Tangy slaw (without mayo!)

I've made this recipe many, many times. I've served it with tacos, fajitas, hamburgers, barbecue chicken, and sloppy joes. Tangy and light, it's a perfect summer salad--the kind of thing you can leave out on a picnic table without giving people food poisoning. I mean, don't leave it out all day, but it'll hold up nicely for a couple hours, certainly. It's also a great side dish for vegans or those who hate mayonnaise (I won't shame the mayo-haters on this blog by calling them out by name, but....they know who they are).

The only work involved in this salad is in shredding the cabbage, carrots, and cilantro. Once that's done, shake up your dressing and pour it over the salad, mixing it up with your hands (or utensils, I suppose, if you're not into that kind of thing). If you want to make a bunch of this to last the whole week, though, I'd recommend not dressing the salad until you're ready to eat (or a couple hours beforehand so that it marinates a little, if you have that kind of time).

I owe this recipe to thekitchn.com. I don't mess much with their recipe, except I cut back significantly on the amount of oil they use. I've also made a variant of the lime dressing, adding honey and some chopped jalapeno for a slightly different flavor. I've also used lemons instead of limes. You can omit the cilantro, but then I'd recommend substituting parsley in its place (and then maybe using lemon juice instead of lime in the dressing). You can switch up the vegetables or add fruit, nuts, or feta cheese if you want to. I've suggested some things I've done previously in the recipe below. Basically, just use vegetables that aren't going to wilt and wither when the dressing hits it. This means avoiding greens, unless you're going to eat the salad right away. Soggy greens are the worst! I've done kale before, when I knew my friends and I would be eating everything in one sitting without leftovers and that worked out okay.

Try it out, y'all!


Tangy slaw*
(serves 8-10 as a side dish)
adapted from theKitchn

Shred or finely chop:

1/2 head green cabbage
1/2 head red (purple) cabbage
3-4 peeled carrots
1 bunch cilantro (or parsley)
Possible additions/alternatives: 2-3 (green/red/yellow/orange) bell peppers, cooked/canned black beans (rinsed and drained), mangoes, feta cheese, chopped peanuts/cashews

In a jar with a lid, add and then shake up:

juice of 4-5 limes (about 1/2 cup)
3-4 tbsp oil (something neutral, like vegetable or grapeseed)
1-2 tsp sugar or honey (I usually use honey)
1 tsp salt
1/2 black pepper
Possible additions/alternatives: 1-2 tsp chopped jalapenos, lemons instead of limes


In a large bowl, mix vegetables up and pour dressing over the salad, incorporating the dressing by hand (or using a large spoon). If this is going to carry you through the week, however, don't pour the dressing over the salad that you don't intend to eat within the next day or so. Store the dressing separately and shake it up before pouring onto the salad. Refrigerate the salad if not eating it immediately. It's best when it's had a couple hours to marinate in the dressing.

*In case it needs to be said, if you're making this vegan, don't use honey or feta! :-)