I’ve had my foot surgery (a tricorrectional osteotomy if you want to know more) and I’m in the midst of convalescing. The surgery went well despite having a highly advanced case of hallux rigidus. I wore a cast for 2 weeks and had to elevate my leg above my heart (toes to nose is a common phrase). Last week the cast came off but keeping my leg elevated is still part of the recovery process – otherwise my right foot and leg swells and the pressure and tightness feels downright awful. Soon I’ll be able to put some light pressure on my toe but since a wedge of bone was removed from my foot, I’ll still have to take it easy for a few more weeks. Did I mention that the recovery process is a slow journey? It’s not very fun. I’m dreaming of when I can bake again or make a complete meal. Or, you know, leave my house and go for a walk. Couch Life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
But one thing I can do now with a bit of an adjustment in work flow is make a salad. A slaw even! There’s a downtown sandwich joint that serves up a very similar coleslaw. I’m not enamoured by their sandwiches, but their coleslaw is pretty interesting. It has coconut and mint and contains no oil. They called it a “clean” coleslaw but that just feels judgy & privileged to me, so I wanted to play with the concept and came up with this tasty, summery slaw. It has oil in it because I felt it needed some body, along with lime juice for the sour, maple syrup and dates for sweetness, coconut for tropical flair and mint to freshen things up. Salt and pepper and a few dried cranberries and this salad was good to go. I made it for several times before my surgery and I couldn’t wait to get back to making it post-op. It’s good, no judging required.
sweet and sour coconut mint coleslaw
You’ll spot a green onion in the photos, but I’d actually skip this. Let this be a mellow slaw – well, as mellow as a lime-punched slaw can be.1/4 green cabbage + 1/4 purple cabbage, cored, sliced thinly & then chopped again
juice of 1 lime (start with 1/2 a lime and add more if necessary – I lean heavily towards more lime)
1/4 c shredded unsweetened coconut
4 dates, sliced and finely chopped
2 T dried cranberries, cherries or currants
a handful of finely chopped mint leaves
2 T olive oil
1 t maple syrup
kosher salt & freshly grated pepperAdd shredded cabbage to a large bowl. Toss in the coconut, dates, cranberries and mint. In a small jar, combine the lime juice, olive oil, maple syrup, along with a good pinch of salt & a good grind of pepper. Shake to combine and taste to see if any adjustments need to be made. Pour over slaw, tossing well to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes or so before serving.
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Thank you!! Love HubBub’s slaw and have wanted to try to recreate it myself. You are awesome. 🙂
Oooh I love slaw! This looks like a cool spin on cole slaw. I’ll give it a try on the weekend I think! 🙂
I made this tonight with fish tacos and we all lived it, including my 3 year old!! Thanks for the great recipe!
That looks perfect for the weekend!
Looks DEE-LISH – will be making soon! Wishing you a speedy recovery. X
So happy that you’re n the mend, Jeanette! Best wishes for your remaining recovery time! Hope you’re getting some good reads in.
The idea of a slaw with coconut, mint, and dates is TOTALLY NEW to me, and sounds wondrous! Thanks so much: I can’t wait to try it. I bet you could put in some diced/slivered mango, maybe in place of the cranberries/currants … yum.
Take care, girl!
Awesome recipe. I loved it. My friends are coming this weekend and will try out this recipe. One thing I liked is the ingredients can be easily available. I just pray to god for your quick recovery. Once you are fit and fine continue to share with this kind of recipes.
Yum, yum, yum. I love slaw. In winter, I feel there is nothing like slicing half a head of red (my preferred one) cabbage and then feeling oh so happy AND virtuous over dinner! I sometimes add plenty of chopped parsley, some grated parmesan, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Or sesame oil, rice vinegar and sriracha. I definitely must try your recipe, too!
LOVED the combination of coconut and dates. Much appreciated for the sharing
Yum! Thanks for the great variations for each of your terrific recipes. Such usable ideas; I love your site.
What a delicious combination for this slaw recipe! I really must make this very soon! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe looks fantastic.Thanks for posting easy and healthy recipes from make for us young people. Without a doubt one of the best recipes I have seen.