I love love love this tangy slaw! I got the inspiration for this slaw while making black eyed pea cakes. I wanted coleslaw, but truly wanted collards to pair with the black eyed peas. At first I did not see any way to tone down the bitter fresh greens, until I remembered a kale salad my sister got me hooked on. It used Tabasco and lemon juice to tame the bitter greens. I took the idea using more hot sauce than would seem safe on my favorite greens.
The result is a light tangy salad with endless pairings. My new go to slaw! I don’t know which one it is actually slaw or salad but I see it going with fried chicken or pork chops, on bbq sandwiches, into tacos, and with toppings like cucumber and sesame sticks to make a killer salad. I, of course paired, this with black bean cakes, the zing of the slaw pushed my need-some-work cakes into out of this world addicting munchies.
Start with this slaw recipe and come back for my re-tooled black eyed pea cakes.
Collard Slaw 
- 1 bunch fresh collard greens, clean and stems removed
- +2Tb honey
- 1/4c apple cider vinegar
- 1-2tsp Tabasco
- 1tsp Dijon mustard
Begin by slicing the collard greens into a very fine chiffonad. Do this by stacking the leaves on top of each other and rolling them into a tight ‘cigar.’ Slice the rolled greens into fine ribbons. Reserve greens in a bowl for saucing.
Make sauce by first dissolving the honey into the vinegar. Whisk in the Tabasco and mustard. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, paprika or garlic if desired.
Gradually pour sauce over greens, tossing to coat.
Fresh and zippy and sharp the first day, if left overnight the greens and flavors mellow together more giving a more rounded flavor. I eat it both ways. Collard greens are sturdy enough that this could even be made 2 days in advance.
Nancy Warner 