Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw

If you are looking for the perfect side dish to complement my Black Garlic Aioli Burgers, this Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw is it. Crunchy white cabbage together with grated carrot, sweet, juicy apple, and a bit of onion for spice are smothered in a healthy cashew based Aioli with lots of fresh herbs and garlic. Light and refreshing, yet packs a punch in flavour, to stand up to the burger. Or any other main dish you have it with.

Why You Want to Make This

Healthy Aioli

If you are like me and absolutely adore Aioli, but are not particularly keen on the nutrition balance, this is for you. The Cashews replace the oil and eggs, making this vegan too and giving you a much better nutrition to calorie balance than the classic version.
Cashews are rich in fibre, protein and healthy fats, so they are a fantastic choice for weight loss.

When soaked and pureed in a high speed blender like the Nutribullet or Vitamix, they become super creamy, which is perfect for coating any vegetables in your salad.

Keeps Longer

The fact that there are no raw eggs in this Herbed Cashew Aioli means you can store it for up to a week in your fridge, without issues. It will thicken further during that time, so just add some more water to get it back to dressing consistency.

Vegetables made Delicious

One of my main ways to lose 70lb in a years was to eat lots and lots of vegetables. I’m not one for boring food, so of course I had to prepare them in ways that make me really want to eat them. This is one of them. Crunchy fresh shredded cabbage with carrot and apple and a delicious dressing is one of my favourite ways to get my cruciferous veggie hit, as I love it to much, I could eat it by the bowl full. The good news? I can with this one! The Herbed Cashew Aioli does make the calories shoot through the roof and gives plenty of flavour to this slaw. You won’t miss the mayo one bit.

Easy to Make

If you have a food processor, the slicing and grating will only take seconds. If you do it by hand, only a few minutes. The dressing is equally easy, as you just throw everything into your high speed blender and a few seconds later you will have a perfectly creamy dressing you can use in a million ways.

Note: You do need indeed a high speed blender like the Nutribullet or Vitamix to get the extra creamy consistency. I’ve tried a standard blender and food processor, but both leave some graininess. It’s not the end of the world, but not perfect either.

The Ingredients

The Slaw

Cabbage

You can use white or red or a mix of both here, which will make this even prettier. I just could not find any red in the supermarkets when I was planning to make this, so white it was. Which is nice too, as it shows the lovely green herbs in the Cashew Aioli.
Cabbage has, as all vegetables, lots of fibre and micronutrients to keep your body and gut healthy, which makes it generally a good idea to eat regularly.

Carrots

The same goes for carrots, which contain a lot of the important Vitamin A, which is great for your eyesight. Plus they add a lovely sweetness to coleslaw, so I always include them (and munch some one the side, because I just can’t resist a fresh carrot).

My 2 dogs usually come running as soon as they hear me peel a carrot, since they know that’s the one thing they can have treats from when I’m cooking. I’ve trained them to lie down for treats, so they basically run in and drop flat on the floor, to get their carrot pieces faster.

Apples

Again different micronutrients in apples, but also fibre and antioxidants, more so in the peel than the flesh. So I usually leave it on.
They will also add to the sweetness of this salad, which I love. Use any kind you like. Personally I enjoy Pink Lady, which are available in most supermarkets here and have a lovely balance between sweetness and acidity.

Onions

More veggies, more health benefits is always better.
But onions of any kind come with the flavour backbone for so many dishes, you’d miss out not adding them to this slaw. I like red, for their sweetness and intense flavour usually, but since I had none, I used shallots, which worked just fine.

The Herbed Cashew Aioli

Cashews

Cashews are the base for this Herbed Cashew Aioli, as the name suggests. They make a surprisingly creamy dressing when soaked in water and can easily replace mayonnaise in many recipes with just a few flavour additions.

Raisins

I’ve learned the handy trick of adding raisins instead of sugar in an episode of the Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show and have not looked back since, I like it so much.
If, like me, you enjoy your dressings with a bit of sweetness, this is a much healthier way to include it than highly processed sugar, as raisins still come with fibre and nutrients, which sugar does not. They also add a much more complex flavour than just sugar to the dressing, which is an added benefit.

Herbs

Again, really good for you, herbs generally elevate any dish from good to great by adding tons of flavour.
I’m using a mix of fresh Dill, Parsley, Cilantro and Basil here, as that’s what I usually have at home and enjoy. You can experiment with any soft herbs you find, they will all be lovely.

Fresh Garlic

The basic version of Aioli is simply fresh garlic mashed with lots of olive oil and a bit of salt. It has evolved into the more mayonnaise type over time and is these days often used for any mayonnaise with flavourings in the US. To me, having tried Garlic mayo first and fallen in love with it, it will always be a version of that, hence the addition here.
It’s what pulls together this coleslaw and my Black Garlic Aioli Burger and allows it to stand up to and support its strong flavours.

