Kale, Cabbage, Carrot & Cilantro Salad

This is my favorite salad and, in my opinion, it’s the salad to beat. It’s a delicious, nutrient powerhouse of a salad. You’re getting loads of fiber and nutrients in each bite. Kale offers a large multitude of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and is particularly high in vitamins K, A and C. Cabbage is high in vitamins C and K as well as folate, and is fantastic for your gut health. And with both cabbage and kale you get the impressive benefits of the cruciferous family including heart disease and cancer prevention. Carrots are high in vitamin A in the form of beta carotene which is great for your vision and immune system. And cilantro is very effective in lowering blood sugar. Eaten consistently, this salad can give your health a big boost.

There are two main tricks to making this salad great. (1) Use good kale. Overly mature kale will ruin any raw preparation. If you have overly mature kale on your hands, I highly recommend using it up (and cooking it down) in a recipe such as this Spanish Kale. And (2) SLICE THIN. This is important if you’re trying to win people over to eating more kale and cabbage salads. Thinly sliced vegetables, dressed with a good vinaigrette, make for a very enjoyable eating experience. If you slice the kale, cabbage and carrots very thinly (the cilantro can be roughly chopped), you’re golden! I promise :) I usually toss this salad with this mustard vinaigrette, but you could use a wide variety of dressings here. You can also dress it with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper.

This salad is delicious served with all kinds of things. It goes very well with steak or roast chicken if you’re cooking meat, and it’s also great on top of some warmed quinoa, or as part of a grain / legume bowl.

I hope you like it as much as we do!

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Kale, Cabbage, Carrot & Cilantro Salad

Note: I make about this much for a side salad for 4 or a main course salad for 2. Kale leaves can vary a lot in size so use this as a rough guide. After you make if a few times, you’ll learn the proportions you like of each vegetable and you’ll never look at the recipe again :)

3-6 Lacinato kale leaves,, destemmed and sliced thinly crosswise, then cut down the middle once lengthwise
About an equal volume of green cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
About 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Vinaigrette of your choice
Roasted pepitas or sunflower seeds to serve on top (optional)

Assemble the kale, cabbage, carrot and cilantro in a salad bowl, add your favorite vinaigrette, and toss gently. Serve with seeds sprinkled on top, if desired.

Serves 2 as a main meal, 4 as a side

Curried Cabbage Soup

One of my favorite soups - it's hearty and filling without being heavy. It tastes good the day you make it, but by day 2 or 3, it’s amazing.

I’ve found that kids usually like curry flavoring. Hammie happily eats this soup. Daniel takes a little cajoling, which is normal for him, but in the end he will eat it as well. Teaching a picky eater to have an appreciation for a wide range of healthy foods isn’t for the faint of heart :)

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Curried Cabbage Soup
Adapted from the Cabbage Soup recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson.

2-3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 medium/large yellow potato, cut into small cubes
1 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (7 teaspoons) curry powder
5 1/2 - 6 cups water
15-oz can white beans, chickpeas or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium head of green cabbage, shredded
15-oz can full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt to taste (I usually use about 3 teaspoons)

Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and add the potatoes and a sprinkle of sea salt. Cook, covered, for about 5-6 minutes, stirring several times and scraping the bottom of the pan really well, until the potatoes are browned a bit.

Next add a little more coconut oil if needed and toss in the onion and cook (now uncovered) for several minutes until the onion starts to soften (stirring frequently). Add the garlic, and cook for a couple minutes more (still stirring often), then add the curry powder and stir for another minute.

Pour in 5 1/2 cups of water, add in the beans and bring to a simmer. Toss in the cabbage (it will look like a lot but it cooks down significantly), stir and simmer for another 5-8 more minutes (if the cabbage isn’t totally covered, then pour in a bit more water). Finally pour in the coconut milk and season with sea salt to taste. Depending on how soft you prefer your cabbage, you may choose to simmer the soup for several more minutes at the end.

Enjoy!

Serves 8