Easy Mexican Cole Slaw

Easy Mexican

Cole Slaw

I just love this Mexican Cole Slaw. It's fast, simple, healthy and I make mine with only 4 ingredients.

A friend showed me how to make this using a grater but I recently bought a julienne peeler that I use to create long thin noodle like pieces of carrot for this salad. The ratio of carrot to cabbage varies from region to region in Mexico but the ingredients remain close to this recipe. I like to use a lot of carrot. If you don't have any cabbage, try making this with just carrots, lime juice and a touch of sugar. It's delicious!

Since I took this picture before the salad had time to marinate long, it's really fresh looking here. When given just 15 minutes or so the carrot and cabbage begin to weep and wilt creating a wonderful dressing and making the vegetables a little bit softer. This salad will stay crunchy and tasty for a few days so it's a great make ahead dish for a picnic or party.

I chop the cabbage finely then add the julienne carrot, lime juice and sugar. Toss the slaw and let it stand at room temperature while making the rest of the meal or store it tightly covered in a refrigerator until later if your making this ahead of time.

If I'm feeling like changing it up a little, I add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, ground cumin, salt, or paprika. Usually only one or the other and not all of them together. A garnish of cilantro or a lime wedge is always pretty if you serve this family style or take it to a pot luck.

The cabbage and carrot pickle just slightly in the lime juice and their juices blend with the lime to create a flavorful salad dressing with no fat that's low in processed sugar. I only add a few teaspoons of sugar because the natural sugars of the carrot, cabbage and lime are nearly enough once their juices start flowing. This salad is nutritionally rich and has a good bit of healthy fiber.

I like to serve this as a side or a topping whenever I'm making Mexican or Southwest style foods but it also compliments any kind of barbecue, or southeast Asian cuisine. Try it on a pulled pork or bahn-mi sandwich!

Cheers!

~Melisa