Coleslaw is an American favorite side dish but unfortunately it is usually covered in high cholesterol mayonnaise making it less healthy than it could be and not an option for vegan consumption. Cabbage, the center piece of coleslaw, is a powerful cancer fighting cruciferous vegetable. Dressed in a delicious mixture of raw cashews, honey and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, it makes a good raw vegan lunch dish. And of course, it’s also a wonderful side dish when eating grilled veggies, chicken or fish.
If you are not already familiar with apple cider vinegar, this recipe will introduce you to an ingredient with many health benefits. For centuries, apple cider vinegar has been used to cure a long list of ailments including arthritis, acid reflux, high cholesterol – and the list goes on and on. Some claim that it breaks down fat and is used to lose weight. My personal experience with it was when I was suffering from severe reflux and I used it as part of a holistic regimen to get that under complete control. The one thing you must be sure of is that you buy “unpasteurized” apple cider vinegar. It looks cloudy and maybe even a bit brown. If it is clear, it’s the wrong stuff. You can use apple cider vinegar in any recipe that calls for vinegar as a much healthier alternative. Many people drink a few teaspoons a day mixed with a little honey.
This coleslaw recipe provides 234% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A, 39% of Vitamin C, 62% of Vitamin K and 12% of Folate. It has zero grams of cholesterol and is very low in saturated fat.
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Vegan Coleslaw With Creamy Cashew Dressing [serves 6]
1/2 small green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 small red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 medium apple, cored and shredded
2 tablespoons of minced red onion
1/4 cup raisins
2/3 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked for 1 hour
2 tablespoons raw local honey
1/4 cup raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon (more or less to taste) sea salt
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
In a large bowl, combine the green and red cabbage, carrot, apple, onion and raisins. In a Vita Mix or other high speed blender, blend cashew pieces, water, apple cider vinegar and honey until smooth. Mix the dressing well with the cabbage mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate for several hours. Mix again before serving. Garnish with additional cashews and raisins if you desire.
Per serving: 154 calories, 5.3 g fat, .9 g saturated fat, zero cholesterol, 3.7 g protein,
26.3 g carbohydrates, and 4.1 g of fiber.
3 comments:
You can't call a recipe vegan if it contains honey. Vegans use no animal products AT ALL including honey.
You are right, Diane, honey is not considered vegan. Many vegans do, however, consume honey. In fact, in the annual poll given by the Vegetarian Resource Group to find out how many people are vegan, they no longer ask about honey.
This is an early blog post - today I would certainly say "agave nectar or honey" with a note indicating "honey is not considered vegan". I always like to give people the choice as so many people enjoy the health benefits of honey.
"Many vegans do, however, consume honey..."
Then technically, they aren't vegan. There is no grey area.
Sorry, but I felt this point really needed to be restated, I read this post last night and it really put a bee in my bonnet, so to speak ; ) Thank you for the recipe, I'm off to soak my cashews, and will sub agave for the honey. Have a beautiful day, peace and love to you ♥
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