Whether your July 4th celebration is a simple family affair with barbecued burgers in the back yard or a larger potluck meal with the neighbors, this easy coleslaw makes a delicious and healthy addition to the menu. It also has the advantage of improving with age. You can make it up to 24 hours before serving.

Many find it hard to resist the traditional summer hamburger in honor of the July 4th celebration. Take the emphasis off the meat by making mini-burgers and serving them with a variety of vegetable dishes. Serve a green salad and sliced tomatoes with fresh basil alongside your coleslaw. Add a salad with brown rice or bulgur as well. Put the focus on the plant-based dishes so the meat dish won’t steal the show.

Cabbage, the main ingredient in any coleslaw, comes in many forms. The shapes can be flat, conical or round; the heads compact or loose; the leaves curly or plain; and the color green, red or purple. You can easily combine a couple of different kinds to add variety in color and texture to the dish. And, like so many of the more colorful fruits and vegetables, red and purple cabbages contain powerful antioxidants that help fight cancer. Whatever the color, cabbage, like all cruciferous vegetables, supplies phytochemicals that detoxify carcinogens.

The sliced, green bell peppers add deeper tones to this colorful dish. Their mild flavor blends with the grated carrots and the sweetness of the onion. Pretty to look at and low in calories, the peppers, carrots and onion all deliver beneficial phytochemicals that help your body fight disease.

The best thing about this dressing of white vinegar, honey, ginger and turmeric, celery seed, and canola oil may be that it contains none of the artery-clogging mayonnaise usually found in coleslaw. Your guests will welcome this fresh-tasting, healthy alternative. And, while your vegetable dishes may not be strictly red, white and blue in honor of the Fourth, your coleslaw in itself will be a festival of color, flavor and health benefits.

COLORFUL HEALTH-SLAW

8 cups green cabbage (1 small head, about 1 1/2 lbs.), quartered, cored and shredded
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2 inch by 1/4 inch strips
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 medium sweet onion, cut in thin crescents
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground ginger, or to taste
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the cabbage, pepper, carrot and onion in a large bowl, tossing until they are evenly combined.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey, ginger, turmeric and celery seed. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey.

Remove from heat and mix in the oil. Pour the hot dressing over the vegetables. Toss until they are well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust the amount of ginger and celery seed, if desired. (A little ginger goes a long way.)

Cover the slaw and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

Per serving: 49 calories, 1 g. total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 9 g. carbohydrate, less than 1 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 13 mg. sodium.

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AICR’s Nutrition Hotline is a free service that allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. Access it online at www.aicr.org/hotline or by phone (1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday. AICR is the only major cancer charity focused exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer. It provides education programs that help Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities, hospitals and research centers. It has provided more than $78 million for research in diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org .