Easy Breezy Slaw & The Rhythm of Summer
 
Prep time
Total time
 
A tangy delicious summer salad that comes together easily ~ perfect for picnics, potlucks, office lunches and outdoor meals.
Author:
Serves: 18 oz salad
Ingredients
  • For the Coleslaw
  • 18 oz (450 g) coleslaw mixture (I used a combination of shredded green cabbage, red cabbage and carrot)
  • 6 oz (170 g) crumbled feta (full fat) or cheese of choice
  • 1 small carton (about 20) small tomatoes of choice (I used golden tomatoes), sliced in half
  • 8 oz (227 g) green beans, (snap/garden peas or other) steamed and cut in half or thirds
  • 1 oz (28 g) pine nuts, or nut/seed of choice, lightly toasted
  • For the Chile-Lime Dressing
  • 5 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp coconut palm sugar (brown sugar is fine) or honey
  • ½ - 1 tsp chile lime seasoning blend or chili of choice (see Notes)
Instructions
  1. Place green bean pieces in a small pot with covered water and bring to a boil for a short time (about 30 seconds or so) before removing from heat and carefully draining under cold water - the beans should be slightly softer and brighter in color. Set aside.
  2. In a small dry skillet, toast pine nuts over low/low-medium heat just until they become fragrant and begin to brown (being careful not to burn). Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, add: cabbage, tomatoes, beans, feta and toasted pine nuts.
  4. Place dressing ingredients in a small bowl with fitted lid and shake vigorously before drizzling over ingredients. Use two spoons to carefully toss ingredients, taking care not to mash tomatoes as you combine. Adjust seasonings as desired.
Notes
Chile-Lime Seasoning: I recently discovered Trader Joe's Chile Lime seasoning blend (a mixture of sea salt, chile pepper, red bell pepper, lime juice powder, citric acid and rice concentrate) natural ingredients with big taste. If this particular mixture is not available to you, (you can also find it on Amazon), simply use your favorite chile spice being mindful of heat and quantities. Most grocery store "chili powders" are a mixture of milder chile peppers with the addition of herbs/spices such as onion/garlic powder and salt and are not particularly hot. If you'd like to experiment with something warmer, you could try ground ancho chile or chipotle chile (chipotle is derived from smoke-dried jalapeño) - if heat is not your thing, you can omit it all together.
Sodium: if you are using a chile seasoning blend (such as TJ's Chile Lime), it already contains a generous amount of salt so be sure to sample before making adjustments.
The Sugar: the acidity of this dressing combined with sodium from the seasoning contributes to the overall briny (salty/sour) taste - to balance, a touch of sweet is nice. I happen to like the texture of coarse sugar (coconut palm and brown are often ones I have nearby) but feel free to use your preferred sugar of choice or pass on it altogether as desired.
Pine Nuts are delicious but they are also very expensive. Sliced almonds make a great substitute and you can toast them as well.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2016/07/easy-breezy-slaw-the-rhythm-of-summer.html