Delicious Red Cabbage and Apple Salad – Fresh, Paleo and Healthy

Our busy and really hectic days at work and taking care of the family can really affect the way that we eat and make our food.

If luck permits, you will have a nice, home-cooked dinner not even twice in a week. This means that most of the time, you will either enjoy greasy take-outs or maybe have microwavable TV dinners or frozen meals for days that end in Y. I can attest to this scenario. Because I was too busy with work, I forgot that I needed to eat healthy too. So I lived on deep-fried chicken, greasy pizza slices, salty take-outs and microwavable meals. Needless to say, I gained so much weight in a span of just 5 measly months.

Determined to lose all the weight that I’ve gained, I took on the Paleo lifestyle. It’s can really be a little restrictive at first, with a long list of foods that you can and cannot eat. But soon you will realize that this lifestyle is only teaching us how to choose the right kinds of food that our body really needs to function and burn fats well. Soon enough, I was eating healthy and I became mindful of what I put in my body.

Now, I’m not saying that you immediately make that leap and transition to a Paleo way of living in a snap. What you can do is to start familiarizing yourself with what you can eat and focus on using those ingredients to make delicious and healthy Paleo-friendly dishes. I first focused on how to make salads. And this red cabbage and apple recipe is one of the very first ones I’ve made. This is really easy. You can shred the cabbage using your mini meat slicer to get even cuts. If you love smoky flavors, you can use your pellet grill to get slight charring on your apple slices.

Super Healthy Paleo Red Cabbage and Apple Salad

This salad is really easy to make but its simplicity masks really complex and gourmet flavors that it will pass for a high-class or 5-star restaurant dish.

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 2 Tbsp. of red wine or balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. of raw honey (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 tsp of minced garlic
• 3 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp of kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper

For the Salad:

• 4 – 5 cups of packed shredded red cabbage
• 2 cups of Granny Smith apples, cut into small cubes, leave some in wedges for garnish
• 2 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of golden or regular red raisins, plumped in hot water
• 1/4 cup of toasted, unsalted sunflower seeds (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients for the dressing. Mix well and whisk in the olive oil until completely combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in the fridge to chill.
2. In another bowl, combine the cabbage, apples, and lemon juice together. Toss gently – making sure that you do not bruise the apples too much.
3. Drain the raisins and add them to the salad.
4. Drizzle with your prepared salad dressing and toss gently. Each cabbage shred needs to also be covered in the dressing but do not use too much. You also need to keep the salad from becoming watery.
5. Top with sliced apples and toasted sunflower seeds if desired.

Notes:

• There are other ingredients you can add to this recipe. You can try using:
  • Shredded beets
  • Toasted pecans or walnuts
  • Shredded carrots
  • Red onions
  • Orange juice instead of lemons
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds
  • Brown and whole mustard
• If you want a more uniformed cut or texture, you can slice the apples into thin matchstick strips as well.
• This salad can be served in warm temperature, but I like it better chilled. You can keep the leaves from wilting by not dressing the salad until you are almost ready to serve it.

Tools You’ll Need:

• Mixing bowls
• Wire whisk
• Shredder or food processor
• Spatula or salad spoon and fork
• Strainer
• Knife and chopping board

Nutrition Information:
Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Calories: 215

Fat: 15 grams

Saturated Fat: 2 grams

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Carbohydrates: 20 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Protein: 3 grams

 

Guest Post by Olivia Rose

Olivia Rose here! As a food blogger at My King Cook, I know how much important vegetables are for the health. But being a mother, I also know that it’s hard to convince your children to eat their veggies. However, my food blogging experiences led me to discover some easy and delicious vegetable recipes. This is why I like to share my pleasant experiences with vegetables with my readers as well.