Vegetarian Collard Greens Slaw - Tangy slaw recipe that comes together in a few minutes and delivers deep, unique flavor despite using only a few ingredients. Feta cheese is marinated in a citrus vinaigrette that replaces traditional mayonnaise use.
I eat collard greens in some form at least once a week. I know the mention of collard greens conjures up images of Southern-style collard greens slowly simmered in a smoky meat-based potlikker. I'm down with those too, but despite popular belief, collard greens can be made in so many different ways.
One of my goals this year is to share some of these ways with you. I plan to share one recipe a month. They will run the gamut from super simple to the more sophisticated, from health collard greens to more indulgent. Some I just make up on the spot, others are researched and planned.
This collard greens slaw falls into the former camp. It calls on just a few ingredients and is multi-purposeful. Enjoy it as a side or topping for sandwiches such as this Hot Shrimp Sandwich. With the exception of feta, all the ingredients you probably have on hand. But hey, maybe I’m wrong, perhaps you keep feta cheese on hand, so let me not be presumptuous!
Black History Month Inspiration
But on the subject of feta, how many collard greens recipes you know call on feta. Feta sticks out like a fish out of water, sort of like a black dude on ice skates playing hockey, let alone in the National Hockey League. Such is the case for the two pioneers I'm profiling in this post.
The first is Willie O'Ree who on my birthday, January 18, 1958, became the first black person to play in the NHL becoming essentially the Jackie Robinson of hockey. His is a unique story as he hid and overcame blindness in one eye to achieve his dream of playing professional odds not only against the odds of limited vision but also in the face of daily terrible racism. Amazingly he is still with us as a living legend.
He paved the way for perhaps the greatest goalie the game has ever seen in Grant Fuhr who was the top goalie in the league during Edmonton Oilers dominance in the 80s along with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. Fuhr is a Hall of Famer and multi-time Stanley Cup Champion. In recent years his life was chronicled in the documentary "Making Coco"
I first got interested in hockey after reading about the Miracle on Lake Placid which focused on the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team defeat of the Russian Team. Learning of Grant Fuhr brought me in deeper into the game and provided me with further validation going against the grain was a good thing in any facet including cooking.
I have no qualms about testing limits and though I'm a huge believer in celebrating and honoring tradition, I believe wholeheartedly in challenging convention. To my collard greens purists, I apologize with my tongue firmly planted in my right cheek.
Collard Greens Slaw Cooking Tips
- Place cabbage in a strainer and toss with salt before to get more flavor. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then rinse well and let dry for a few minutes.
- Cut greens chiffanade style, i.e. into thin strips vs. leafy cuts. This allows the acid in the vinegar and lime juice to cook the greens faster removing any of the bitterness
- Refrigerate after preparing and give the slaw flavors time to come together and become balanced
- Serve with air fryer brats, fried chicken, vegan fried chicken sandwich, or rib tips. Include this cherry tomato salad as a starter.
- I eat the slaw as is, but also like to top my sandwiches with it especially a smoked rib sandwich.
- For additional top notch side dish ideas checkout my side dish roundup.
MORE COLLARD GREENS RECIPES
Cajun Sausage Dog w/ Collard Greens Relish
Southern Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey
Making Vegetarian Collard Greens Slaw with Feta Cheese
If you make a version of this simple and healthy collard greens recipe, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
You can also keep up with my food exploits as well as original recipes! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated monthly playlists.
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch collard greens stems removed, cut into thin strips and washed
- 4 oz crumbled feta
- 1 small red onion thinly sliced
- 3-4 green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Combine shredded cabbage, greens, feta, red onions and chopped green onions in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk together vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, and sugar. Pour over the slaw and toss.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Taste and season as necessary.
Sara says
This looks amazing! I have a question—do you think this would work just as well with cotija cheese instead of feta (and vidalia onion instead of red)? I am so happy to find your blog with all these great collard greens recipes... I'm getting a ton of them in my CSA and can only eat them braised so many times, haha.
Marwin Brown says
Thank you so much! Yes, Cotija cheese would work well. I use it all the time in briny dishes.