Alice Waters' Coleslaw

Welcome to one of Kitchen Parade's most popular recipes, a favorite among Weight Watchers (low points!) and taste watchers (bright flavors like lime and cilantro!). I can't count how often I've made this vegan coleslaw from one of America's top chefs, mostly just to keep handy in the fridge, often to pair with Mexican food and BBQ, once a giant batch for a day-after wedding pig roast! It's always a total hit!

No Mayo! Whole Food, Fresh & Seasonal. An Easy, Healthy Side Dish. A Summer Classic & Long-Time Family Favorite. Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Potluck & Party Friendly. Budget-Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. So Good!!

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COMPLIMENTS!

• "This is a delicious cole slaw! Yum!" ~ Julie
• "I love the combination of jalapenos with a pinch of sugar. Sweet and heat. And crunchy. Yum, yum, yum." ~ Stephanie

BEST RECIPES!

• Best Recipes of 2004
• Alice Waters' Coleslaw Made the Big List!
• Kitchen Parade’s Best-Ever "Most Useful" Recipes, just one select recipe per year since 2002.

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Who Is the Most Influential Chef in America?

Emeril might come to mind, given the number of BAM! slots he holds on the Food Network. Julia Child, perhaps?

But no.

It just might be Alice Waters, dubbed by some the "mother of modern American cooking". Unlike many of today’s food celebrities, she operates but one restaurant, Chez Panisse, where reservations are notoriously difficult to score. She has published only a handful of cookbooks but there are no TV shows, no product lines.

Alice Waters has changed American cooking by returning the farmer to the culinary food chain. She insists on locally grown, seasonal ingredients and preaches sustainable agriculture. She celebrates the experience of discovering a new tomato, a tiny eggplant, at the farmers market.

Alice Waters is the cook who reminds me to slow down, every once in awhile, to examine and appreciate a dish’s ingredients.

You can too, with her simple coleslaw.

• Does the olive oil taste like fruit? nuts?
• Open your lungs to the limes’ zest and juice; how are they different?
• What does salt really taste like?
• And when your eyes are closed, does sea salt evoke lapping waves like a seashell held to the ear?
• Examine the tight veins of the cabbage, the perfectly formed seeds of the jalapeño, the coils of the onion.
• Taste the chopped cilantro, leaves first, then the stems.
• Mix the salad ingredients with your hands, feeling the coolness between your fingers and up to your wrists.
• Now consider your hands – how do they feel? look? smell?

When we appreciate food for its origins and attributes and suddenly, life will slow, if but for a moment.

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Recipe Overview: Alice Water's Coleslaw

• Alice Waters' Coleslaw is a refreshing plant-based twist on traditionally mayo-heavy slaws. Here, zesty lime, bright cilantro and a subtle kick of jalapeño bring fresh, crisp cabbage to life all without mayonnaise, creating a healthy, flavor-packed side dish.
• The recipe originated with one of America's best-known chefs but no worries, there's nothing "cheffy" about the ingredients or prep techniques, unless you count the perfect balance of tart and sweet, crunch and softness that even a new home cook will have no trouble producing a big bowl of excellent slaw.
• When to Serve = This fresh cabbage slaw is extra-good with pulled pork, tacos and as the "pickle layer" in Minnesota Sloppy Joes but really, it's just a great salad to keep on hand any time.
• Distinctive Ingredients = Green Cabbage + Cilantro + Lime Zest & Juice
• Pantry Ingredients for the Lime Vinaigrette = lime + red wine vinegar (or another vinegar) + salt & pepper + sugar + olive oil
• Vegetables & Herbs for the Slaw Itself = green cabbage + a jalapeño + red onion + cilantro
• For Garnish = No garnish is needed but a little extra chopped cilantro over the top never hurts in the Pretty Department, a few thin slices of lime might look nice too.
• Kitchen Tools = a sharp knife or two + a large bowl for mixing + a microplane (affiliate link) creates the lightest, fluffiest citrus zest ever
• It takes about 25 minutes to make a large batch, about 12 cups.
• This is a pretty coleslaw, the pale green cabbage plus the bright green cilantro work beautifully in a lovely green-on-green color palette.
• No special techniques are used here, just a little chop-chop-chop for the cabbage and cilantro. Do take the time to finely mince the jalapeño and red onion.
• Diet-wise, this is a whole-food vegan salad, that means it's 100% plant-based without using any processed foods. It's naturally gluten-free but please, if you're cooking for someone with celiac or a gluten sensitivity, be extra cautious about cross contamination, your hands, your fridge environment, your counters, your knives, your bowls, your stirring spoons.
• This is pantry-friendly slaw, especially if you're like me and keep cabbage, limes and cilantro on hand nearly all the time.
• This is a calorie-friendly recipe, just 33 calories for a half-cup serving.
• This is a budget-friendly slaw, all the ingredients are easy to find in the produce department in a grocery store, no hard-to-find ingredients, nothing to special-order.
• As written, the recipe makes a bunch, about 12 cups. Naturally, it's freshest on the first day but really, what's leftover easily keeps for a good several days, even a week.
• But it is also easily scaled down for smaller households, making it useful for those Cooking for One or Two. If you end up with leftover cabbage, check out my other cabbage recipes for great ideas on how to use it up.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• Pickle lovers, you'll definitely want to try my Simple Dill Pickle Slaw, it's a traditional, everyday coleslaw turned all pickly with pickles and pickle juice.
• Still not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other cole slaw recipes, I've listed a few favorites below.

