Tex-Mex Jalapeno Ranch Slaw
Ranch dressing is a Texas invention, and a good slaw is the best place to put it, especially the plant-based kind built on unsweetened yogurt instead of buttermilk and mayonnaise. The trick to a ranch without salt is to lean all the way into the herbs and the acid. Dill and chives carry the flavor, lime and cider vinegar sharpen it, and a raw jalapeno gives the heat that keeps your tongue from missing the salt. Cabbage is the cheapest vegetable in the store and it keeps for weeks, so this is a slaw you can make on a Sunday and eat all week. It holds up better than most because the sturdy cabbage does not wilt the way lettuce would. Pile it on bean tacos, tuck it into a grain bowl, or eat it straight from the bowl as a side.
Ingredients
- 5 cups green cabbage, shredded thin
- 2 Carrots, grated
- 1/4 cup Red onions, sliced thin
- 3/4 cup Plain plant yogurt, unsweetened
- 1 Jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 2 tbsp Lime juice
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove Garlic, grated to a paste
- 2 tbsp Dill, chopped
- 2 tbsp Chives, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, ground
Method
- Whisk the plant yogurt with the lime juice, vinegar, and grated garlic. The acid thins the yogurt into a pourable dressing and sharpens it, which is what makes a ranch taste like ranch instead of plain cream.
- Stir the minced jalapeno, dill, chives, and black pepper into the dressing. Fresh herbs are the entire flavor of a ranch, so use them with a heavy hand, and let the jalapeno bring the heat that stands in for salt.
- Rinse the sliced red onion under cold water and pat it dry. A quick rinse pulls the raw bite out so it reads sweet and mild against the tangy dressing.
- Toss the cabbage, carrot, and onion with the dressing until every shred is coated. Shred the cabbage as thin as you can, since thin ribbons take on dressing where thick chunks stay dry and bland.
- Let it sit 10 minutes before serving. The salt shaker stays away because the lime, vinegar, and chile do the seasoning, and the rest softens the cabbage just enough while it keeps its crunch.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 70 calories, 3 g protein, 3 g fiber, 30 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