Lemon Juice

Any Aioli or dressing for that matter needs acidity to balance the fats. I chose lemon juice here, as I just love the flavour it brings together with the herbs. If you don’t have any, use white wine vinegar instead.

Dijon Mustard

Mustard is such an essential component of any mayonnaise (even nut based), it would taste bland without it. It adds sharpness, spice and that little something, to bring it all together.

Liquid Aminos

Liquid Aminos are a secret weapon for any nut based dressings I found. They add saltiness and a good hit of umami, which just makes them utterly moreish.

If you don’t have any, replace with soy or Tamari sauce, though you might have to adjust the amount of raisins, as aminos are slightly sweeter than the other two.

The Process

The Herbed Cashew Aioli

Soak your cashews in just boiled water for about 30 minutes or in cold water overnight.
Drain and add to your high speed blender together with the remaining ingredients for the dressing.

Blend until very creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add some water if your Aioli is too thick to suit a coleslaw, but be mindful, as the slaw itself contains water too, which will mix with it.

Assemble

In a large bowl combine your shredded cabbage, grated carrots, sliced apples and onions with your Herbed Cashew Aioli. Mix well and chill for at least an hour, so the flavours can meld and seep through the slaw.

Enjoy as snack or as side with your favourite meals. It goes with anything from Burgers to BBQ that can use a bit of fresh, garlicky-herb crunch on the side.
Or add it to other salads, to up your veggie intake in the best way possible.

Meal Prep

This Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw keeps in a lidded container the fridge for about 4 days and only gets better while sitting. I love to make it on my weekend, to have some fresh side dish with every meal during my work week.
It’s great to take to a summer BBQ too, as there are no eggs that could spoil in the heat.

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share and comment. It helps me a lot.

Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw

If you are looking for the perfect side dish to complement my Black Garlic Aioli Burgers, this Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw is it. Crunchy white cabbage together with grated carrot, sweet, juicy apple, and a bit of onion for spice are smothered in a healthy cashew based Aioli with lots of fresh herbs and garlic. Light and refreshing, yet packs a punch in flavour, to stand up to the burger. Or any other main dish you have it with.

5 from 29 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Resting time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Salad, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 225 kcal

Equipment

• High Speed Blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Slaw

• ½ white cabbage or a mix of red and white, finely shredded
• 2 carrots grated
• 2 apples finely sliced
• 1 onion finely sliced

Herbed Cashew Aioli

• ½ cup cashews
• 2 tbsp raisins Try 1 tbsp first if you prefer your dressing on the more savoury side.
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp fresh dill
• 2 tbsp fresh Parsley
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh basil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp liquid aminos or Tamari or soy sauce. Liquid Aminos are slightly sweeter so you might have to adjust the seasoning if you are using one of the other options
• ½ cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

Herbed Cashew Aioli:

• Soak cashews in just boiled water for about 30 minutes or in cold water overnight.
• Drain cashews and add them to a high-speed blender along with raisins, onion powder, fresh dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, liquid aminos (or Tamari or soy sauce), water, salt, and pepper.
• Blend until the mixture is creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add water if the aioli is too thick, considering that the slaw contains water as well.

Assembling the Slaw:

• In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbage, grated carrots, sliced apples, and onions.
• Pour the Herbed Cashew Aioli over the vegetables.
• Mix the slaw thoroughly to ensure all the vegetables are coated with the aioli.
• Chill the slaw in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld and permeate through the slaw.

Serving:

• Enjoy the Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw as a snack or a side dish with your favorite meals. It pairs well with anything from burgers to BBQ, providing a fresh, garlicky-herb crunch on the side.
• Alternatively, use it as a topping for other salads to enhance your veggie intake in a delightful way.

Notes

Note: Feel free to adjust the quantities of herbs, spices, and other ingredients according to your taste preferences.

This Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw keeps in a lidded container the fridge for about 4 days and only gets better while sitting. I love to make it on my weekend, to have some fresh side dish with every meal during my work week.

6 Portions

Slaw (Per Portion):

Calories: Approximately 104 calories
Protein: Approximately 2 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 26 grams
Fat: Approximately 0.5 grams
Sodium: Approximately 35 milligrams
Herbed Cashew Aioli (Per Portion):

Calories: Approximately 121 calories
Protein: Approximately 3 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 8 grams
Fat: Approximately 9 grams
Sodium: Approximately 229 milligrams
Now, let's add them together:

Total Slaw with Herbed Cashew Aioli (Per Portion):

Calories: Approximately 225 calories
Protein: Approximately 5 grams
Carbohydrates: Approximately 34 grams
Fat: Approximately 9.5 grams
Sodium: Approximately 264 milligrams

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal

Nutrition Facts

Herbed Cashew Aioli Slaw

Amount per Serving

Calories

225

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword Easy, Healthy, High Protein, Low Calorie, meal prep, vegan, vegetables, versatile

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