Roanoke Cheese Slaw

There's a joke in the name about how quickly this will disappear, but I'll let you make it! :P

For my first recipe on this blog, I wanted to showcase my adopted hometown. So, I immediately started researching Roanoke, VA food culture. And I found peanut soup from the Hotel Roanoke. Not what I was looking for! (But I will be revisiting it sometime this year.) So I kept digging. And digging. And finally! I heard stories of a caterer, excuse me, a beloved caterer in Roanoke named Lib Wilhelm. She was famous for many things, but mostly for her cheese slaw, which lives on in small family owned restaurants and grocery stores in South Roanoke.

Lib Wilhelm’s original cheese slaw is delicious, but I wanted to put my own spin on it, and God forgive me, but I think it’s better. This recipe offers a smoky heat that rubs up against the glorious Southwest Virginia country palate. If possible, I recommend one of your cheeses be the Appalachian Tome. But no worries, if it's not available. Use your favorite cheddar or substitute with something you can grate.

Estimated Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

½ leek

8 oz white mushrooms

6 oz banana peppers (I prefer Mount Olive brand)

6 oz pickled jalapenos

8 oz fine grated sharp cheddar

8 oz thick grated sharp cheddar

8 oz grated mild cheddar

1 cup mayonnaise

Heat up a cast iron skillet to high heat on your stove top. I prefer cast iron because it can take very high heat without warping.

Wash the head of cauliflower, and slice into thick cauliflower steaks.

Cauliflower steaks.

Take the cauliflower slices and scorch the hell out of them in the cast iron pan. One layer at a time. When one side is scorched, flip it over. Get that nice burnt edge to the cauliflower. It ends up making the entire slaw smoky. You're looking at about 7-9 minutes per side.

Yeah, like that. :)

Once you get all the scorched cauliflower steaks out of the pan, chop them up. Place in large mixing bowl.

Slice the leek. Throw in bowl. Mix.

Slice the mushrooms. Throw in bowl. Mix.

Slice and dice banana peppers and jalapenos. I prefer the Mount Olive brands, but you do you. Throw in bowl. Mix. This will make your slaw have a bit of a spicy, vinegary bite.

Grate your own cheese. Or just buy grated cheese. Your choice. Throw all the cheese in the bowl. Mix.

Add mayo. Mix. The mayo will bind your slaw together.

Serve with your favorite low carb crackers, pork rinds or cheese crisps.

30 servings

2 grams net carbs, 1 gram fiber, 13 grams fat, 6 grams protein, 146 calories.