Classic carrot salad, it’s a deli staple and one of the dishes from my childhood.
There was nothing my grandmother loved more than having all of the extended family around the kitchen table for dinner — except maybe Christmas. With our family of six, my cousin and uncle, it was close quarters, but that’s not the reason my grandmother hardly ever sat down.
She was perpetually jumping up to refill a glass or add one more thing to the array of dishes in front of us. Some things were always on my her dinner table, a relish plate with olives and pickles, mashed potatoes and gravy, spinach, a very well-done piece of meat, and carrot salad.
The menu was so predictable and cherished that more than a decade after the dear lady passed a way, a category in a game I made for our family to play at Christmas was “things on Grandma Rose’s dinner table.” My husband and our daughters were at a bit of a disadvantage, but my parents and siblings got a huge kick out of it.
When Ed and I were planning a picnic to take up to Mt. Lemmon for the 4th of July parade at Summerhaven, carrot salad was a natural choice to include in our picnic basket. Don’t you just love the way food can remind you of family history and events. With a simple substitution, I can make this for my vegan daughter, and the tradition continues. What dishes are traditional in your family? Do you still make them today?
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PinDescription
An colorful, crunchy, old-fashioned classic
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 apple, peeled, cored, & diced
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
- 2/3 cup mayo (your choice of gluten free mayo for GF, Veganaise for vegan)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients.
- Chill a few hours before serving to let flavors blend.
Notes
Nutritional info based on caloriecount.com analysis using regular mayo. With Veganaise, the calories are higher 172, but cholesterol is 0.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 132
- Sugar: 11.3 g
- Sodium: 159 mg
- Fat: 6.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: .8 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
Aw, I remember having this for dessert as a kid! Your post brings back a lot of good memories. Making this very soon 🙂
Anna, I hope it’s as good as you remember! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