Hi, happy Tuesday, and happy July! The Fourth of July is right around the corner which is why I’m sending off this newsletter a couple of days early this week. I have a delicious slaw recipe plus a BONUS RECIPE in honor of the holiday (the cutest flag cake!) to share with you that would be perfect for any Fourth of July celebration.
We are back home from San Diego and I’ve taken a good few days to recover and unwind after our trip (you know, the vacation you need after a vacation?), and all of a sudden, it’s July. This summer has been a whirlwind of family visiting— my mom flies in tomorrow and my sister and her three kiddos will be joining us at the end of the month. We’re so excited. I hope you’re having a wonderful summer, too.
We enjoyed lots of indulgences on our vacay. My favorite was this little Parisian bakery and cafè inside of the cutest boutique in La Jolla where I found the most incredible pistachio cream-filled croissant that made a lasting impression.
Now it’s back to easy salads and homemade meals. I love a break from making dinner every night but I felt like I was in desperate need of fresh vegetables (and overall lighter dishes) after our trip. And so this Mexican street corn-inspired slaw was born, and we’ve decided it’s our new, favorite summer slaw… EVER.
p.s. In honor of the holiday, I’m giving away a one-month paid subscriber trial! With the button below, you can receive one month of weekly dinner recipes for free. I hope they make your low-carb life a little easier. Enjoy!
Mexican street corn-inspired slaw
My family doesn’t often eat corn (it’s usually a hard pass for Ian, who works to stay on a strict ketogenic diet), but we do make an exception a few times every summer, grilling it up alongside some chicken or tri-tip or burgers.
This slaw features roasted corn (in the oven or on the grill), sweet and crunchy jicama, a bit of Lacinato kale, green cabbage and lots of fresh cilantro. The dressing is a combination of Greek yogurt and avocado mayo, zesty lime, and a bit of simple spices to create a Mexican-inspired sauce. It’s the perfect cookout side dish or an easy, vegetarian dinner. It’s also extra tasty with grilled sirloin sliced and served on top, which is exactly how we enjoyed it the other night (recommended, but definitely not a must).
The great thing about this easy slaw recipe is that you can completely omit the corn if preferred, and simply add in a little bit more of the green cabbage or jicama. And the same goes for many of the other ingredients that create the crunchy base.
Here’s the recipe, along with a few ingredient substitution ideas, a printable PDF, and nutrition info.
Yield: 6 servings
Prep time: ~25 minutes
Ingredients
2 ears of corn (about 1 to 1-½ cups total)
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
2 limes, juiced
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
Dash of chipotle pepper (optional)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon granulated monk fruit sweetener with allulose
½ bell pepper, sliced thin and cut small
1 cup thinly-sliced lacinato kale, stems removed
1 cup shredded jicama
2 cups thinly-sliced green cabbage
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
½ red onion, sliced thin and cut small
½ cup feta cheese or cotija
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Heat your grill over medium-high heat (or preheat your broiler if you prefer to use the oven). Set the shucked ears of corn directly on the grill grates (or under the broiler) and cook for about 10 minutes total, turning the corn every couple of minutes or so. Transfer the corn to a plate to cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob.
Add the yogurt, avocado oil mayo, lime juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, garlic powder, and monk fruit sweetener to a small bowl. Whisk well and set aside.
Add the bell pepper, kale, jicama, green cabbage, cilantro and onion to a large salad bowl. Toss to combine, then add in the cooled corn.
Pour the dressing onto the slaw mixture (I use it all). Toss to coat the slaw.
Top with the feta cheese or cotija cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste (this is reserved for last since feta and cotija will add saltiness to the slaw).
Notes
Many grocery stores carry already-cut jicama, usually in the refrigerated section of the produce department, where prepared salsas and cut fruits are kept. The jicama is often cut into thick rectangular pieces, which are easy to shred with the large side of a box grater.
You can substitute the monkfruit sweetener with another type of 1:1 sugar swap (like Swerve or granulated allulose). If using stevia or monk fruit drops, sweeten to taste. If you’re not concerned about added grams of sugar, feel free to use 1-2 teaspoons of honey or pure maple syrup.
For an extra spicy kick, add one diced jalapeño to the slaw or increase the amount of chipotle powder.
Store the slaw in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will hold up really well and makes great leftovers.
If you don’t feel like roasting corn, you can substitute it for frozen corn kernels (defrost first). But nothing beats fresh corn, roasted over the grill!
To cut Lacinato kale, use a sharp knife to cut the stems away from the leaves, then slice the leaves thin. Since this is going into a slaw, there’s no need to massage the kale to soften it first– the dressing will do the trick!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on 6 servings, calculated by My Fitness Pal.