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Cabbage & Beyond: More Slaws to Try

• Simple Dill Pickle Slaw
• Holy Slaw!
from Kitchen Parade


• Asian Slaw with Sugar Snap Peas & Almonds
• Apple Juice Slaw
• Green Cabbage Salad with Fresh Lime Vinaigrette
• Jicama Slaw
• Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing
• Mighty Perfect Cabbage & Broccoli Coleslaw
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables


• Still more cole slaw recipes
• And you? Do you have a go-to coleslaw recipe?

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ALICE WATERS’ COLESLAW

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 2 hours
Makes about 12 cups

LIME VINAIGRETTE
• Zest and juice (about 4 tablespoons) from 2 fresh limes (see ALANNA's TIPS)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (assumes Morton's Kosher Salt, use more/less to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (or more to taste)
• Large pinch of sugar (or more to taste)
• 1/4 cup olive oil

VEGETABLES
• 3-pound green cabbage, outer leaves and core removed (see TIPS)
• 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped (see TIPS)
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro, stems and leaves (no skipping, no skimping, no substitutes)

LIME VINAIGRETTE Whisk together the lime zest and juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and olive oil in a bowl large enough to hold the entire salad.

VEGETABLES Cut large chunks from the cabbage, avoiding the core. Chop each chunk finely with a sharp knife and drop into the Lime Vinaigrette, stirring after each addition. (You may also grate the cabbage chunks on the large holes of a cheese grater or in the food processor.) Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings.

CHILL Cover and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving, stirring occasionally to distribute the dressing.

MAKE AHEAD Alice Waters' Coleslaw keeps for a week or more but is especially fresh and inviting on the first day.

NO SKIPPING, NO SKIMPING, NO SUBSTITUTES To my taste, lime juice and cilantro are essential ingredients. I've tried messing with these. Don't!

MAKE IT A MEAL Some times I sauté this coleslaw, then top it with a fried egg or grilled chicken.

ALANNA's TIPS Chopping the cabbage by hand takes about an extra five minutes. Use packaged chopped cabbage if you must, at the sacrifice of texture and freshness. Do stick to green cabbage. Red cabbage stains the coleslaw, not pretty. So do thin-sliced radishes. Darn it, I'd love to add more color to this slaw! After chopping the jalapeño, wash your hands thoroughly without first touching your eyes, mouth or face. You may think at first that there's not enough dressing for all that cabbage. There is! Just stir really well to distribute the dressing. But do taste for lime, if you can't taste fresh lime, squeeze in a little more. Good news: the olive oil can be omitted entirely, if you like, without change in flavor. The oil does slightly bind the salad together but truly, I don't think many will notice its omission. Orange vs lime: to complement the flavor in some ribs I was cooking to serve with this coleslaw, I substituted orange for the lime. But the orange doesn't by itself add quite enough brightness, so I ended up using both. Perfect! I've also substituted lemon for lime: don't. I often add a grated carrot for a little color but it's not a necessity. For large batches, the day before, make the dressing and chop everything except the cabbage. The day of, chop the cabbage and combine.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2004/05/alice-waters-coleslaw.php .

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per half cup: 33 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 3g Carb; 1g Fiber; 56mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; 2g Sugars; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 0 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 1 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 1 & blue 1 & purple 1 & future WW points

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Seasonal Cooking: Early Spring Across the Years

Alice Waters' Coleslaw Lemon Chive Chicken Salad Strawberry Salads Old-Fashioned Lemonade Homemade Egg McMuffins Green Mayonnaise Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-ups with Fresh Veggies Rhubarb Custard Pie Rhubarb Muffins Deep Mexico Fruit Salad Lime Crema Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothies Mexican Rice Easy-Easy Artichoke & Tomato Salad

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More Fresh, Seasonal Vegetable Salads

more
~ salad recipes ~
~ Favorite Summer Salad Recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Rainbow Salad Pretty pastel vegetables in a Sweet Lemon Vinaigrette. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Herbs Steamed cauliflower tossed in a vinaigrette with fresh herbs.

• THE RECIPE Easy-Easy Artichoke & Tomato Salad Make it quick, make it your own. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Fresh Corn & Tomato Salad Perfect corn, perfect tomatoes add up to more than the sum of their parts.

• THE RECIPE Power Food Broccoli Salad Food for thought.
• ANOTHER TAKE Lemony Broccoli Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Think lemon on lemon, simple and surprisingly substantial.

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ cabbage ~
~ cilantro ~
~ lime ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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