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KimiHarris

Simple Mexican Coleslaw

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picture of mexican coleslaw with tacos

This easy and simple coleslaw is perfect for two things – topping tacos or using it as a flavorful base for a “taco salad.” Vegetable sides are regularly overlooked, but they shouldn’t be! They not only add a lot of important nutrition, antioxidants, and fiber, but they also add vibrant flavor. 

That said, I like to keep my sides simple so that I can get dinner on the table quickly. This recipe fits the bill. 

I make a large bowl of it, and serve it on taco night. For those in the family who regularly enjoy corn, they use it both in their tacos and as a side salad. For those of us who don’t always eat corn (or who are eating using keto or using Trim Healthy Mama principles), we use it as a base and then top it with top tender meat, salsa, avocado, sour cream, and cheese. 

Mexican coleslaw topped with meat and avocado.

It’s a really delicious and satisfying meal, with taco shells or without, and is a regular part of our menu. 

While cabbage dressed up this way is just delicious, I also love that the regular addition of cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, can help prevent or reduce inflammation (1, 2, 3). Also, consider using red cabbage! It has other benefits because of its anthocyanin content (1), and also looks beautiful. 

Related Recipes:

• Simple Mexican Quinoa Bowls

• Mexican Quinoa Salad

• Mexican Chocolate Dairy-free Ice Cream

• Lacto-Fermented Escabeche

• 7 Layer Mexican Dip

Simple Mexican Coleslaw 

• 1 medium-large cabbage (I sometimes use half of a green, and half of a red) 

• 1 bunch of cilantro, washed, stemmed and chopped 

• ½ cup fresh lime juice*

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• 3-6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced 

  1. Wash the outside of the cabbage, and then cut in half using a large, sharp knife. Thinly slice the cabbage after cutting out the core. Add to a large bowl, and then add the cilantro. 
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and stir together. Pour over cabbage and cilantro, and toss. Taste test, and add more salt, olive oil, or lime juice, as desired. 
  3. Serve right away, or premake an hour or two beforehand and allow the flavor to meld, and the cabbage to slightly soften. 

Variation: Cut the lime juice to ¼ of a cup and add ½ cup of orange juice for a more mild version. For a kick, add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.

Cassava Egg Noodles

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I love these noodles in a rich homemade chicken noodle soup. But my family also enjoyed them in a variety of noodle dishes. They are tender, grain-free, gluten-free, and delicious. Homemade noodles are the perfect comfort food, and who doesn’t need a little comfort food right now? We happily ate our way through various adaptations of this recipe. 

Cassava flour is made from the whole cassava root and as such is grain free. It should not be confused with tapioca flour, which is its refined counterpart. Cassava flour is loved for its more neutral flavor, and its ability to be used more readily in replacement of wheat flour. 

What brand to buy? While I haven’t tried all of the brands out there, I do know that different brands may result in slightly different results. I had success using Otto’s Cassava flour, Thrive Market Cassava flour, and Pamela’s Cassava Flour. (By the way, I love ordering from Thrive Market! You can sign up with my partner link if you haven’t already.)

Are these noodles like wheat noodles? 

In short, no. They are going to be more fragile. I still miss the days of making regular noodles, as gluten makes a strong noodle. You are going to have to use a light touch when handling these, and don’t get frustrated if they break into smaller pieces. That said, they are delicious when cooked, and with practice, I’ve been able to whip these together quickly. 

Ways to Enjoy Cassava Noodles: 

  • Delicious in soup, such as the classic chicken and noodle soup
  • Scrumptious served with melted butter and parmesan
  • Serve with a traditional tomato meat sauce

Cassava Egg Noodles 

2-3 servings 

  • 1 cup of cassava flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (or oil of choice)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Salt for boiling water

(This recipe can be doubled, just boil in a large pot.) 

1. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil on the stove while preparing noodles. 

2.  In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour and salt. Add the egg, oil and water, and whisk together until the mixture forms into a dough. Gently knead with your hands. The dough should be fairly firm, but not dry (or wet). You can add more flour or water, as needed.

3. Roll out on your largest cutting board (can do in batches if needed): Dust surface with extra flour, place dough on top, and dust flour on top of the dough. Using a gentle touch, roll out the dough into a rectangle, until it gets between ⅛-¼ inch thick. 

4. Cut the rolled-out dough into desired size strips using either a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. I’ve cut them into tiny strips, and also into wide fettuccini sizes trips (around ½ inch). 

5. Salt the boiling water well, and add noodles to the pot. You want to keep the water at a gentle simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the noodles are just soft and cooked through, but still a little firm. Pour through a heat-safe sieve in the sink and give a quick rinse with cold water. 

6. Serve right away as desired.

How to Make Whipped Dalgona Coffee with Mushroom Coffee Option

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It apparently started as a craze in South Korea, and now is tearing its way through the U.S –- some have dubbed it the “quarantine coffee,” though it’s most often known by the name “Dalgona coffee.” Of course, I had to try it out. What alchemy is this! You put together some hot water, instant coffee, and sugar of choice, and it whips up like whipping cream.

