Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw with Sesame Seeds

Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw with sesame seed dressing is a great change from cabbage. Loaded with lots of fresh mint, this fun riff on coleslaw is amazing!

Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw with sesame seed or benne seed dressing is a great change from cabbage.

Loaded with lots of fresh mint straight from my yard, this fun riff on coleslaw is taken from a Southern cookbook, “Secrets of the Southern Table”,  by Virginia Willis. 

One of the Facebook groups I’m in decided to start cooking from it.  Being a lover of Southern cooking, I thought I’d join in! After all, my mother in law grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi and my husband still has lots of cousins from that area. 

And of course, Manservant’s first job was in North Florida where for a short time we were members of one of the oldest synagogue’s in the South. It was an experience, I must say. 

While living down there I got to experience first hand: palmetto bugs, alligators, bugs of all sorts and lots of humidity. I remember dipping my beloved Honey dog in malathion, per vet’s orders, to keep her free of fleas. Of course, I wore no gloves as a precaution, and thank goodness dear Honey lived until she was 14. And yes, my hands are still OK!

Jacksonville was where I first experienced sweet tea, grits and shrimp boils. Sweet tea? No thanks, thank you very much. Grits…yes please! And shrimp boils on a chilly fall night? Oh, when can I do this again?

Though I was thrilled to be heading back to Colorado after just two years, that experience has stayed with me. Southern hospitality is a real thing, don’t you know? 

I still miss the gracefulness of the moss floating in the breeze and the dreamy quality of the swamps in all their stillness and of course, I miss the food.

So no! “I don’t need no reason to be cooking Southern food. I just need to be cookin’ it!”

Each month I’ll be cooking a recipe of Virginia’s. Hope you enjoy a food lover’s tour of the global south! 

Just a few notes from Virginia: Benne seeds are originally from Africa. They were home grown in the Colonial and Antebellum periods where all parts of the plant were used. Apparently modern sesame seeds bear no resemblance to the heirloom version.

I had no clue what a sesame seed plant looked like so I looked it up. Obviously I did not take this photo! (From West Coast Seeds)

A note from me: Though Virginia recommends this coleslaw in the fall because it is a great time to find Brussels sprouts, it seems you can find them most any time now. HOWEVER! Watch out for tough inner leaves. You may only be able to use the outside leaves. That is what happened to me! I chose this recipe because Spring is when my mint is so beautiful!

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And a Few More:

Mom’s Secret Coleslaw Recipe

Sriracha Peanut Coleslaw

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