I’ve had my foot surgery (a tricorrectional osteotomy if you want to know more) and I’m in the midst of convalescing. The surgery went well despite having a highly advanced case of hallux rigidus. I wore a cast for 2 weeks and had to elevate my leg above my heart (toes to nose is a common phrase). Last week the cast came off but keeping my leg elevated is still part of the recovery process – otherwise my right foot and leg swells and the pressure and tightness feels downright awful. Soon I’ll be able to put some light pressure on my toe but since a wedge of bone was removed from my foot, I’ll still have to take it easy for a few more weeks. Did I mention that the recovery process is a slow journey? It’s not very fun. I’m dreaming of when I can bake again or make a complete meal. Or, you know, leave my house and go for a walk. Couch Life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
But one thing I can do now with a bit of an adjustment in work flow is make a salad. A slaw even! There’s a downtown sandwich joint that serves up a very similar coleslaw. I’m not enamoured by their sandwiches, but their coleslaw is pretty interesting. It has coconut and mint and contains no oil. They called it a “clean” coleslaw but that just feels judgy & privileged to me, so I wanted to play with the concept and came up with this tasty, summery slaw. It has oil in it because I felt it needed some body, along with lime juice for the sour, maple syrup and dates for sweetness, coconut for tropical flair and mint to freshen things up. Salt and pepper and a few dried cranberries and this salad was good to go. I made it for several times before my surgery and I couldn’t wait to get back to making it post-op. It’s good, no judging required.
sweet and sour coconut mint coleslaw
You’ll spot a green onion in the photos, but I’d actually skip this. Let this be a mellow slaw – well, as mellow as a lime-punched slaw can be.1/4 green cabbage + 1/4 purple cabbage, cored, sliced thinly & then chopped again
juice of 1 lime (start with 1/2 a lime and add more if necessary – I lean heavily towards more lime)
1/4 c shredded unsweetened coconut
4 dates, sliced and finely chopped
2 T dried cranberries, cherries or currants
a handful of finely chopped mint leaves
2 T olive oil
1 t maple syrup
kosher salt & freshly grated pepperAdd shredded cabbage to a large bowl. Toss in the coconut, dates, cranberries and mint. In a small jar, combine the lime juice, olive oil, maple syrup, along with a good pinch of salt & a good grind of pepper. Shake to combine and taste to see if any adjustments need to be made. Pour over slaw, tossing well to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes or so before serving.
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