Refreshing Summer Cabbage Salad

The credit for this recipe goes to Charity Lighten, who is one of the authors of the blog WholeFoodMommies.com. She is a representative of The Cancer Project and is very well trained in nutrition. I went to her class where she talked about eating a whole food, plant-based diet back in August of 2012 and that's what hooked me on this extraordinary way of life that I aspire to live. She passed out recipes at this free course based on the foods she served that night and I will include her version and mine. This salad is light, refreshing and mysteriously sweet. I served it to the missionaries (elders and sisters) and they all ate it (some even had seconds), so take that as you will. It's definitely a fibrous salad--I love a good crunch--but if you enjoy a softer side of life just let in marinate in the fridge overnight. You can't beat the raw goodness of this combination and it's a great change from the traditional green salad or the stand-by Asian salad laden with sugar, salt, and processed/fried noodle bits.

Let me expound on the benefits of eating cabbage. As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, cabbage and it's relatives have been associated with low cancer rates in those people who eat generous amounts. "Phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables have demonstrated the ability to arrest the growth of cancer cells (cited in two medical journals Nutrition and Cancer 2001 and International Journal of Oncology 2002). Specifically, cruciferous vegetables affect the hormones that influence the progression of hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast cancer. They change the way estrogens are broken down and eliminated so that the type of estrogen (estradiol) that encourages the growth of cancer cells is converted to a different estrogen (estrone) which has anti-cancer actions." 

Cruciferous Vegetables

They get their name from the cross-shaped flowers that blossom just before the plants go to seed.

arugula 

bok choy
broccoli
brussels sprouts
cabbage
cauliflower
collard greens
horseradish
kale
kohlrabi
mustard greens
radishes
rutabaga
turnip
greens
turnips
watercress

(Source: The Cancer Survivor's Guide by Neal D Barnard, MD and Jennifer K Reilly, RD) 

Charity's version: 

Sensational Salad (this is more an ingredient list than a recipe :)

1/4 Head Green Cabbage

1/2 yellow squash

4 Radishes

1/2 Zucchini

Red Cabbage

2 Granny Smith Apples

Zest a lemon

1 medium carrot 

Squeeze Lemon for flavor

Add about 2 TBS of Balsamic Vinegar

It’s more fun to eat if veggies are cut up in different shapes

My version:

1/2-2/3 head green cabbage slivered

1/2 head red cabbage slivered (approximate less than the quantity of the green)

2 carrots grated

2 green onions sliced (only green part, discard the stiffer whiter part)

1 red delicious apple sliced to the same size as the cabbage

1 large lemon: grate the rind and use all the juice

3 TB balsamic vinegar (If you can find one infused with orange juice it is doubly good. Napa Valley brand makes one infused with blood orange juice. Maybe even try adding a little orange juice with balsamic as an alternative.)

1/4-1/2 tsp salt

Might be good with slivered almonds but I haven't tried it. 

Let it marinate in the fridge at least four hours.