Beetroot & Carrot Slaw with Smoky Chilli & Avo Dressing

Quick, Easy, FRESH tasting slaw. Sweet beetroot and carrot is a good root veggie option, but really its all about the creamy, feisty and zingy dressing. Any crunchy veggie would do really so play around. The colours are just amazing. 

See kitchen note on how to griddle veggies and chillies.

It would be lovely as a side to grilled anything, maybe as a topping on a wonderful taco, burger and wraps. The leftover avo dressing is so good with some nachos, onto of a veggie chilli or as dip. 

• 2 beetroots, peeled
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 2 limes, halved (4)
• 3 chillies, halved, seeds removed
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 large ripe avo
• small bunch coriander (if no food processor chopped very finely)
  (reserve a few sprigs)
• pinch Spanish smoked paprika (opt)
• 60ml ice cold water (maybe more)
• salt & pepper

1. Grate the beetroot & carrots, I used my food processors grater, start by squeezing 2 halves (reserving one half for the sauce) over the grated veg, add the salt and taste. Squeeze more juice if not zingy enough.
2. Heat a dry pan over a high heat until smoking, add chillies & garlic and cook until well charred on all sides. Peel and roughly chop, deseed chillies.
3. In a food processor or using a fork, whiz or mash the avo, chillis, coriander, garlic together, season with salt, pepper, lime juice & paprika – add the water – JUST ENOUGH to make a thinnish mayo style dressing. Season once more.
4. If you are going to keep the salad for a few days, don’t drizzle all the sauce ontop, just add the sauce to your plate and keep the sauce seperately. Add some coriander sprigs and micro herbs.

I have managed to grow a fantastic chilli harvest this year (after 2years of trying : ) I am not sure exactly what I grew but I think it was a Finger Chilli, which has a medium heat and a fresh and sharp flavour. 

Jalapeño would work perfectly too but I would not go any hotter, ideally you would like the heat to just sit at the back of your mouth rather than the front tip of your tongue. The BEST way to test the heat is to taste the chillis before and adapt. Removing the seeds and the membranes removes most of the heat. 

Roasting veggies, garlic and chillies on a dry griddle or stainless steel pan on a high heat is a good way to infuse a SMOKY taste into your dishes (instead of lighting up the bbq). I have an old thick based stainless steel pan in my kitchen which I use to griddle red peppers when in season. Please don’t ever use a non stick frying pan for this!