Asian Carrot Slaw


 

Carrots never tasted SO good!!

    I'm not even kidding when I say that this carrot slaw will completely change the way that you think of carrots! This recipe calls for a mild pickling method that is simple and delicious. I honestly never thought carrots could taste so flavorful and that I would actually crave something like this.  I love making this slaw on a Monday, then I have the whole week to incorporate it into meals. I've used it to elevate sandwiches, quinoa bowls, tacos, as a noodle substitute, and in rice paper shrimp rolls.What's also great about this slaw is that it can be eaten either HOT or COLD. I even find myself sneaking spoon fulls of it throughout the day because it is so flavorful, crunchy and satisfying. 

             **NOTE** If you're on a Keto diet, you'll have to watch your carb intake with carrots as they've been known to be a little higher in carbs. In moderation though, this slaw is a wonderful addition to a meal. I calculated the serving size to a 1/2 cup. Nutritional facts below.


    Here are all of my ingredients laid out. I used about a pound of carrots, but if you have less than that, that's fine too. The carrots sit in the marinade anyways, so it's really not a big deal you have "EXACTLY" one pound! 
As you can see, there's not too much to this recipe: Some EVOO, white vinegar, sea salt, ground black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, fresh garlic, and my favorite sugar substitute, Whole Earth plant based sweetener. 


    The first thing you want to do is julienne your carrots. If you notice in the previous photo, I have two peelers. One of them happens to be called a 'Julienne Peeler' which is what I used to get my carrots to this size and consistency. If you don't have a peeler, you can thinly chop your carrots, OR grate them if you happen to have a grater, OR you can throw them into a food processor to your preferred size, OR even a ribboned technique will work. Any of these methods will taste great! However, you'll want to make sure the carrots are thin enough to ensure the most absorption of the marinade. 


Next, add everything to a bowl but the olive oil and set aside.

****At this time, you'll dice up the whole onion BUT none of the 
       onion will actually be in the dish. We're just going to use it to flavor the olive oil. 
As soon as you sauté the onions in the olive oil and the onions have browned,
                     you're going to strain them out and discard them. Or, if you're anything like me and LOVE onions, you can use them in a different dish. 

*** It's super important your oil is VERY HOT when adding it to the slaw, this enables the carrots to slightly soften and allow the marinade to absorb. 

                         
Mix everything together and adjust seasoning as needed.

 
Ingredients:
  • 1 lb Carrots
  • 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 Tbs Sugar substitute (My favorites are Whole Earth Plant Based Sweetener, Stevia and Truvia)
  • 1 tsp Paprika (smoked paprika if you have it)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 Cayenne Pepper (depending on how spicy you like)
  • 3 Cloves or fresh garlic pressed minced (powdered garlic is OK too, 1-2 tsp)
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • 3-4 Tbs White Vinegar
  • 1 Large onion diced
  • 1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil, heated up nice and HOT until almost smoking

Directions:
  1. Start by peeling and julienning carrots with a julienne peeler. You can also ribbon your carrots, grate your carrots, or throw then into a food processor to get them thin.
  2. Next, add everything into a bowl except for the olive oil. Mix.
  3. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the diced onion. Sauté until golden in color. Move the skillet off the head and get rid of those onions! They were only used to flavor the oil. I saved mine and used them in a different recipe.
  4. Put the skillet back on the burner and heat oil until it's very hot, almost smoking.
  5. Add the hot oil into the carrots a little at a time, and mix it with a fork. 
  6. Add the vinegar spice mixture.
  7. Adjust salt and pepper to preference.
  8. You can eat the carrots now! However it's recommended that they marinate in the fridge for at least 6-12 hours. The longer they sit, the tastier they become!

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