Calories: 175
Total fat: 10 g
Cholesterol: 19mg
Sodium: 482mg
Total carbohydrate: 18 g
Dietary fiber: 4 g
Total sugar: 5 g
Protein: 5 g
Total net carbs: 14 g
A flag cake for your Fourth
Now for the bonus recipe! It has been a couple of years since I made a flag cake and I decided this would be the year that I shared it with you.
This super simple recipe makes a keto, low-carb, gluten and grain-free lemon cake and a Greek yogurt vanilla frosting. You’ll bake it in a quarter sheet pan (or use a 9x13 cake pan), then frost it and decorate it with fresh berries. It’s fun and simple and great recipe for a healthy treat that kiddos can help make, too.
Here’s the recipe- enjoy!
Lemon and Greek Yogurt Flag Cake
Yield: ~10-12 servings
Prep time: ~40 minutes (plus cake cooling time)
For the cake
½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup golden granulated monk fruit sweetener with allulose
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-½ cups fine blanched almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons oat fiber (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
To decorate:
½ cup cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt, unsweetened
5-7 tablespoons powdered monk fruit sweetener (see notes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8-10 medium strawberries, sliced and cut in half
1 small handful fresh blueberries
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a quarter-sheet pan (or 9x13 pan) with parchment paper.
Make the cake batter: In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand mixer), add the melted coconut and sweetener. Mix well. Add the eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through.
Add the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, oat fiber, baking powder, and salt. Mix on medium speed until all the dry ingredients are well incorporated. The batter will be thick.
Pour in the almond milk and mix until it is well combined and has thinned out the batter a bit.
Bake the cake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared sheet pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 22-26 minutes at 350°F or until the top is golden on top and a tester in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely (you can leave it in the pan or transfer it to a cooling rack after it has sit for at least 20 minutes).
Make the frosting: Add the cream cheese and yogurt to a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the sweetener (to taste), and the vanilla. Mix well until the frosting is light and creamy. Store in the fridge until it’s time to use.
Remove the cake from the pan: When the cake is cooled and the frosting is ready, carefully set a large sheet pan on top of the cake, then invert the cake to remove it from the smaller sheet pan. Peel off the parchment paper and set the small sheet pan back on the cake, then invert again. This is a simple way to easily remove the parchment paper and keep the cake in the pan for serving.
Assemble: Spread the frosting on top of the cake and decorate it in a flag pattern with the fresh berries. Serve immediately or keep chilled until later.
Notes
Sheet pan: It’s important that you’re using a quarter sheet pan as opposed to a standard half sheet pan that most of us have in our kitchens. If you don’t have a quarter sheet pan, you can bake this in a 9x13 cake pan.
Flavor: The cake itself has a light lemon flavor, but you can make it a plain vanilla cake by omitting the lemon juice and lemon zest and adding in 1 extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. For a touch of almond flavor, add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.
For the frosting, use a plain, extra thick Greek yogurt (full fat) to help it hold its shape and not get too runny. I like FAGE but you can use your own favorite.
Dairy-free version: The cake itself is dairy free, and if you’d like to make the frosting dairy free as well, you can use a thick coconut yogurt (or just plain coconut cream) as a yogurt substitute. Mix it with your favorite brand of dairy-free cream cheese.
Oat fiber gives the cake a nicer crumb (less crumbly), but it’s not necessary. You can simply omit it or use 1 extra teaspoon of coconut flour.
Sweetener: I prefer Lakanto monk fruit sweetener with allulose for both the cake and the frosting. It’s too grainy for the frosting, but you can process it for 15-20 seconds in a high-powered blender to make your own powdered sweetener. If you want to skip that step, simply use your own favorite powdered sweetener like Lakanto (regular powdered) or Swerve. You can also sweeten the frosting with a little bit of honey if you don’t mind a few extra grams of carbs and sugar.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on 10 servings, calculated by My Fitness Pal.
Calories: 289
Total fat: 24 g
Cholesterol: 71mg
Sodium: 228mg
Total carbohydrate: 11 g
Dietary fiber: 5 g
Total sugar: 3 g
Protein: 10 g
Total net carbs: 6 g
More recipes for your Fourth!
If you’re looking for more low-carb and keto-friendly recipe inspiration for your Fourth of July, check out these from the blog!
Keto Blackberry Crumble (NEW!)
I hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July! In case you missed it above, I’m offering a one-month trial for a paid subscription, in honor of the holiday.
This offer will be good until Monday, July 8. I hope you consider giving it a try! As a paid subscriber, you’ll receive one new dinner recipe in your inbox every Thursday, along with a printable PDF and nutritional info calculated for you. My goal with these recipes is to create easy, healthy, low-carb and keto-friendly meals that are ready in under 30 minutes.
Happy Fourth, friends! Until next week,
Abby