Eating Down the Fridge: Condiment Club

I am about to make a confession that I am pretty sure makes me un-American:  I don’t like really like condiments.  Specifically, I am not a fan of ketchup or mayonnaise.  Yep.  Just exile me now.  So, if you are reading this post looking for ways to use that four-year-old bottle of mustard lurking in the fridge door, I’m sorry. I have nothing for you today.

Here’s the thing, though.  I think that mayo, ketchup, Miracle Whip, and especially green ketchup give condiments a bad name.  After all, a quick search at Dictionary.com reveals that a condiment is “something used to give special flavor to food.”  Okay, that I can get behind.

Here at my house, we are 90% vegetarian.  Also, we are very cheap frugal.  Often, particularly toward the end of the month, we eat a lot of beans and rice/tortillas/polenta/etc… That’s all nice and nutritious, but it can get a little…well, tedious.  Enter my favorite condiment: homemade coleslaw.  Contracy to popular belief, it can be made from all kinds of vegetables; not just cabbage. Throw some atop a big ol’ pile of rice and beans (or a baked bean sandwich, pictured above), and voila: instant dinner elevation.  It’s the perfect EDtF recipe, because the permutations are endless.

“Recipe” for homemade coleslaw:

• 4 cups shredded or diced crunchy vegetables/fruit.  Cabbage is of course the norm, but I also like to use green peppers, carrots, or apples, plus a little bit of onion.
• 4 T. of something acidic (white or apple cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice)
• 2 T. oil (olive or vegetable, sesame for something different)
• Seasoning (grated ginger, celery seed, oregano, fresh cilantro)

Mix and refrigerate for 2 hours or so.

Now, that is a condiment worth eating.

Help me out here, though — what other possible ingredients have I missed?