I always think of “slaws” as being summer side dish, some mix of finely sliced vegetables in a mayo and/or vinegar-based dressing. But the other day as I bought some root vegetables, which I always think of as winter foods, I thought: “why can’t I make a slaw out of root veggies”? And the result was this: winter root vegetable slaw.
During the winter when I make a roast or pork loin I’ll often pair it with some roasted and mashed root vegetables. They’re full of fiber, have a great texture when mashed, and roasting brings out a bit of sweetness in them. Besides, who doesn’t like a big old plate of mashed with their meat?
But, admittedly, that can be a heavy meal. This winter root vegetable slaw lightens things up, while keeping all the fiber and crunchy goodness of the root vegetables as part of my meal. And it adds a whole new flavor profile to my plate.
You’ll notice that this recipe comes with directions to make mayonnaise from scratch. It’s really not difficult and I prefer it over store-bought mayo for a few reasons. The first is the flavor: it’s much brighter and I can add flavors to it – like I do here with the garlic and honey – with just a few extra steps. But most of all, I prefer to make my own mayo because then I know exactly what’s going into it. I make my mayonnaise with whole foods and I’m the only one that’s doing the processing. No “expeller-pressed” anything anywhere!
Since this dressing contains a raw egg, I just want to throw in a quick reminder to always use eggs that are as fresh as possible. These days a carton of eggs can last in your refrigerator for weeks – but that’s not normal. Get yourself some organic, natural eggs and use them up as quickly as possible. Especially since you’re using a raw egg for this mayonnaise recipe, that’s extra important.
Keeping the root vegetables raw means they retain all of their nutritional value and have an awesome crunch. You’ll be able to detect the variety of flavors of the carrots, beets, kohlrabi, and celery root, but they also go together really well. Sure, you could just use cabbage and toss it with the same dressing, but why not up the flavor and the nutritional content and use these root vegetables?
This winter root vegetable slaw makes a great side dish for just about any protein, but I really love it with pork tenderloin. In fact, last time I made it, I found myself piling the slaw on top of bites of pork and eating it all together. The vinegary slaw really blends well with a garlic-crusted slice of pork.
So lighten up that heavy winter meal with a dash of summer – a fresh slaw – but keep it seasonal by using these great winter root veggies!
(Make this next: Collard Green Paleo Slaw)
Ingredients
- For slaw
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 medium beets
- 1 medium kohlrabi
- ½ celery root
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- For mayo dressing
- 1 egg
- ½ cup light olive or avocado oil
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- salt, black pepper to taste
Directions
- To make the mayo dressing, in a jar of immersion blender add the egg , salt and lemon juice and ¼ cup of oil.
- Press the immersion blender to the bottom of the jar and turn on.
- Pulse for 30 seconds without moving the blender.
- Add the rest of oil and slowly move the blender up and down until the mixture thickens.
- Add the garlic, honey and white vinegar and mix with a spoon until combine.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Shred the beets, carrots, celery root and kohlrabi with a hand grater or food processor with appropriate attachment.
- Place the shredded veggies in large bowl, add the mayo dressing and chopped parsley and toss
- well.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.