It's wicked easy!
Coleslaw is one of those dishes that, in our culture, is often loaded with mayo. Mayo is great and all, but if you choose to not animal products (it's made with eggs) then you may find your self feeling left out. And honestly, that's no fun.
Usually I tell people to just not bother trying to veganizing foods that are typically made with some sort of animal product. A good deal of the time it just doesn't work. I personally don't like any of those faux meat products or faux dairy products (except soy milk - try mixing it with orange juice- it's delicious!). If you want a burger, most likely you're not going to be fully satisfied eating a slab of soy that's dyed with brown food coloring. It's just not the same. Try making a homemade veggie burger with rice, beans, carrots, celery, and onions instead.
But there are a few things that are easy to veganize and won't leave you feeling left out in the cold. To name a few: potato salad, mashed potatoes, chili, burritos, and of course coleslaw.
So heres the deal. To make traditional coleslaw, all you need is part of a cabbage, a carrot or two, a pinch of sugar, a little salt and pepper, vinegar and mayo. To make vegan friendly coleslaw, all you need is part of a cabbage, a carrot or two, a pinch of sugar, a little salt and pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. Not much different right?
And get this. It doesn't really taste much different either. Just a little fresher, and there's nothing wrong with that. The thing is, mayo is actually just oil and eggs whipped together. So basically, you're leaving out one unnecessary ingredient. No big deal.
So here's my recipe. It's one or two servings, so if you're cooking for other people just up the proportions. Depending on the size of the cabbage you may need more or less of everything else.
Coleslaw
1/4 cabbage
1 large carrot
a pinch sugar
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
2 Tbl olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Slice the cabbage and carrots (julian). Toss in a bowl and add everything else. Mix around. Let sit for a minute or two (the dressing will soften the veggies). Congrats, you just made coleslaw!
