One of the easiest recipes in my arsenal comes from my days (many years ago) living in Costa Rica. This Vegan Lime Coleslaw was used as a side to a meal or to top various meat dishes.
It’s one of my favorite summertime dishes because it’s light, inexpensive, and compliments most grilled meals very well. You can bring it to pool parties or backyard picnics and people love it! Even my husband (who doesn’t really like cabbage) will eat it!
As someone who struggles with mayo-based meals (because of an egg sensitivity), this is a twist on the classic favorite that seems to grace so many picnic tables.
Vegan Lime Coleslaw
This is one of the simplest (and fastest) dishes you can ever put together. If you have all of the ingredients, you can literally mix this in less than 2 minutes.
If we’re having a party, I’ll make it just before we sit down to eat so that the cabbage is still at it’s crispiest. The acid in the lime will “eat” the cabbage helping to make it softer the longer the mixture sits.
A few tips to make your vegan lime coleslaw even better:
- You can make this with either (or both) green or purple cabbage.
- If you’re lazy (like me), you’ll forgo buying a whole head of cabbage and just buy it pre-shredded and bagged.
- If you want to add onions and shredded carrots, you can totally do that!
- Have an extra lime on hand… just in case! Sometimes limes aren’t as juicy. I look for limes that rounder and are easily squeezable in my hands. Pass on those rock hard limes… you won’t get a lot of juice out of them.
- Always roll your limes before juicing them to release maximum juice. Do this by using the heel of your hand to apply downward pressure on the lime as you roll it back and forth on a hard surface.
And if you’ve got leftovers, it’s a great base of a salad that doesn’t really need any additional dressing. I’ll typically chop up some onion, cube half of an avocado, add some fresh tomato, and then top with some sort of protein (like a leftover burger). Mix it all up and enjoy!
Another fun twist is to add some of your favorite mayo to make it creamy! You could do this initially or add it to the leftovers to make them interesting. Vegan mayos will totally work (I tested it out since I can’t eat eggs).
Either way, this dish is incredibly versatile and will still please up to 2 days later (albeit the initial crunch).
Why You Should Eat Cabbage
I admit it — cabbage isn’t everyone’s favorite cruciferous veggie. But it’s darn good for you!
It’s one of those “dark leafy greens” that doctors tell their patients to eat. But there’s something about it that you probably don’t know (and should)!
Cabbage and others like it contain a compound known as sulforaphane. You probably know this phytochemical compound as being anti-cancer.
Sulforaphane can also be found in:
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli sprouts (are probably the best source!)
- Kale
- Collard Greens
- Arugula
…to name a few more with a good dose of sulforaphane in them!
But what most people don’t know is that sulforaphane is also very good for your liver!
There are very real biochemical detoxification pathways in your liver, and sulforaphane can be incredibly helpful to support them! One particular aspect that has become very important to me is hormone balancing (which the liver helps to do via these detox pathways.
So if you’re interested in eating to help balance your hormones, adding in sulforaphane-rich veggies is a great thing to do!
Recipes To Make With Vegan Lime Coleslaw
Red Lentil Tacos – great as a side or a topping for these vegan tacos!
Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken – an excellent side to add to what is considered a “comfort meal”.
Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken – a yummy topping that goes really well with the shredded chicken!
Most Delish Guacamole Ever – obviously a perfect side to my amazing guac.
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Vegan Lime Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 6 cups shredded cabbage or use 1 14-oz bag
- 1 juice Lime
- 1/8 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper you can use black or white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp granulated garlic powder
Instructions
- Place the shredded cabbage in a big bowl.
- Add all other ingredients to the bowl and combine everything well.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Vegan lime coleslaw can stay in the fridge in a closed container for about 2 days before it becomes too soggy.