We first had this side dish when we were visiting The Colony Inn restaurant in the Amana Colonies in Iowa. It looks like sauerkraut with minced carrot in it, but it tastes more like a sweet coleslaw or vegetable relish. It's hard to describe.
Sadly, The Colony Inn has now closed its doors, but the Smokehouse and Meat store there in The Amana Colonies is still sharing print outs of the recipe for the sauerkraut slaw. Below I've included their original recipe as well as one I created using fresh ingredients rather than pre-prepared sauerkraut.
Amana Colonies Sauerkraut Salad from The Colony Inn (Original Recipe)
1 quart Amana Sauerkraut
1 cup Celery (diced)
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper (diced)
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper (diced)
1/2 cup Onion (diced)
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Salad Oil
Combine all ingredients. Chill several hours before serving.
If you prefer all fresh ingredients here is my take on the above recipe. I made a big batch of it a couple of summers ago, and I pressure canned the extra. It makes a fantastic pickled relish to go on hot dogs, tacos, or to accompany Indian dishes. It makes a refreshing Summer side all on its own anytime. You could switch out one of the pepper types for a jalapeno if you prefer a spicier mix. If you decide to pressure can your leftovers, I would suggest adding a bit of pickle crisp to the the mix to keep the vegetables slightly crunchy after canning.
Improvised Fresh Sauerkraut Slaw
3 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 bag of fresh cabbage slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot) or 1 small head of cabbage and 2 carrots (shredded)
1/2 cup diced celery
1⁄2onion, chopped (medium)
1⁄2 cup green bell pepper (diced)
1/2 cup red and orange sweet peppers (diced)
1⁄2 cup vegetable or olive oil
Mix slaw, celery, onion, and peppers together in a large bowl and set aside.
Note: If you start with a whole cabbage and carrots, you may want to increase your amounts of liquids and seasonings to match depending on how much shredded vegetable they yield. You want enough mixture to evenly coat and pickle the vegetables. Keep in mind that it may look like a lot of vegetable at first, but the size will reduce as it sits overnight and the cabbage gives up some of its moisture.
Combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Pour contents of sauce pan over vegetables and stir. Let set overnight in the refrigerator before serving. Stir a few times as it chills to ensure proper coverage and pickling.
