Recipe for Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro

Don't you love it when you stumble on a recipe with such a perfect combination of ingredients that after one bite you know you'll be making it over and over again? That's just how I felt when I tasted this fabulous cabbage salad. I have in fact made it two more times in less than two weeks, and completely loved it each time. As soon as I read the recipe in Fine Cooking Annual 2008, with an ingredient list that included cabbage, cilantro, mayo, and lime I knew I'd be making it soon. I did adapt the recipe a little, and since I like my cabbage salads to stay crunchy, I completely ignored the recipe instructions to salt and drain the cabbage.

If you peek into my vegetable crisper any time of year, you'll nearly always find at least one head of cabbage hanging out. In the winter, I love adding it to soup, or using finely chopped cabbage boost the nutrition in stuffed peppers. Any time of year I add chopped red cabbage to green salad, and lots of variations of cabbage salads have turned my head. I do hope the Weekend Herb Blogging fans aren't getting tired of hearing about it because cabbage is truly a nutrition powerhouse, and like all cruciferous vegetables, it's considered to be a cancer-fighting food. This week WHB is hosted by the amazing team of Jai and Bee at Jugalbandi, whose blog always has something intriguing. They're using an entry form, so if you're writing about herbs, plants, veggies, or flowers this week, check the rules for weekend herb blogging and send them your entry.

Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro
(Makes about 4 servings, recipe can be easily doubled. Recipe adapted slightly from Fine Cooking Annual 2008.)

4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
(You can use all green or all red cabbage.)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or more)
4 T mayo
3 T fresh lime juice (more or less to taste)
hot sauce to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp. green Tabasco sauce)
salt to taste (I used Vege-Sal)

Thinly slice cabbage, using a mandoline or food processor if desired. Slice green onions, and wash, dry and chop cilantro. (I use a Mini salad spinner to wash herbs and spin them dry.) Combine cabbage, green onions and cilantro in large salad bowl.

In small bowl, wisk together, mayo, lime juice, and hot sauce. (You may want to start with less than the full amount of lime juice and hot sauce and keep adding until you have the desired blend of sour/hot flavor.)

Use a wooden spoon to mix dressing into cabbage mixture. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately, or chill for a few hours.

This salad will keep well overnight in the refrigerator, but the lime juice will cause the red cabbage to bleed color and turn the salad slightly pink. If you're making extra you might want to use all green cabbage, although I didn't mind the pink color at all when I ate the leftovers!

South Beach Diet and Low-Glycemic Suggestions:
This salad is a perfect side dish for the South Beach Diet, or any low-glycemic eating plan. This would make a great side dish for grilled fish or chicken.

Kalyn Goes Crazy Over Cabbage Salad:
Sugar-Free Coleslaw with Agave Nectar)
Warm Red Cabbage Salad with Bacon and Goat Cheese
Shrimp Salad Recipe with Cabbage, Jicama, and Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Brown Rice Salad with Leftover Turkey, Red Cabbage, and Pecans
Asian Cabbage Salad with Sesame Seeds and Peanuts
Crunchy Cruciferous Chopped Salad
Red Cabbage and Chicken Asian Salad with Tangy Cilantro Dressing
Cabbage and Blue Cheese Salad with Sunflower Seeds

More Cabbage Salads to Crunch On:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)
Napa Cabbage Picnic Salad from Simply Recipes
Chinese Cabbage Salad from Canela & Comino
Spicy Cabbage Salad from Viet World Kitchen
Autumnal Cabbage Salad from Nami Nami
Hot Cabbage Salad from Feast with Bron
Asian Chicken and Cabbage Salad from Thyme for Cooking
Napa Cabbage, Herb, and Mango Salad from A Veggie Venture
Red Cabbage Salad from The City Cook
Parsley and Red Cabbage Citrus Salad from What Geeks Eat
Peanutty Coleslaw from Everybody Loves Sandwiches

Want even more recipes?
I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There's a great way to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
It's easy to find out who's hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week.
There are actual rules for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Diabetes Friendly Recipes Weekend Herb Blogging