Hello world!
I’m officially “back” after two weeks of vacation and a few days of grumblings because yes, as an adult, I had to return to my full-time job. Luckily school is out for another 3 weeks, so I temporarily get my evenings back (yay!). I guess that’s the bright side, and summer isn’t completely over yet.
A few weeks ago my cousin, Line, was visiting. I’ve blogged about her before – she lives in Denmark and tries to visit her Canadian family every second year or so. Last year she stayed with me for two weeks, but this year I was lucky enough to host her again! Her brother was getting married so we were fortunate to have her visiting for a second year in a row 🙂
One night, I’d told her I was super craving a salad for dinner. A good, crunchy and colourful salad. I suggested cabbage and carrots as starting ingredients, and she followed up with parsley and green onion to add some flavour and fun. We both love dijon mustard, so we decided to make a dijon-based* dressing. This recipe was a joint effort between the two of us, and I have to say it turned out ah-mazing. I love cooking with friends. It’s always great to learn and try new things. I never buy parsley and often use dried herbs instead, but man oh man was it ever amazing in this dish. Plus, parsley is a power-house of nutrition! Time to change that habit!
*If by chance you’re not a fan of dijon, an instagram buddy told me she normally makes it with a tahini dressing! I haven’t tried it, but I also LOVE tahini so I can just imagine how yummy that would be!
Okay so let’s break down why this cabbage and carrot salad is so freaking good for you:
Red Cabbage: along with being high in vitamin K, which is great for blood and bone health, red cabbage contains vitamin C and which is a known antioxidant. Red cabbage also has other cancer-fighting compounds, including anthocyanin polyphenols (another known antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties) and glucosinolates (which can be converted to isothiocyanates to protect us against cancer). The verdict? Let’s all eat more red cabbage.
Carrots: was I the only person who grew up in a household that had carrots with dinner almost every day? “They’re good for your eyes” said mom, and she was right! Vitamin A (in carrots it’s found as beta-carotene) is good for eye health. Also, beta-carotene is a known antioxidant which has great cardiovascular benefits and cancer-fighting actions.
Parsley: parsley is highly nutritious and often overlooked. What you may not know is that parsley is extremely high in vitamin K, which, as discussed, is good for blood and bone health. It also contains flavanoids which are anti-oxidant compounds that help fight free radicals in the body. So go ahead, eat that parsley!
There you have it – you can definitely feel good about munching on this salad. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
- 1/2 red cabbage
- 3 large carrots
- 1/2 cup green onion
- 1/2 cup (packed) parsley
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1-2 clove(s) minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- pinch of ginger, cumin, paprika (each)
- 1/2 tbsp honey (optional)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 avocado
- Wash and prepare your salad ingredients: chop the red cabbage, shred/grate the carrots, chop the green onions and chop the parsley.
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Stir.
- Prepare your salad dressing: combine olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, dijon mustard and spices. If you would like a sweeter dressing, add 1/2 tbsp of honey. Stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Add dressing to the salad and stir to mix.
- For added crunch and flavour, top with sesame seeds and an avocado (optional).
- This salad keeps well in the fridge and is great to eat the next day - even after it's been sitting in the dressing. Feel free to make up a big batch and finish it off for lunch the following day! Use fresh avocado the next day 🙂
Follow