HEALTHY FOOD so TASTY you'll
want to eat it EVERYDAY.
RED CABBAGE & BEET SALAD
We all know we should ‘eat the rainbow’ to ensure we get the variety of all things good for us.
So here comes your red & purple bit of the rainbow (with a splash of green). Besides being delicious, this salad packs a huge nutrient, antioxidant, bacteria-fighting, high fiber punch. You’re going to want to eat this!
PREP TIME: 10-20 min
MAKES: 10-11 cups
INGREDIENTS
Red cabbage, beets, onion & goji berries
Chopped spinach, olive oil & toasted sunflower seeds.
FOR THE SALAD
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1 head of red cabbage, trimmed and shredded (2 lb / 900-1000 g shredded, about 8 cups)
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3 cups (14 oz/400 g) cooked beets, cut into small cubes or shredded
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1 red onion, (partially grated, the rest diced)*
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½ cup (50 g) goji berries (or raisins)**
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¾ cup (180 ml) olive oil
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¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise
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¼ to 1/3 cup (60 ml to 80 ml) balsamic vinegar (to taste)
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2 Tbsp Agave
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2 tsp salt
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½ tsp black pepper
FOR SERVING
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Chopped spinach
-
Toasted sunflower seeds
-
Drizzle of olive oil
MAKE THE SALAD
1) Mix all SALAD ingredients together in a large bowl (save the SERVING ingredients for later).
2) Move into an air-tight container and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (cabbage and gogi berries are ‘sturdy’ so they need some time to soften and absorb the dressing).
It's that simple!
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*Oh, and here's an optional cooks tip:
Before dicing the onion, I like to grate about 1/3 of my onion first as that generates a lovely pulp (pictured below) and releases a lot of the juices, which then permeate the cabbage and beets for an elevated taste.
Be sure to scrape the underside of the grater to get all the pulp.
WHEN READY TO 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.
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 below for portion guidance.
Recipe and Photo Credit: Cathy Menees
COOK'S NOTES
INGREDIENTS
Don't skip the sunflower seeds! This coleslaw is lovely on its own, but the sunflower seeds elevate it to something special and add that tiny bit of salty crunch that makes it a satisfying meal on its 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.
Kinds of vinegar 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.
** GOJI BERRIES are more tart and more ‘sturdy’ than raisins, so be sure to let the coleslaw sit for a few hours else you will be looking for a toothpick to unstick the berries from your teeth!
Also, Goji berries are not good for you if you are pregnant, so be sure to use raisins in that case!
If using raisins, start with only 1 Tbsp of agave and adjust sweetness level to your own taste.
KITCHEN BUDDIES
A food processor makes quick work of shredding the cabbage (or buy it pre-shredded). A simple cheese grater is perfect for getting that onion juice/pulp into your salad.
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:
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½ cup, packed (25g) chopped spinach mixed with 1 tsp olive oil and pinch of salt
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1 ½ cup, packed (225g) Cabbage & Beet Salad
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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 cole salad can last up to 7-8 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, which is why I only add them at the time of serving - don't mix them into 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.
