Apple-Kohlrabi Slaw

For my first recipe post, I thought I'd go with something a little bit crazy and a little bit out there just because it's fun to keep people on their toes! Now I know most of you are probably wondering.. what the heck is kohlrabi?!? I know that I definitely wondered the same thing several months ago before I took a leap of faith and tried this funky vegetable when I saw it at the farmers' market.  I know most people are intimidated at farmers' markets and are afraid of trying new vegetables, but it sure doesn't scare me; in fact, I embrace odd-looking and unfamiliar vegetables and have so much fun trying new recipes. So that should take the fear-factor out of the equation for all of you because I've already done the scary part and tried and tasted all these vegetables for you.  I promise they aren't going to kill you... and you might even be pleasantly surprised! 

So back to kohlrabi. This funky-looking alien-like vegetable is in the same family as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, and as you can see in the picture below, it is a green bulb-like vegetable that has large leafy, greens that shoot out of it (I already cut the greens off and cooked them up earlier this week). It is a deliciously crunchy and mild vegetable with an apple-like flesh and it tastes like a mix between broccoli and cabbage in my opinion. It can be eaten raw or cooked- all you have to do is peel off the skin and chop it up! It's loaded with potassium, vitamins A, C & B6, dietary fiber, and tons of phytochemicals and minerals. It's a nutritional powerhouse like its other family members and better yet, its extremely low in calories! Kohlrabi is a cool-weather vegetable, so you should be able to find it at your local farmers' market fairly easily during this time of you. I dare you to try it!

Since I had a few apples laying around (which are also in season right now) and wanted to use up my kohlrabi, I decided to make an apple-kohlrabi coleslaw, which turned out to be deliciously crisp and refreshing. And it's only got 5 ingredients- so easy, so cheap, so seasonal and so yummy!

APPLE- KOHLRABI COLESLAW

2 heads of kohlrabi

2 apples (any kind will work)

2 tblsp dijon mustard

1 tblsp honey or agave syrup

3/4-1 cup apple cider vinegar

salt/pepper to taste

1. Peel the skin off the kohlrabi and chop thinly into matchstick-like pieces. (You can also use a grater) 

2. Wash off the apples and chop or shred into similar-sized pieces. Mix apples and kohlrabi in a large bowl.

3. In a smaller bowl, combine the last 3 ingredients with a fork until smooth. 

4. Pour the dressing over the apples and kohlrabi and mix together until everything is well-coated.

Et Voila! SO easy right?? I promise you will enjoy it- my roommates all approved! I'm am definitely taking this as part of my lunch tomorrow!