Karl’s Santa Maria Coleslaw

This week I am making Santa Maria tri-tip, which calls for Santa Maria-style beans. While many sites call for serving coleslaw with this meal, I could not find anything called “Santa Maria-style coleslaw.” Having grownup just a few miles away, in Santa Barbara, I decided to fill this obvious need.

Karl’s Santa Maria Coleslaw

There are lots of recipes for coleslaw—creamy coleslaw, sweet and  sour South Carolina coleslaw, and Tennessee-Style Mustard Coleslaw, not to mention Asian-style coleslaws. None of the these quite fit with my dinner plans. Beef and beans cry out for a coleslaw with the more Southwestern flavors of avocado, chili, and cilantro. Also, since I discovered using my marmalades as a base for creating salad dressings I had to work that in as well.

After Dinner Note: My family really liked this salad. I had request to make it again.

Karl’s Santa Maria Coleslaw

Ingredients

Dressing

1½ large Hass avocados, separate uses
2 Tbs. Karl’s Micro Lemon Marmalade
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
½ tsp. coriander
¼ tsp. chili powder
Pinch salt
Pinch black pepper

¼ head of green cabbage, shredded
¼ head of red cabbage, shredded
1 large yellow heirloom carrots, grated
1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
¼ cup red onion, sliced thinly

Directions

1. Dice the half avocado and put it in a blender.

2. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and blend until smooth.

Tip: My marmalade has enough acid in it to keep the avocado from turning brown.

Note: If you do not have marmalade, use one tablespoon of lemon or lime juice.

3. Shred the cabbages finely and place it in a bowl.

Tip: Use a mandoline to shred the cabbages or cut the cabbages into wedges and, starting at the thick end, cut slices as thinly as you can.

4. Peel and coarsely grate the carrots and add them to the bowl.

5. Thinly slice the red onion and add it to the bowl.

6. Add the cilantro to the bowl.

7. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to mix and coat.

8. Let the salad meld, tossing occasionally, for 15 minutes.

9. Just before serving, dice the remaining avocado and add it to the bowl.

Tip: Avocado will mash easily and turn brown fairly quickly. You want to add it at the last minute to keep it appealing.

10. Serve immediately.