Grandma’s Salad Easy And Delicious

August is vacation month for lots of folks, and we’re no exception. The other week our family headed for a few days of relaxation in Seattle.

We traveled to Okanogan County for the Omak (Wash.) Stampede (yahoo!), lunched at Lake Chelan and cooled off as we headed over Stevens Pass.

It was Seafair weekend in Seattle, but we attended the Dobler family reunion, an equally entertaining event.

My mother-in-law, Florence (better known as Grandma), lives in a condo overlooking Green Lake. We were highly appreciative of her cooking, especially after two days of restaurant food.

Dinner the first night was a delight. Grandma had set out a fruit plate of juicy grapes and ripe cantaloupe slices. A bowl of steaming fresh green beans, with chopped bits of onion, and a platter of toasty hot bagels awaited us.

The entree, Grandma’s original recipe, was consumed with gusto. She mixed deli coleslaw with cooked miniature shrimp. Then she added diced green pepper and onion, layered sliced tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs on top, sprinkled on some paprika for color, and set it in a leafy lettuce-lined bowl. You could pour a little low-fat cucumber ranch dressing over the whole thing, if so desired.

I was asking for the recipe before you could say “Go Mariners!” The combination was delicious and it was easy to put together.

While we were eating I noticed Grandma’s patio. There was a huge cherry tomato plant thriving in the sun. It was just one plant but there must have been 100 cherry tomatoes, clustered in groups of six to 10.

Oh, were they good. While some people may munch on chips or nuts, I found these little treasures to be absolutely heavenly. I’d sneak out to the patio to look at the action around Green Lake and pop those morsels in my mouth. Take a bite and the warm, juicy insides, seeds and all, just melt in your mouth. It was a treat, and a wonderful memory of an August vacation.

Thanks, Grandma, and here’s your recipe for others to enjoy.

Florence’s Shrimp Salad

From Florence Dobler of Seattle.

1-1/2 pounds deli coleslaw

3/4 pound cooked miniature shrimp

1/4 cup green pepper, diced

1/4 cup onion, diced

4 lettuce leaves

1 tomato, thinly sliced

2 hard-boiled eggs, optional

Paprika

Low-fat cucumber ranch dressing, optional

Mix coleslaw, shrimp, green pepper and onion. Spoon onto plates lined with lettuce. Layer tomatoes and and sliced eggs, if desired, on top. Sprinkle with paprika. Top with dressing, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (minus eggs and dressing): 211 calories, 5.5 grams fat (23 percent fat calories), 20 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 180 milligrams cholesterol, 269 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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