Guest Post by: Stephanie Valentine
This was truly the yummiest salad creation of the summer! When doing summer BBQ’s I always add a salad component - what goes better with a BBQ than coleslaw? I had always been on the fence about coleslaw, because it was either too sugary or too ‘goopy’ – I didn’t like the mayonnaise kind. What’s a cook to do? Create my own! So I looked up a bunch of homemade coleslaw recipes, took from them what I liked and just went from there. Behold – THE BEST COLESLAW recipe! Since all the ingredients are my favorites, you may be skeptical, but based on the group reviews (immediate and extended family – they don’t hold back) everyone agreed. Plus – zero leftovers!
Why was I so bent on coming up with the ultimate coleslaw recipe? Well, as a holistic nutritionist I know the benefits of adding cruciferous vegetables to one’s diet. Cabbage is a great choice to do that. My task was then to make it delicious and not add a bunch of processed dressings.
The health benefits of cabbage are many! It boasts cancer prevention due to the phytonutrient sinigrin. Sinigrin is one of the glucosinolates in cabbage that has received attention in cancer prevention research. Red cabbage has impressive anti-oxidant benefits. Its colour comes from the anthocyanin pigments which is chock full of health benefits – dietary antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits too.
It's not just the red cabbage that is healthy, all types of cabbage contain significant amounts of polyphenols that provide anti-inflammatory benefits. It's good for your digestive tract too by regulation of bacterial populations in the stomach. If that weren’t enough to convince you to make this salad, it also has cholesterol lowering cardiovascular support! Seriously – your doctor could almost prescribe this!
When you make coleslaw – mix it up! Use any type of cabbage you can find - It looks prettier with many colours anyway.
Another awesome ingredient in this slaw are walnuts – quick version – they are anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, an excellent source of brain boosting omega 3 fatty acids. They help protect against cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, have anti-cancer benefits and are good for weight management.
Even the dressing is full of good fats and healthy ingredients - this is a total guilt free dish!
The health benefits of this salad are impressive, but it really is the taste that will keep you coming back for seconds (or thirds)… if there is any left.
You can modify the amount of maple syrup and red wine vinegar depending on how sweet or tart you prefer your coleslaw
I really liked the dressed. I added fennel instead of the nappa cabbage which is what I had at home. Yummy - thanks!
ReplyThat sounds delicious! I love fennel!!