I was craving something cold and fresh the other day and wasn't thinking a spinach salad or lettuce salad, so I bought a head of organic purple cabbage. It has taken me a while to really like cabbage, but making a salad-slaw is the best way I have found to eat it raw and actually love it. So, I pick purple because it is one of my favorite colors so maybe it will be more exciting to eat, right?! Not to mention that adding deeper-colored fruits and vegetables to your plate will probably be adding more antioxidants and vitamins without you really thinking much about it. I think my body was craving cabbage as well because it helps in the detox process of getting toxins out of your liver and gut. Cabbage (a cruciferous family vegetable) has so many health benefits that I have no problem adding it to my diet at least once a week. A great website that I found that gives more details and research for woman's health and gastrointestinal health regarding cabbage is :
After reading an article like that, you must be thinking that you need to try some cabbage. I recommend trying to keep it raw this spring because it will only help give you more enzymes to aid in the cleansing and detoxing process. So here is a recipe to try out:
Mix it up:
1 small head of purple cabbage ( or half of a large head)
4 medium carrots
2 medium apples
handful of fresh parsley
handful of fresh sage (if you have it available, it is ok without it as well)
3/4 cup of organic mayonnaise ( or at least one that does not contain any preservatives, I don't mind using Hellman's original because it has more whole ingredients with no extras).
1/4 to 1/3 cup of agave nectar
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
cracked pepper to sprinkle
Finely chop the cabbage. I like to make most pieces small and a few larger pieces to mix it up a bit. Peel carrots and keep peeling until you shave off pieces for the whole carrot. Cut these slivers in half if they need to be smaller, but you end up with over a cup full of curled shaved off pieces of carrot. I cut the apples with the skins on for extra vitamins, but you can add them in any way or size that you want. Finely chop the herbs and then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well until creamy. You may want to add more agave or vinegar depending on how the salad is mixing up, add according to your taste and don't be afraid to experiment here.
This salad is best the first day you make it, but it stays good for a few days. It makes about six 1 cup servings, so you may want to make it smaller if you are making for one or two. The thing you will notice though is that the dressing starts to turn a purple color after awhile. I love that bits of apple and carrot with this because it adds the perfect crunch and sweetness to the cabbage. Even if you think a bit of apple may be not so great with cabbage, try it out....unless you are one of those people that is adamant that fruit should not be on salads. Hope you have fun making this and enjoy all the colors and vitamins.
No comments:
Post a Comment