Carrot Slaw

I love everything about raw carrots: I love their taste, I love their texture, but I especially love their nutritional benefits. Did you know one carrot has well over 200% of your daily dose of vitamin A? Carrots also are one of the top beta-carotene vegetables — beta-carotne being an antioxidant that not only helps prevent cancer but also slows down the aging process. The benefits go on but needless to say carrots are one of those foods that you should definitely incorporate into your diet. The easiest and most obvious way to eat more carrots is to add them to salads or perhaps eat them with humus. However, a really delicious and even more nutritious way to add carrots to your diet is by eating Carrot Slaw. By combining slivered almonds (vitamin E) and dried cranberries (vitamin C) with shredded raw carrots, you are creating a relative “superfood” salad!! The lemon juice, vinegar and scallions give this salad a zesty kick!!

First, using a vegetable peeler, discard the outer skin of your carrots. Next, with the vegetable peeler, shred the carrots into ribbon-like pieces using the end of the carrot as a “handle”.

In a large bowl, add the shredded carrots, dried cranberries, scallions and the slivered almonds. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and spices to the salad mixture and stir well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes — longer, the more flavorful! I like to serve the carrot slaw as a side salad in lettuce “cups”. So colorful, flavorful! and healthy! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded carrots
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup slivered almonds
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 scallions, sliced
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper

Serves four as a side salad

Tips for Success

Choose big, thick carrots for this recipe. They are much easier to shave into long ribbons with a peeler than skinny ones. Hold the carrot flat on the cutting board and press firmly as you peel, rotating as you go. Once you get down to a thin core, save it for snacking or the soup pot.

Toast the slivered almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan often, until golden and fragrant. It is an optional step but it adds so much nutty flavor. Let them cool before adding them to the salad.

Give the slaw a good stir right before serving since the dressing likes to settle at the bottom of the bowl.

Ingredient Swaps and Variations

• Swap the dried cranberries for golden raisins, dried cherries, or chopped dried apricots.
• Use toasted pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds instead of almonds.
• Apple cider vinegar works in place of red wine vinegar for a slightly sweeter tang.
• Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley or mint for color.
• Shredded red cabbage mixed with the carrots makes a beautiful, extra crunchy slaw.
• In a hurry? A box grater or the shredding disk of a food processor gets the job done fast, though the pieces will be smaller than ribbons.

Make Ahead and Storage

This is a perfect make ahead salad because carrots hold up so well. You can mix it up to a day before serving. If you want the almonds to stay crunchy, stir them in right before you serve. Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

How to Serve It

Besides lettuce cups, I like to pile this slaw into pita pockets with a little hummus, tuck it into wraps, or serve it next to grilled chicken or fish for my family. It is a great potluck and picnic dish too, since there is no mayonnaise to worry about on a warm day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use bagged shredded carrots?

Yes, store bought shredded carrots work in a pinch. They tend to be a little dry, so let the slaw sit for the full 30 minutes or longer to soak up the dressing.

How far ahead can I add the dressing?

Go ahead and dress it right away. Unlike lettuce salads, carrot slaw gets better as it sits.

How should I serve it in lettuce cups?

Butter lettuce or the inner leaves of romaine make the prettiest cups. Spoon in the slaw just before serving so the leaves stay crisp.

Mandy

Carrot Slaw

A zesty no mayo slaw of ribboned raw carrots, dried cranberries, slivered almonds and scallions in a lemon and red wine vinegar dressing.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4 side servings

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups shredded carrots peeled and shaved into ribbons
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 scallions sliced
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

Method

 

1. Peel the carrots with a vegetable peeler and discard the outer skin.
2. Using the peeler and holding the end of the carrot as a handle, shave the carrots into ribbons.
3. In a large bowl, combine the carrots, dried cranberries, scallions and slivered almonds.
4. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir well.
5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The longer it chills, the more flavorful it gets.
6. Serve as a side salad, in lettuce cups if you like.

Notes

Total time includes 30 minutes of chilling.