Asian Style Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a dish that sounds really healthy but can be high in calories and fat, especially those that are sold with takeaways and in supermarkets. They often have lots of unwelcome ingredients such as thickeners and stabilisers.

But you can easily make a coleslaw yourself with simple fresh ingredients and a fraction of the calories.

This is one of my favourite coleslaw recipes which has a different take on the traditional mayonnaise based coleslaw. It’s super filling, healthy, and achieves that gorgeous Asian tang with the use of sesame oil. 
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Difficulty: Easy

Time: 15-20 minutes depending on how fast you can chop and peel!
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Serves: 4 as a side dish or 2 as a standalone snack

Ingredients

• 4 medium carrots
• 1 small white cabbage
• ½ a small red cabbage
• 1 large spring onion or 1 small red onion
• Half a lime
• Fresh coriander

For the dressing:

• 2 tbsp tamari sauce / soy sauce
• 2 tsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Peel the carrots, or just wash if using organic carrots. Grate or julienne into a large bowl
2. For the cabbages, discard the outer leaves and finely shred the cabbages into the large bowl
3. Peel and finely chop the onion – add to the bowl
4. Make the dressing by shaking the ingredients in a glass jar. Pour over the salad and toss everything together.
5. When serving, scatter coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime juice.

Tips

Try sprinkling with pumpkin seeds or your favourite nuts added crunch, protein and healthy fats. It keeps very well in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days and is a great option for taking to work as a snack or for lunch.

Nutrition Notes

This coleslaw is high in fibre and gut friendly to promote healthy gut flora which can help with improving digestion and relieving constipation. It provides a good source of beta carotene (potent antioxidant for boosting immunity), potassium, B1, B2, iodine, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E. 

Vegan (if using maple instead of honey), vegetarian, gluten free (if using tamari instead of soy), low calorie.