Meatless Monday: Beet and pear slaw on tortillas with dill cr猫me fraiche
The word "slaw" is kind of like the word "casserole" 鈥� there鈥檚 just nothing appealing about it!
Hey, baby, want some slaw聽for dinner?
Not that appetizing.
But this slaw is different, nothing at all like its grandfather, the coleslaw, so don鈥檛 let the name deter you from trying it. You know the 鈥済randfather coleslaw鈥� I鈥檓 talking about. The nasty one found in buckets at the grocery , or the one so often served next to fish and chips. The one that is literally dripping wet with a nasty mix of mayonnaise and unpronounceable ingredients and the cabbage has gone all limp and soft in this unnatural state.
This slaw is sweet and tangy, crunchy and tender, the perfect texture to be wrapped up in a corn tortilla or on its own. Leave out the tortilla and serve it on a bed of greens with sliced avocado instead. Mmmm. To bad there鈥檚 none left鈥�.
Every once and a while, I make something that so thoroughly hits the spot that I鈥檓 thrilled for days. This was one of those. The best part is that this beet slaw, as good as it is mixed with all the other components of the meal, is just as delightful on it鈥檚 own. I find myself with a fork in hand reaching into the beet slaw bowl to have a couple of bites, like drinking from the milk carton.
It鈥檚 funny how this simple act feels kind of naughty. Yet there鈥檚 nothing naughty about raw beets and pear with the lightest dressing as a quick little snack. This is a 鈥渘aughty鈥� I can feel good about. If all the things in our fridges could inspire such a feeling, wouldn鈥檛 the world be a different place?
The added bonus of this dish is that it鈥檚 not often I can put something together that fits many different eating requirements and as you can imagine, I get really excited when I do!
I plan to keep this ditty in my back pocket since it would make an easy meal for raw foodies and vegans alike. Omit the dill cr猫me fraiche and you have a perfect vegan meal (with vegan friendly corn tortillas that is) or a raw meal with fresh sliced avocado and the beet and pear slaw. (Meat eaters aren鈥檛 left out, since it鈥檚 fantastic with shredded chicken.)
Since I have converted my husband from a beet 鈥渉ater鈥� to a beet 鈥渓over,鈥� grated and shredded beets find its way into our meals quite often. Most often it鈥檚 added to a green salad for a little crush and sweetness. This was a nice change of pace and a great way of making beets the main attraction.
Beet and pear slaw on tortillas with dill cr猫me fraiche聽
4 cups of grated beets
1 firm pear, cored and diced
1 green onion, finely sliced
2-3 tortillas per person
Avocado
Beet and Pear Slaw*
Dill Cr猫me Fraiche
*In a large bowl, add the grated beets, diced pear and sliced onion. Add the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons raw honey
Combine the above ingredients until honey is well blended through out. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat well.
Dill Cr猫me Fraiche
1/3 cup of Cr猫me Fraiche (sub in sour cream or Greek style yogurt if you like)
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
Combine the ingredients until well combined.
To assemble:聽
In a hot pan, heat the tortillas. Put a few slices of avocado at the base, top with 2 heaping spoonful鈥檚 of Beet and Pear Slaw. Add a dollop of cr猫me fraiche and serve immediately.聽
Recipe Notes:
To make the Corn Tortillas, use the recipe from . Wardeh turned me on to that is already soaked in limewater to make it consistent with traditional cooking methods. It鈥檚 also made from GMO free corn flour, which is not easy to find. Now if I could only find corn meal already soaked in lime I would be a happy camper.
Addition to consider: Add fresh mint or cilantro, ginger, apple or a little cabbage to the slaw to change it up. Or incorporate the Dill Cr猫me Fresh right into the slaw for a different take on the same dish.
Use a firm or almost under ripe pear so that it doesn鈥檛 get mushy when the ingredients are mixed together.
Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt can be substituted for the cr猫me fraiche but nothing beats the real thing. Where I live, cr猫me fraiche is one of the few things I can buy that doesn鈥檛 have a bunch of added ingredients, even when I buy organic.
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