January 27, 2012

Color Sweet Salad

I came up with this extraordinary salad last week and I will definitely be making it again!  It has just the right amount of sweet, salt and bite to it - I LOVE it!  It's a much punchier version of cole slaw.







Color Sweet Salad  

1st part of salad:
2 cups red cabbage, grated
1 large carrot, grated
handful of parsley, chopped
one clove of garlic, finely minced

Dressing (mix in separate bowl and add to 1st salad mix):
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
sea salt & cayenne pepper to taste
4 Tbsp mayo or mayo substitute *
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp agave nectar

2nd part of salad (add this after the dressing has been mixed into 1st mix):
1/4 cup unsweet. coconut flakes
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp hemp seeds/hearts
1 Tsbp chia seeds


* If you don't like to eat mayo (I'm still on the fence), there are many other alternatives.  Try using a mashed up avocado or just a few Tbsp of olive oil mixed with thick coconut milk.  You could also replace the mayo with 4 Tbsp of tahini butter and 1 Tbsp maple syrup, season to taste.  You basically want some kind of smooth/creamy liquid to create the base of the dressing.


As you've noticed, I've kind of been on a recipe kick these days.  That is probably for a number of reasons - one being that I'm pregnant, and food is generally on my mind...all the time.  Another reason is that my husband wanted to switch to a vegetarian diet (no meat or dairy) for the month of January.  We're almost through the month, and to be honest, no one in our house has missed meat at all.  That's not to say we will never eat meat again, we may...but it will be an occasional thing for us.  One thing I would like to add back in at this point is fish.  This little experiment has been alot of fun for me and has sparked a new love for cooking!  There are just so many options out there when you're not restricted to centering a meal around meat.  And don't worry...we are getting plenty of protein and iron.  I try to make sure there is some type of protein in every meal.  Truth be told, I've learned that vegetarians are less-likely to be iron and protein deficient than people who eat meat.  Who knew?  We'll save that for another post though.  ;)


Why are we doing this?  Well...probably because we know way too much about nutrition to ignore the facts.  And because we just feel better when we're on a primarily plant-based diet.  That's just the way it is.  This is not some fad for us.  This is something we've been learning about and implementing in small ways for a number of years now.  It's not about losing weight.  It's not about following a trend (but if you're going to follow a trend, I would highly recommend this lifestyle).  It's about taking care of our bodies because God gave them to us.


We only have one body and we must use wisdom and take care of ourselves.  That is one practical way we can have energy and strength to execute the task/purpose God has given to us in our lifetime.  Plain and simple.




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thats so great Estelle! Are there many quick vegetarian meals to whip up for our busy days at school? Just curious.

Ally said...

Gorgeous looking salad!

Estelle said...

@anonymous...I'll put together a school lunch post soon! :)