This is one side that plays second fiddle to no one!

Grilling is undoubtedly awesome. Who doesn't love throwing a bunch of delicious meats and veggies on some flames and socialize with friends on a warm summer day?  Although the meat on the grill is generally the focal point of the day, the supporting cast, the sides, can be just as important in making your cookout a memorable one.  

One of the most quintessential (very proud of myself for not needing spell check for that word) side dishes when having a cookout is coleslaw. Liz and I recently went to the house of a few friends for a cookout. All the usual suspects were there as far as food went: pulled pork sandwiches, chicken, potato salad, beer, you get the picture.  The one standout for me was this amazingly simple yet delicious Asian slaw. Its tangy flavor and crunchy texture went perfectly with the outdoor eating extravaganza!

I went home and decided to try and replicate the dish using our Chinese Takeout Spice Blend. I think I did a decent job if I do say so myself. It's super quick, healthy, easy, and best of all, delicious!

What you need: 

• 6 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage (going to be about a 1-pound head)
• 1-2 cups snap peas
• 2 cups shredded peeled carrots
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves roughly chopped (as with all of our recipes, don't sweat it if you have too much or too little of a vegetable, as long as you're in the ballpark of what's needed, you'll be just dandy!)
• 1/2 cup & 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/8 cup white sugar if you like your slaws on the sweeter side.
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/8 cup Wayward Gourmet Chinese Takeout Spice Blend
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• A handful of additional sesame seeds and some spinach leaves for garnish (gotta make things look purdy!)

What you do:

1. Combine cabbage, carrots, spinach and snap peas in large bowl.
2. Whisk rice vinegar, sesame oil, spice blend, ginger, soy sauce, and sugar in separate bowl until much of the spice blend and sugar has dissolved.
3. Toss cabbage mixture with dressing. (You can make this recipe up to a day beforehand to let the dressing get absorbed by the veggies. Any longer, however, and you run the risk of making this a bit soggy)
4. Line a platter with the additional spinach leaves and place coleslaw on platter in a large mound.
5. Garnish with sesame seeds, mandarin oranges, some of those crunchy Asian noodle things, and salt and pepper if desired.
6. Serve as a side dish to anything grilled or dab a scoop on a burger or pulled pork sandwich to give it an awesome, tangy crunch!

Let us know how it turned out, we love to see your creations on Instagram #WaywardGourmet and Twitter @WaywardGourmet.
Send em to us and we'll post your deliciousness on our site!