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Spice Blend Recipe Page Banner - LEBANON

RECIPE:  RED CABBAGE & BEET SALAD

We all know we should ‘eat the rainbow’ to ensure we get the breadth of all things good for us, so here comes your red, purple & green bits of the rainbow.  

Besides being delicious, this salad packs a huge nutrient, antioxidant, high-fiber punch.

 

You’re going to want to eat this!

PREP TIME:  10-20 min

MAKES:  12-14 cups

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DRESSING

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  • 1 sachet TASTE OF LEBANON spice blend​

  • 1 cup (240 ml) olive oil

  • ¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise

  • ¼ to (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

  • 1 TBSP (15 ml) agave

  • 2 tsp salt

FOR THE SALAD

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  • 1 head red cabbage, trimmed and shredded (about 2lb /900-1000 g shredded)

  • 3 cups (14 oz/400 g) cooked beets, cut into small cubes

  • 1 red onion, diced

  • ½ cup (50 g) goji berries (or raisins)*

FOR SERVING

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  • Chopped spinach

  • Toasted sunflower seeds

MAKE THE SALAD

 

 

In a large bowl, whisk together all the DRESSING ingredients.

 

Add all the SALAD ingredients to the bowl and mix well to combine.

 

Move into an air-tight container and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours (cabbage and gogi berries are ‘sturdy’ so they need some time to soften and absorb the dressing).

SERVE

 

 

Add a handful of chopped, fresh spinach leaves to a mixing bowl and drizzle with just a tiny bit of olive oil.  Add a pinch of salt and mix well to coat the spinach.

 

Remove the salad from the refrigerator and add the amount of Cabbage & Beet Salad you plan to serve to the bowl with the spinach.  Mix well, spoon into separate bowls and top with pan-toasted sunflower seeds.

 

See COOK'S NOTES for portion guidance.

Recipe & Photo Credit:  Cathy Menees

COOK'S NOTES

INGREDIENTS 

 

Don't skip the SUNFLOWER SEEDS!  This coleslaw is lovely on it's own, but the sunflower seeds elevate it to something special, and add a that tiny bit of salty crunch that makes it a satisfying meal on it's own.

 

 RED ONIONS in the US tend to be much bigger than red onions in Europe.  In order for you to gauge your portions, my red onion weighed 4.5 oz (125 g), before peeling.  So, have a look at the photo for proportions and if your onion is the same size as a bell pepper, then scale down to 1/2 an onion.

 

VINEGARS vary in tartness, as do personal tastes.  Adjust the vinegar/agave ratio to your own sweet vs. tart preference.

 

I prefer AGAVE to add a touch of sweetness as it doesn’t really have a ‘flavor’, but you can use honey, palm sugar or coconut sugar if you prefer.

 

GOGI BERRIES are more tart and more ‘sturdy’ than RAISINS, so be sure to let the cole slaw sit for a few hours else you will be looking for a toothpick to unstick the berries from your teeth!

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Also, Goji berries are not good for you if you're PREGNANT, so be sure to use raisins in that case!

TIMING

 

A food processor makes quick work of shredding the cabbage (or buy it pre-shredded).

 

SERVING

 

Since chopped spinach won't have the benefit of having sat in the dressing, it's a nice touch to mix it first with a bit of olive oil to soften it and take away that 'chalky bite' that raw spinach tends to have.  Also season it with a pinch of salt.  All good chefs say that each ingredient of a dish should be seasoned for optimal taste.  :-)

 

SERVING PORTIONS

 

When serving as a main, I roughly use the following amounts per person:

 

  • ½ cup, packed (25g) chopped spinach mixed with 1 tsp olive oil and pinch of salt

  • 1 ½ cup, packed (225g) Cabbage & Beet Salad

  • 2 Tbsp (20 g) toasted sunflower seeds

 

If serving as a side, use ½ of the above or less, depending on how many other sides you have!

STORAGE

 

The cabbage & beet salad can last up to 10 days in the fridge, and in fact, gets better over time as the cabbage softens and the flavors intensify.

 

The spinach and seeds get nasty after a few hours in a salad, which is why I only add them at the time of serving - don't mix them in to the salad you plan to keep in the fridge for a while!

 

While this salad keeps for a long time, the natural juices of the vegetables will start to seep out into the salad, which is nice in terms of moisture, but it can dilute the salt-taste in the dressing.  So after a few days, you'll probably want to season with a bit more salt to taste at the point of serving.

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