Idyllwild Mexican Slaw

Some friends and I went to a cabin for a weekend in March.  We had a gorgeous view of the valley below…and the neighbor’s obviously vacant weekend home.  And squirrels.  The squirrels were demanding little jerks.  Other guests at the cabin had feed them.  They stopped being cute when they realized we weren't going to feed them.  Good thing they couldn't open doors.

The food at the cabin was simple: burgers and hot dogs.  There was a pizza one night, but that night is a little fuzzy.   So, to make it healthy, I made a healthier version of coleslaw with a Mexican twist.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 package of shredded cabbage

2 tomatoes

1 bunch of green onions

Garlic

Olive Oil

Hot Sauce

Salt and pepper

Utensils:  1 large bowl, 1 small bowl, a knife, a fork, a spoon

Simple, easy, and no mayonnaise.

First put the cabbage in a large bowl.

Wash and cut the ends off the bunch of green onions.  

Dice those things up!

And into the bowl with the cabbage.

Next, we have the tomatoes.   I like roma tomatoes.  They're meatier than vine-ripened tomatoes and have less seeds.  I couldn't find any non-mushy Roma tomatoes in Idyllwild, so I used cherry tomatoes instead.  Which means, this recipe won't be seedless.    

And of course, dice!

 Seeds an all in the bowl.

Now pull out the spoon from the list earlier and mix it up.  Not the prettiest mix, but it gets the job done.

 Now the dressing.  A normal Southern coleslaw uses copious amounts of mayonnaise and sugar.  Always sugar.  Personally, I like my salads acidic, but to each their own.  First, crush the garlic to remove the skins and then mince as fine as possible.  A garlic press works well too.  I used three cloves of garlic; use as much or as little as you like.

 Toss it into the small bowl.

Squeeze one lime into the bowl, add 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  I added a dash of hot sauce for a little heat.  Sometimes, I'll add jalapenos to the mix too.  It just depends on how hot I want it.  Whisk the ingredients together so it looks like this:

Pour the dressing over the cabbage mix and toss so the dressing is evenly coated.

And enjoy with fish tacos, on burgers, or just as is!