Greg's Zesty Bacon-Jalapeno Slaw

Greg came up with this recipe for dinner tonight, and it was phenomenally good. He used Splenda brand sugar substitute, but you can use regular sugar if you prefer. He made it with a bagged broccoli slaw mix (basically shredded broccoli, cabbage & carrots) but you can make it with regular shredded cabbage. Feel free to play around with the ingredient quantities to adjust to your taste & texture preferences - some folks like a creamier slaw with more mayo, while others prefer a thinner, more tangy slaw with more of the vinegar BBQ sauce.

Ingredients
1 bag shredded slaw cabbage or broccoli slaw
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup diced jalapenos
2 Tbs white sugar OR Splenda brand sugar substitute
3 Tbs NC vinegar-based BBQ sauce such as Wells Hog Heaven or Carolina Sauce Co. Eastern NC BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise (regular or low-fat)
5 slices bacon

Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat until evenly browned. Place on paper towels to drain & cool. When cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon into fairly large pieces and set aside in a large bowl. Pour off most of the bacon grease from the skillet (we save it in a jar in the fridge for future use), leaving just enough in the skillet to fry the onions & jalapenos. Fry the onions & jalapenos over medium high heat until the onions are translucent and barely starting to turn golden. Remove the onions & jalapenos from the skillet and place in the bowl with the bacon. Add the slaw to the bowl and combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar (or Splenda), vinegar-based BBQ sauce, and mayonnaise to make the dressing. If the dressing seems too creamy or thick, you can add more BBQ sauce until it reaches the consistency you like. Pour the dressing over the slaw mixture and toss to mix and coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld. When ready to serve, stir it well one last time.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria