This red cabbage salad is packed with texture and a diversity of flavors, from bitter to savory to sweet.

Cabbage is a hit-or-miss ingredient for me. Unless it’s cooked the right way or paired with the right ingredients, I don’t find it to be something to write home about. But I don’t let my picky food standards prevent me from enjoying the vegetable on the reg, as it is packed with nutrition and should be an integral part of everyone’s diet. I especially like to find new ways to enjoy it raw. This cabbage salad with radishes, walnuts, and mint is a scrumptious go-to dish to fulfill your noshing needs.

One cup of raw red cabbage has 28 calories, 0 grams fat, 2 grams dietary fiber, 20 percent of the RDA of vitamin, 85 percent of the RDA of vitamin C, and 4 percent of the RDA of both calcium and iron, respectively. It is also a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and magnesium. It is chockfull of anthocyanins, an antioxidant that is usually fond in blue, purple, and red plants. Antioxidants can decrease inflammation, prevent cancer, and boost brain function. Cabbage has also shown the ability to treat diabetes.

Aside from its health benefits cabbage may already very well be the ideal vegetable. It stays fresh for a long time (about 3 weeks!) and is incredibly versatile, popping up in all sorts of cuisines – Chinese, European, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Japanese, among many others. It can be pickled, soaked, stewed, baked, fried, or enjoyed raw. The possibilities are endless, which means you have no excuse not to integrate it into your dietary regimen!

Start with this cabbage salad recipe and expand your repertoire from there. For this cabbage salad recipe, the Brassica family vegetable is accompanied by bitter radishes, dense walnuts, and fragrant mint. Enjoy!

Cabbage Salad with Radishes, Walnuts, and Mint

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the salad

• 4 cups finely shredded red/purple cabbage
• 8-10 radishes, thinly sliced
• Handful of walnuts, chopped
• Handful of mint, chopped

For the dressing

• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until the cabbage, radishes, walnuts, and mint are evenly coated. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes. The cabbage will soften and absorb the flavors of the dressing the longer it sits. Enjoy!

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Red Cabbage Image from Shutterstock

The post Cabbage Salad Recipe with Radishes, Walnuts, and Mint appeared first on EcoSalon.

Do you LOVE the little salad that comes with your restaurant sushi meal with that delicious carrot ginger dressing? It’s all at once salty and sweet and makes even the pile of not-so-fresh iceberg lettuce seem appealing. Chances are, the carrot ginger dressing you love is from a bottle and likely has a lot of sodium and sugar. Luckily, there’s no need to add a lot of the bad stuff to this homemade version because so much natural flavor comes from fresh ginger and carrots.

This salad is perfect as a work lunch alongside a protein like grilled chicken or tofu. Chop your salad greens on Sunday night and store in a large tupperware with a jar of the dressing in the fridge for up to seven days. This combination calls for cabbage, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint leaves for a Southeast Asian feel, but you can also use butter lettuce on its own for that true Japanese restaurant feel. Try your own combination with kale, bok choy, pea shoots or spinach.

The secret to that rich flavor of carrot ginger dressing is miso paste, which you can find in most markets these days. Look for the brand Eden Foods, which uses organic soy beans and less salt than other imported brands from Japan. You can absolutely leave out the miso, the dressing will have a delicious, bright and pungent flavor without it. Try the dressing first without miso and perhaps add it in if you want to serve this salad for your family.

Super Healthy Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Serves  4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
¼ cup sesame oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger (from a small 1-inch piece)
1 shallot, chopped or 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 tablespoon miso paste (optional)
2 cups shredded cabbage (red or green)
1 cup shredded lettuce
½ cup bean sprouts
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

Combine chopped carrots, ginger, shallot and miso paste (if using) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely ground, then add the rice vinegar and sesame oil with a pinch of salt. Grind until you achieve a slightly chunky liquid dressing.

Add the chopped cabbage, lettuce, bean sprouts and mint leaves to a large bowl and toss with the dressing to combine.

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Photos by Ally-Jane Grossan 

The post Super Healthy Salad Recipe with Carrot Ginger Dressing appeared first on EcoSalon.