Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Mexican-Inspired Coleslaw

We often sit around at dinner and ponder what cuisine we would choose if we could only eat one nation's cuisine for the rest of our lives.


My go-to response is Mexican (think the general family of foods, not terribly country specific). 

I love pupusas, arepas and enchiladas. I'm a sucker for plantains, both tostones and maduros. 

There are just two things that make me nervous: the overabundance of cheese and fried foods and the the lack of fresh vegetables. 


This coleslaw is one small attempt to rectify that problem and convince myself that fresh vegetables can make their mark in my Mexican cooking. It's loaded with fresh vegetables. I kept mine simple with cabbage, red onions, cilantro, and red and yellow peppers. However, the Rebar recipe called for jicama and carrots chopped up as well. I'm sure it's a delicious combination, but I was trying to simplify my cooking night. 

It was the perfect contrast with the heavier, cooked dishes I served it with. Each bite was fresh and crunchy. I was immediately a fan. 

What about you? One cuisine for the rest of your life. What would you choose? 


Mexican-Inspired Coleslaw
recipe adapted from The Rebar Cookbook

I used less than half of the dressing recipe to cover the coleslaw. This made enough for dinner for 10 (it was served as a side dish), and I still had leftovers for a few days. 

Ingredients: 
Dressing: 
juice and zest of 1 lime
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise 

Slaw: 
1/2 head green cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced 
1 red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped

Blend the dressing ingredients together in a small jar, shaking to combine. Adjust the seasoning as desired and set aside. 

Core the cabbages and finely shred them. In a large bowl, add in the cabbage, peppers, onions, and cilantro and toss. Stir in the dressing. 

Let sit for 30 minutes and toss again before serving. 

6 comments:

  1. This slaw sounds seriously good! I'm going to keep this on hand for the next time I made enchiladas. But if I had to go with just one cuisine I know flat out it would be Italian.

    By the way, I made the Double Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cup Cookies today. After trying one, I promptly packaged up all but about ten of them up to send to work with my hubby tomorrow. Right now I'm waiting for my sugar high to fall a little bit so I can go eat another one.

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  2. Italian would be good as well. I'd have to get a lot more creative with that too!

    I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies. I have a stack on my kitchen table to take to work tomorrow. They're dangerous to keep around!

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  3. Oh man, that would be rough. I could eat Indian all day every day for the rest of my life. But with Mexican dishes as refreshing as this...I could also be quite content.

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    1. Indian? Wow! I need to become more creative in the kitchen.

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  4. Katie...I love your spicy kick with this cole slaw! I love cole slaw, but I must admit I never seem to change it up! And if I had to pick one style of food...I think I'd go Italian as well! : )

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    1. I didn't grow up as a huge coleslaw fan, but I'm starting to play around with it now. I wonder if there's such thing as an Italian coleslaw?

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