How to turn coleslaw into an easy, plant-based meal - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

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One reason we don’t eat as many vegetables as we probably should is that they can be the first things we skip over when we don’t feel like doing much hands-on cooking.

These days especially, it’s so much easier to fix a bowl of pasta or decide an omelet makes a lovely dinner than it is to roast beets, peel and slice carrots or get that cauliflower in the back of the produce drawer to roast.

That’s why I love soups and salads. An afternoon’s effort yields days of easy deliciousness. A soup of smoky stock, ham hocks, red beans, potatoes and collard greens kept me happily fed for three days, as did a salad of farro, chickpeas, feta, celery, green onions, parsley from the garden and lemon.

Now, as an early spring harvest fills our farmers markets, coleslaw offers another delightful way to eat well without cooking from scratch every day.

Traditionally, cabbage is the primary ingredient in coleslaw. Other ingredients and the type of dressing vary regionally, with virtually every cuisine in the world having some version of raw cabbage salad.

A salad similar to coleslaw but without cabbage is a slaw, and there are countless versions. Cut any vegetable into thin julienne, add a dressing and there you have it, slaw. Beets, radishes, fennel, parsnips, rutabaga, turnips and carrots can easily be turned into a slaw, either solo or with other ingredients.

Today’s recipes feature tangy dressings based on acid, both vinegar and citrus. They tend to last better than mayonnaise-based coleslaw, which has a refrigerator life of just a day or so.

Like any coleslaw, these coleslaws can be enjoyed as a side dish. Add meat and they become a main course. Or you can put them on sandwiches and tacos.

Although almost everything we eat is available year around, the flavor of foods reflects the season in which they are grown. Cabbage, for example, is never sweeter than following a winter freeze. Arugula is at its most delicate in cool weather.

Spring Coleslaw

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ginger Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

1 very small white or red cabbage, trimmed, cored and halved

1 small red onion, trimmed, peeled and halved

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and halved

3 ribs of celery, trimmed

1 bunch radishes, preferably French breakfast, trimmed

3 cups very thinly sliced small-leaf arugula

Kosher salt

Black pepper in a mill

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

First, make the dressing and set it aside.

Fit your food processor with the thinnest slicing blade and pass the cabbage, onion, fennel, celery and radishes through it. If you do not have a food processor, use a very sharp knife to shred the cabbage, cut the onions into half rounds and cut the fennel into thin crosswise slices. If you’re using French breakfast radishes, cut them into thin lengthwise slices; if using round radishes, cut them into very thin rounds.

Put all of the vegetables in a large bowl, add the arugula and toss gently.

Add the dressing and toss again. Taste and correct for salt and pepper, as needed. Add the cilantro, toss again, cover and let rest 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Ginger-Mustard Vinaigrette

Makes about ¾ cup

1 small shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon sugar

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Black pepper in a mill

Put the shallot and garlic into a medium bowl and add the vinegar, lime juice, ginger and sugar, along with several pinches of salt. Let rest for a few minutes.

Stir in mustard and olive oil, add several turns of black pepper and stir. Taste and correct for salt, acid balance and pepper. Use right away.

Variation: If you like, you can replace the fennel with beets. To do so, select three medium golden beets, roast them until they are tender, let them cool and peel off their skin. Cut them into thin rounds and then cut the rounds into thin slices. Add them to the mix with the cabbage. You can use Chioggia beets in place of golden beets, but I don’t recommend using red beets unless you want everything tinted that color.

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There are many types of Southeast Asian cabbage salads; this is simply one of many, adapted to what I have on hand in my pantry.

Vietnamese-Inspired Cabbage Salad with Chicken or Pork

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 small green cabbage

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 serrano, minced

1 teaspoon chile bean paste (see note below)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Kosher salt

2 cucumbers, preferably Armenian or English, peeled

The Link Lonk


March 03, 2021 at 07:51AM
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/how-to-turn-coleslaw-into-an-easy-plant-based-meal/

How to turn coleslaw into an easy, plant-based meal - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

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