It’s officially summer – coleslaw season, and I absolutely love a good coleslaw. For me there are two factors that you need to get right with a coleslaw and this easy, summer coleslaw hits them both on the head.
Firstly the dressing needs to be light. Mayo is fine but a bit risky – it’s often overly greasy or the veg ends up drowning in it, neither of which make for a pleasant dish. But this dressing is fantastic. It does everything you need a good dressing to do with none of the over greasy, horrid pool of mayo stuff going on, keeping the salad lovely and light.
Secondly, and just as important to me, the veggies need to be finely cut.
Especially the cabbage.
I love this coleslaw and eat it by the truck load, but I’d walk past a coleslaw made with chunky veg every time. I just can’t abide having to chew my way through large chunks of raw cabbage. It’s not laziness. To me, coleslaw made from finely cut veg is an entirely different dish to the tough, chunky cabbage version.
The best way to get beautifully fine cabbage is to use a mandolin. That way you can shred your veg as thinly as you like (although you definitely have to watch your fingers – the blade is razor sharp!). I absolutely love my mandolin and use it all the time, but if you don’t have a mandolin – you can buy one here if you want to*, then make sure your knife blade is sharp and don’t rush the cutting.
I haven’t used onion in this coleslaw. I’m not a fan of too much raw onion as I find the flavour overpowering. However, the chives go really well and add a lovely pop of colour alongside the red cabbage and vibrant orange carrots.
We keep hearing how important it is to ‘eat the rainbow’ and this coleslaw definitely helps you on your way. So, why not serve this alongside my Paprika Cream Chicken with a large handful of salad leaves and maybe a few boiled new potatoes, for tea tonight? It makes a fantastic, healthy, summer dinner.
Easy Summer Coleslaw
This fresh, easy, summer coleslaw is a slaw that you will come back to again and again. Crunchy, but with none of the toughness of traditional coleslaw. The tangy lime dressing really makes the flavours sing.
Ingredients
- ½ small red cabbage
- 3 medium carrots
- 1 small bunch fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons lime juice
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Slice the red cabbage as thinly as you can, preferably using a mandolin, and peel and coarsely grate the carrots.
- Put the cabbage and carrots into a bowl and snip in the chives.
- Drizzle over the olive oil, lime juice and vinegar, sprinkle over the salt and toss everything together.
- Serve.
* I will receive a small percentage of the sale if you purchase this product through the Amazon link above. The price of the product is the same as if you went through the Amazon website directly.
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This looks so vibrant! I love no-mayo coleslaws and this sounds so tasty – It would be a perfect bbq side dish.