Asian Broccoli (Or Cabbage) Cole Slaw W/ Homemade Dressing

The sweet and tangy homemade dressing jazzes up the broccoli, and the cranberries, almonds, sunflower seeds, and crisp noodles add amazing flavor and texture. And did I mention that it's super easy to throw together and can be made in advance.

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package broccoli slaw mix or 1 (12 ounce) package  fresh express 3 color deli  coleslaw mix
• 1⁄3 cup dried cranberries or 1⁄3 cup raisins
• 1  medium apple, diced (optional)
• 3  tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1⁄4 cup  slivered almonds or 1⁄4 cup  sliced almonds
•  chow mein noodles (optional) or   ramen noodles, broken (optional)
•  sweet and tangy  coleslaw dressing, recipe below (or your favorite bottled dressing)

• Sweet and Tangy Cole Slaw Dressing

• 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
• 3  tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1  minced garlic clove
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  onion salt or 1⁄4 cup  finely chopped red onion
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon yellow mustard (to taste)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, can use white vinegar (to taste)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sugar, garlic powder, onion salt, black pepper, mustard, and vinegar, whisking until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate while you prepare the slaw.
2. Totally optional step, but recommended: For a somewhat finer textured cole slaw, pulse it a couple of times in a food processor (in 2-3 batches). (The texture is shown in my photo).
3. In a large serving bowl, toss the broccoli slaw, apple (if using) cranberries, almonds and sunflower seeds together. Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad, tossing to coat well. Serve immediately, or leave the dressing off and refrigerate it and the slaw mixture in separate containers until serving time, then stir together.
4. Note: Unless I'm serving immediately, I usually just serve the dressing on the side instead of mixing it together.