A few years ago I went to a wine tasting thing at Whole Foods. It was a good deal. For something like $5, I got a glass, tastes of 5 different wines, 5 bites of complementing foods, and booklet listing the wines and recipes. It was fun to try new things with relatively low risk – and of course anything I liked I could purchase while in the store. My favorite thing was a delicious carrot salad, which I’ve thought about many times over the years.
In fact, I mentioned this carrot salad two years ago when I made pici pasta. When I attempted it then, the carrot salad came out too soupy, I found the recipe unclear, and the amazing flavor I had remembered didn’t come through in the final product. Even so, I never forgot that carrot salad and I’ve thought of it from time to time when too many carrots lingered in the fridge.
Then recently, Pinterest showed me some beautiful pictures of carrot salads and I decided it was time to try again. I did a bunch of research, I made a list of the ingredients I’d like to include, and I started to create my own salad. Two years ago when I tried this I was put off by the idea that this was like coleslaw. I find coleslaw kind of unappetizing because it’s usually swimming in mayonnaise, and I’m not a great fan of things smothered in mayo. But, coleslaw doesn’t have to be in mayo! People, I looked it up.
Seriously, the English major in me went to the dictionary and here it is: coleslaw is usually made of shredded cabbage, but something also carrots and other vegetables, and those vegetables are dressed with mayonnaise OR vinaigrette. So yes, technically this is coleslaw because it is dressed with vinaigrette.
But this is so much better than your regular coleslaw. It’s got lots of ferocious crunch, a hint of sweetness, bright citrus and cilantro flavors, and just a bit of moisture from the dressing. Ryan and I had it as a side with some roast chicken, I had it as a late night snack, perfect to bring to lunch and add something healthy to your work day, and it would be great to bring to a picnic. And finally, as I said when I made roasted broccoli – I’m always looking for new and delicious ways to make vegetables and this will definitely do it.
Messy level: Fairly easy clean up. The messiest part is grating the carrots, but if you buy them already shredded then that’s one less tool to clean. Otherwise, it’s basically all chopping, measuring, and mixing. Once you add the vinaigrette the carrots will get a bit damp and some liquid will collect at the bottom of the bowl, but this is unlikely to create much of a spill or mess.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- juice from half a lemon
- 2 teaspoons agave or honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pinch of pepper
- pinch of cinnamon
- 2 cups grated carrots (about 2-3 medium to large carrots)
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
- In a small jar with a lid, or in a bowl, add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, agave, cumin, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. If using the jar cover with the lid and shake until well mixed. If using a bowl, whisk all the ingredient together until well mixed. Set aside
- In a medium bowl add the grated carrots, raisins, pecans and pumpkin seeds. Mix until everything is mixed and all the ingredients are spread through out.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the grated carrot mixture. Stir so that everything is coated.
- Add in the cilantro and mix gently.
- Sprinkle a little extra cilantro on top if desired. Serve!
