Coleslaw…Yes, Coleslaw is a Salad - Eat Well | Stay Well

Vinegar-Based Coleslaw - Photo by Author

A Simple and Versatile Dish

Welcome back (or welcome) to my Summer Salad Series — one chilled salad at a time.

Coleslaw is easy and quick to prepare. As you know that’s my kind of kitchen lingo!

Coleslaw is also quite versatile. You can make it so many different ways — a standalone salad, a side dish or a topping for burgers, sandwiches or tacos.

The variations are seemingly endless. There are a variety of cabbages you can use. Green, Dutch (white), Napa, red and savoy.

Plus, there are a number of interesting coleslaw recipes from around the world — Dutch, Mexican, Turkish, Italian, Filipino, Greek, Korean, Japanese, Lebanese, Israeli, German and Sichuan.

Time to Make It Vegan

I’ve made Traditional American Coleslaw hundreds of times. It’s often referred to as Old-Fashioned Coleslaw. Whatever you call it, this type of coleslaw is mayonnaise-based with eggs in the dressing.

The eggs presented the problem. With the change in my diet to primarily plant-based and vegan, I needed help.

Honestly until a few months ago, I never gave the ingredients a second thought. I’d never made my own slaw dressing before. I always used store bought.

I’d learned all kinds of new recipes recently. Why not coleslaw dressing? Seemed easy enough. I kept talking about it and with the continued price increases, now was the time.

I read many a recipe and made several while trying to get the dressing just right.

My first attempt included vegan mayo which I made myself. It was okay. Not good. Not great. I’ll attempt making the vegan mayo again and I’m sure I’ll find a way to perfect it.

In the meantime, I wanted coleslaw. I had to find a different way.

And, I did. I discovered a few recipes using vinegar, oil, pepper and a little salt. With the many vinegar varieties, I can change it up according to the main dish.

The one I’m about to share is the one I use most. It’s the easiest, the simplest and the quickest to make.

Recipe #5 — Vinegar-Based Coleslaw
~ Ingredients — 2 Servings ~

2 cups (handfuls) Ready-to-go shredded green cabbage and carrots
1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced & cut into smaller pieces
1 tsp + 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar*
1 tsp + 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt, about 5–6 grinder twists
black pepper, to taste

Note — I use Bragg Organic, raw-filtered apple cider vinegar. Shake well.

Instructions

Step 1 — In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper and whisk well.

Step 2 — Add the shredded cabbage, carrots and onion to the bowl.

Step 3 — Stir all ingredients together to coat. Tongs work well.

Step 4 — Refrigerate and chill 1–2 hours. This allows time for the slaw to soften.

Step 5 — It’s time to eat.

Simplicity is Key with my summer salad series of recipes. This coleslaw recipe certainly achieves simplicity.

At $1.69 a bag, it made sense to buy the mix. I recently found my grandma’s grater. It’s easy to use. I may start grating my own. What I don’t use for coleslaw, I can freeze for 6–9 months and use for soup. A win-win.

Whether you shred your own cabbage and carrots or use the store mix, you’ll have a tasty and chilled dish ready in no time.

Bon appétit!

Nutritional Facts