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.

If pickled cucumbers are the extent of your experience with pickled vegetables, you’re missing out on some wonderful tastes and nutrition.

This recipe for pickled cabbage is a foundational recipe in that you can replace the cabbage with any other vegetable of your choice. Over time, you can experiment with the use of herbs and spices to create a more aromatic and delicious result. Enjoy!

There are many ways to get healthy bacteria in your diet, from the likes of such concoctions as kefir or kombucha, but pickled vegetables are probably the easiest way to do it yourself. Pickled vegetables are created by a fermentation process, which yields incredible health benefits. Fermenting vegetables increases their vitamins and digestibility, providing anti-carcinogenic and antibiotic benefits as well as increasing the proliferation of healthy flora in the intestines. Typically, this process involves storing vegetables in a brine for a few days until the carbohydrates and proteins break down and microorganisms, such as friendly bacteria, develop. These bacteria are so beneficial, they are considered probiotics and help to improve overall nutrition, from digestion to immune function. Try this pickled cabbage recipe out and then take it to the next level with your own tweaks and additions, or try out a homemade version of a Korean staple, kimchi. Bon Appetit!

Pickled Red Cabbage

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 red cabbage head
• 2-3 tablespoons sea salt
• Room temperature water

Directions

Peel off 2-3 pieces of the outer layer of the cabbage and set aside. You will use them later to seal the jars.

Chop off and toss the stem of the cabbage. Slice the cabbage into thin strips. Place into a bowl and with clean hands, massage the salt into the pieces. Continue to do so for about 2-3 minutes.

In one large mason jar or a few smaller glass jars, add the cabbage pieces. With each addition, use a mortar to pound the pieces into the bottom of the jar. This helps to extract the juices and create room for more cabbage slices. Continue this process until you reach the top of the jar. With about 1 inch remaining to where the lid will go, slowly pour water into the jar so that it reaches the crevices between the pieces and doesn’t simply just float above the cabbage. Once the water reaches the top of the chopped cabbage, take the whole leaves you removed earlier, fold them, and insert them flat on top of the sliced cabbage. It is important that all the cabbage is completely submerged in the water. The folded whole leaves at the top will act as a seal. Close the lid of the jar, but keep it slightly ajar or not fully sealed.

Store in a dark, dry place at room temperature for 3-5 days or until you begin to see bubbles form. Drain before eating. Add to your salads for an extra probiotic boost. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: quinn.anya, GlowKitchen

The post Fermenting Basics: Pickled Red Cabbage Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.