Traditional carrot salad is a mainstay of the deli and one of my favorite foods from my youth.
With the possible exception of Christmas, nothing made my grandma happier than to host the entire extended family around the kitchen table for dinner. Although my grandmother rarely sat down, it wasn’t because of the cramped living conditions for our family of six, which also included my cousin and uncle.
She was always leaping up to replenish a glass or add another item to the spread of food before us. A relish dish with olives and pickles, mashed potatoes with gravy, spinach, a well cooked piece of meat, and carrot salad were some of the staples on my dinner table.
Things on Grandma Rose’s dinner table was a category in a game I created for our family to play at Christmas, almost ten years after the beloved woman passed away, because the menu was so beloved and dependable. My parents and siblings thoroughly enjoyed it, but my husband and our girls were somewhat disadvantaged.
Carrot salad was a must for our picnic basket as Ed and I were organizing our trip up Mount Lemmon for the Fourth of July parade in Summerhaven. Don’t you just adore how food can bring back memories of past events and family history?I can continue the tradition by making this for my vegan kid with a simple substitution. Which foods are customary in your family? Are they still produced today?
INGREDIENTS
- two cups of carrots, shredded
- one-third cup of raisins
- One apple, chopped, peeled, and cored
- Eight ounces of drained crushed pineapple
- 1/3 cup mayo (veganaise for vegans, or gluten-free mayo for GF people)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix every component together.
- To allow the flavors to meld, chill for a few hours before serving.
- NOTES: Calorie information derived from caloriecount.com analysis with ordinary mayonnaise. There are 172 calories and 0 cholesterol when using Vegenaise.
