There’s coconut milk, coconut oil, and now…coconut vinegar ~ Recipe: Coconut coleslaw

Seems like the coconut is making quite a splash these days. You’ll find so many products using the hard shelled tropical fruit to make more than coconut shreds. Recently I stumbled upon Coconut Vinegar and took a double take if this was for real.

Evidently, when the coconut tree is tapped, it produces a very nutritious sap that comes from the coconut blossoms. It’s high in vitamin and mineral content and is an excellent source of FOS, a prebiotic that promotes digestive health.

Coconut vinegar swaps out beautifully for apple cider vinegar and has a smoother taste. So we put it to the test in a coleslaw using a vinaigrette base instead of mayo. The product is called Coconut Secret, but I don’t think it will remain a secret for long!

Coconut Secret, www.coconutsecret.com and is available on your grocer’s shelf

COCONUT COLESLAW

Dressing:

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Coconut vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup peanut oil
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Salad:

6 cups shredded green or purple cabbage or use a combination of both
2 red peppers, seeded, and diced***
½ cup thinly sliced scallions
1/3 cup golden raisins

Garnish:
2 Tbsp toasted unsweetened coconut shreds***

1. Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Slowly in a very thin stream, add the peanut oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, red peppers, scallions and raisins. Add the dressing and toss well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop.

3. Turn the coleslaw out onto a platter and garnish with coconut shreds.

All photographs courtesy of Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato

***And now  a few words from Olga: I decided to thinly slice red peppers instead of cubing them because I think it’s more esthetically pleasing, and also takes less time. Caution, be very careful when toasting coconut shreds: they burn easily. In fact, I burned my first batch. This is a delicious version of coleslaw, and would be great to take on a picnic once the weather gets warmer.