Summer means more salads on the menu and we’re here to show you how to make your salads work even harder for you, by packing them with ingredients that are both nourishing and filling!
How to make a salad that will satisfy and keep you filled? Focus on fibre and protein and delicious textures and flavours! You want a combination of crunch and soft and chewy and fresh as well as a variety of nutrients.
This salad goes a long way – thanks to the cabbage – and is great to eat as a meal on its own or to serve as a festive side dish. Cabbage is often overlooked as a salad ingredient, even though it brings plenty of amazing nutrients to the table!
- Cabbage is rich in Vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C iron and folate.
- Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage contain many different antioxidants that have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation.
- This crunchy vegetable is full of gut-friendly insoluble fibre, which helps to keep the digestive system healthy by adding bulk to stools and promoting regular bowel movements.
- Red cabbage is an excellent source of potassium as well as powerful compounds called anthocyanins, which belong to the flavonoid family, which studies have found may help to reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Cabbage contains substances called phytosterols, which are plant compounds that reduce LDL cholesterol by blocking the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract.
Crunchy Cabbage Salad Recipe
What You Need:
Ingredients:
- ½ small purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- ¼ white cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped
- ½ cup toasted mixed seeds (such as pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
- ½ cup toasted chopped nuts (such as Brazil, macadamia, almonds)
- 5 spring onions, finely sliced (or ¼ small red onion very finely chopped)
- Handful coriander leaves
- ½ cup fresh pomegranate arils (or dried cranberries, finely chopped)
- 1 large or 2 small avocados
For the Secret Sauce (Dressing):
- 2 tsp honey (or agave if vegan)
- 1 tsp mustard
- Juice of one lime
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chilli flakes or ½ chilli, very finely chopped
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
- Toss the salad ingredients together, pour over the dressing and serve. Easy-peasy!
Note: If you want to up the protein, add 1 cup sliced chicken breast pieces or 1 cup edamame beans for vegans.
This recipe first appeared in our #MedshieldMovement ambassador Amy Hopkins’ standalone bookazine called “Inside the WH Kitchen” while she worked as the managing editor at Women’s Health South Africa.