Whole Foods: Firecracker Coleslaw

If you don’t know already, I am drawn to all things with incendiary food claims. Especially when I see these claims attached to foods you may not normally associate with heat. So, when I saw the sign for “Firecracker Coleslaw” at Whole Foods Lakewood, I immediately took notice. I love coleslaw, and I love spice, so this was potentially a match made in heaven.

The slaw began initially with a somewhat traditional flavor. Crunchy cabbage mixed with a light mustard vinaigrette. This was followed quickly by a noticeable kick, courtesy of fresh jalapenos and jalapeno juices. The subtle blend of sweet and spicy made for a great side dish to accompany the grandest of holiday picnics.

After taking this to a barbecue function this past weekend, I found that it’s fun to plant this amongst unsuspecting omnivores and see their reaction as they bite in to this seemingly innocent dish. Just wait to tell them it’s spicy after they take the first bite…okay, I did feel a little bad, but not too much so.

The Firecracker Slaw went splendidly with my barbecue seitan skewers (homemade seitan, courtesy of Eddie G). What better way to spend Memorial Day?

Speaking of holidays, act soon if you too want to enjoy the Firecracker Slaw – I was told by the man behind the counter that this was a limited time offering, likely to conclude around the time when *real* firecrackers would be going off (July 4th…get it…???).