Creamy California Avocado Coleslaw

Written by our friend Roni of GreenLiteBites, TheUnworldlytravelers and Roni’s Weigh

Entertaining in the summertime is one of my favorite things to do. The warm weather gets everyone outside. Kids are playing outside. Adults are lounging on the deck with a drink in their hands. And me, well, I can be found in front of my grill with tongs in hand cooking up something for dinner.

In the house my island turns into a smorgasbord of veggie platters, hummus, chips and salsa, and an array of desserts from all the guests – I do dinner, they handle dessert. It’s a fabulous exchange of services for me as I’d rather cook than bake any day.

In addition to my summer staples of burgers and dogs, I like to serve a salad or two. Of course there are the old standbys of potato and macaroni but sometimes those “salads” can be heavy and filling. In the summer I’d much rather keep things light and serve a vegetable based salad like coleslaw.

Coleslaw tends to come in two dressing variations: vinaigrette based or mayonnaise based. I’ve never been a mayo fan myself so I always leaned towards the vinaigrette-style. That was, however, before I fell in love with California Avocados. Now I use it as a base for my coleslaw dressing and I couldn’t be happier.

Avocado-based dressings and sauces have this wonderful ability to be indulgent and light all at the same time. You get all creaminess and none of the guilt. Plus, well, it’s avocado! Do we need another reason?

The last time I served this at a BBQ the bowl was empty in minutes and I saw quite a few people reach in hoping for seconds. It’s fairly traditional with a fabulous avocado twist!

Creamy California Avocado Coleslaw Recipe

Serves: 6–8 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

½ head Purple Cabbage shredded (226g)
½ head Green Cabbage shredded (226g)
1 cup shredded carrots (113g)
1 ripe, Fresh California Avocado, seeded and peeled
1 clove of garlic
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
¼ cup lime juice
large pinch of kosher salt
large pinch of pepper

Directions

1. Put the cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a blender or food processor blend the avocado, garlic, maple syrup, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper until smooth to make the dressing.
3. Top the cabbage and carrot mixture with the dressing, toss until everything is coated, and serve.