I love these kind of salads – quick and easy to prepare, crunchy and colourful, and they goes with all sorts of meats or fish. They can easily be a morning salad you can serve with fried eggs (if you’re on low carb foods), or on its own in the evening, if you want to munch on while watching Netflix.

I like experimenting with different spices and this time I had a taste for something Asian inspired, so I dug in my spice drawer and composed this tangy dressing. I really enjoy the taste of apple cider vinegar combined with sweetness of cabbage and carrot. If you like vinegar taste you can add even more to this dressing. If you don’t have hoisin sauce, that’s fine, you can add a bit of dark soy sauce. I think a pinch of chilli flakes could also work great if you like it on the more spicy side. For me is fine as it is.

Red cabbage is a great source of vitamin C (even more than oranges!), vitamin A and Potassium. It also contains vitamin K (very important for our bones), and B vitamins, also full of antioxidants. Red cabbage is also noted as one of the fruits and vegetables with the lowest amount of pesticide residues. So you definitely include lots of cabbage into your diet, if you like it obviously!

Did you know that the colour of the cabbage will be different depending on the pH balance of the soil it grows in? For example on pH 2 (which is very acidic), the cabbage would reflect bright red-pink colour. At pH4, the colour becomes light purple, on pH6, we get the dark-purple to red. When the pH reaches 8 (that’s alkaline), the hue becomes more blue.

Asian inspired red slaw

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 small red cabbage
• 1 small red onion
• 1-2 carrots
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce
• 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Very thinly slice red cabbage. You can also use a peeler to slice the cabbage – it will slice very thinly. Just be careful with your fingers when you use a peeler to slice it. Chop one onion, grate the carrot. Place them all in a large container and give it a good stir.

In a small bowl combine together: olive oil, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, hoisin sauce, lemon pepper, pinch of salt and half of the sesame seeds. Pour it over the veggies and stir thoroughly. Cover with lid and place in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes. Before serving transfer to a bowl and sprinkle on top with the remaining sesame seeds.

Enjoy with or sorts of meat, fish or on its own 🙂

An if you liked this red cabbage slaw take a look at this recipe as well: