If you live in the Southeastern US, two staples of country cuisine are sure to cross your plate eventually: “Carrot Salad,” and “Coleslaw.” I grew up on these southern picnic delicacies and I love them. However, if made like my Grannies did, both salads are dripping in mayonnaise and sugar, which isn’t friendly to the dairy-free folks at the party. Fret not, my vegan loves! Fresh from Mama Heron’s kitchen: Vegan Chickini Salad – We’re breakin’ the s-law!
Get it?!? S-law?…the southern cooking law that says ranch dressing or mayo must slather every raw veggie and we just call it “slaw?” hahaha <derp>
This chickini salad is a dairy-free mash-up of these Southern staples, but with the addition of plant-based proteins so it is vegan. My vegan fiancé and our whole, southern family loved it this holiday! We sat at the table and reminisced about how it reminded us of beloved meals our Grannies used to make.
Chickini Salad Recipe: Breakin’ the S-law!
Salad Ingredients:
- 2 cans of chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup diced celery (took 3-4 sticks)
- 2 cups chopped purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup minced red onion (about half a medium onion)
- 1 cup grated carrots (took about 3 carrots)
- 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup raisins
Step 1: Prep the Chickpea Salad Veggies
Drain the chick peas; dice, chop, grate and mince the main veggies, and toss together in a large mixing bowl with the raisins and sunflower seeds.
Step 2: Blend the Tahini Dressing
Sauce Ingredients: Makes roughly 2 cups
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup tahini paste
- 1/3 cup low-sodium tamari sauce. Or better yet, Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids.
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons raw cane sugar
Ok, so here is the deal. Apparently, I don’t know how to make less than 2 cups worth of this dressing at a time. Because it is absolutely delicious, I eat it on just about everything from a cold salad dressing on a green veggie salads, to a warm sauce drizzled over steamed veggies, or roasted meats…to a dipping sauce for fried falafel. The ingredients above will make twice more than you actually need for this slaw, but you’ll thank me for leftovers.
In a traditional blender, add all the ingredients together and blend until the onions and celery are basically liquefied, and its all emulsified with the oil into a thick, smooth sauce. Save 1 cup for your slaw, and put the rest away for later.
Step 3: Blend
Pour 1 cup worth of the tahini sauce over the mixed salad and incorporate thoroughly by folding everything together with a spatula. We think it tastes the best if you cover it and allow the flavors to mature in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Step 4: Enjoy!
That’s it, folks. I’d say “try not to eat it all in one sitting,” but honestly…would there be any harm in it? This “Chickini Salad” is really healthy. It suits the needs of folks who are low-carb, meat-free, dairy-intolerant, gluten/wheat-free, or simply health-conscious and watching their calorie intake. It even makes a satisfying side-dish for any Omnivor’s plate, too. I dare any BBQ-loving relations to complain!
Next time you have a hankerin’ for some southern comfort food like Granny used to make, I hope you’ll give my new twist a try and then let me know what you think!
Happy Eating,
~Heron
PS: WoodsWizard, if you are reading, this recipe is for you! Since the Fried Cornbread Recipe was so fattening, I owed you something healthy for a change!
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