My husband and I weren’t really sure that we would like it, but once spooned on top of milk over ice, it’s a deliciously sweet coffee drink that is an easy treat to make at home. We are sold! 

I had to dig out my instant coffee stash from our camping supplies for our first batch, but then I had an epiphany — what about my instant mushroom coffee? This is an instant coffee blend mixed with good-for-you mushrooms. It also happens to be the one coffee I can always tolerate. 

I liked the version with mushroom coffee even better. 

Some tips on supplies and methods: 

  • Instant coffee is good to have on hand not simply for coffee making but to use in baked goods. Try adding a teaspoon or two to your next brownie batch, and see how coffee makes the flavor richer and more robust. 
  • We used this brand of instant coffee. However, this brand has gotten thumbs up as one of the better ones. You can also find instant organic coffee (for our normal coffee habits, we try to pick organic since coffee beans can be heavily sprayed during the growing process). Also, this is a heavily caffeinated drink, but you can use decaf as well. 
  • This is the brand of mushroom coffee that I adore. It’s one of the only coffee brands I always tolerate. 
  • You want to use neutral milk for this. I tried coconut milk, and it was pretty strong in flavor (it helped once I watered it down some). Normal milk is ideal, but for those of us who are dairy-free, use the most neutral milk you have. 
  • We are trying to really keep our sugar consumption low right now, so we ended up trying out xylitol instead of regular white sugar, and it worked perfectly! I’ve also heard of people using coconut sugar with success. 
  • If you don’t have a hand mixer, I’ve heard that whisking vigorously by hand works or using a hand frother. One chef even shook it by hand in a mason jar! 
Incredibly delicious, but super easy, this coffee uses instant coffee to make whipped coffee foam.

Whipped Coffee 

  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee 
  • 1-2 tablespoons of sugar of choice (evaporated cane sugar, coconut sugar, and xylitol are all good choices) 
  • 2 tablespoons hot water 
  • Ice and milk for serving 
  1. Put all three ingredients in a heat-safe bowl, and then beat with an electric beater for 2-5 minutes, until the mixture resembles whipped cream texture. 
  2. Put ice in a cup, and pour milk of choice until 2/3s full. Spoon whipped coffee on top, and enjoy. 
This delicious and healthy version of “Dalgona coffee” is made using instant mushroom coffee. I love it with a neutral dairy-free milk with a little vanilla added to it.

Whipped Mushroom Coffee 

  • 1 packet of mushroom coffee *
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar of choice (evaporated cane sugar, coconut sugar, and xylitol are all good choices) 
  • 2 tablespoons hot water 
  • Ice and milk for serving 
  1. Put all three ingredients in a heat-safe bowl, and then beat with an electric beater for 2-5 minutes, until the mixture resembles whipped cream texture. 
  2. Put ice in a cup, and pour milk of choice until 2/3s full. Spoon whipped coffee on top, and enjoy. 

* One packet of mushroom coffee isn’t a tablespoon of instant coffee. It worked well despite that, but the foam was softer likely because it was half the amount. You can use two packets for a whole tablespoon, if desired.

Making a Beautiful Pancake Charcuterie Board

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The quarantine life inspires creativity in the kitchen and the trend for pancake charcuterie boards is one of the finest examples I’ve seen. Also — one of the more delicious ideas out there. It’s a simple concept: load a board up with pancakes, and then put toppings and sides around it and allow everyone to serve themselves. 

This would make a delicious Easter brunch idea, weekend meal, or a fun dinner for cooped up children.

I tried this out on my family, and it was a huge hit! 

What do I like about it? For those of us struggling to get our pantries and fridges full of the basics because of the extreme shopping and unstocked grocery store shelves, this allows you to use whatever you have on hand. Toppings can include peanut or nut butter, jam, or honey, maple syrup, homemade syrup, berry syrup made from frozen berries, whipped cream with caramel sauce or chocolate syrup, fresh berries, and more! 

A Beautiful Pancake Charcuterie Board!

Use what you have on hand, and enjoy. Like the perfect black dress, you can make this super fancy, or super simple. You can serve on whatever platter you have on hand, though I love using the traditional wooden serving board.

We made a version of this for our dinner the other night and this is what we did: 

  • Caramelized applesauce (I had some apples that were going bad, so I needed to use them right away. We diced them, added lemon zest and lemon juice, sweetener, cinnamon, dried ginger, and a dash or two of salt. Poured a little water in and roasted it in an oven for an hour and a half at 350F in a Dutch oven, covered. AMAZING). 
  • Fresh Blueberries 
  • Pure Maple syrup 
  • Sausage 
  • Gluten-free Pancakes and Coconut Flour Pancakes 
  • A simple strawberry syrup made from frozen sliced strawberries, and a little evaporated cane sugar and water (cook until syrupy in a pan). 
  • We kept the pancakes warm in the oven, so we could serve them all at once.

Recipes to inspire your pancake charcuterie board: