”

They’ve made it a dozen times since — tweaking a little, laughing a lot. It’s become more than just a side dish. It’s a memory relived and a new tradition begun.