Make yourself a sunny and breezy detox red cabbage slaw for dinner tonight. This beach body friendly salad will keep you slim and healthy all summer long! 

Detox Red Cabbage Slaw

Has the kale trend left the station? It seems that everywhere I look these days I see purple instead of green. I’ve also noticed that most restaurants in Manhattan have taken kale off their menu and replaced it with brighter, more vibrant ingredients. While some people may think it’s a bummer to see this cruciferous vegetable go, I see it as rather refreshing. Kale became so big in New York that its omnipresence (in soups, salads, sides, even in snacks) was almost too much to bear. Don’t get me wrong I love kale, but to me a little goes a long way.

Purple food on the other hand is something I can’t seem to get enough of! Be it in the form of a potato, pickled in vinegar or shredded into a salad, I love the rich color and powerful impact purple has on a plate. Not only are purple veggies stunning, they are also very good for us. Darker vegetables are known to be higher in antioxidants and vitamins which makes them a nutritional powerhouse. This detox red cabbage slaw is all that and a bag of imaginary chips! It has red bell peppers, nuts, seeds, oranges, apples and a ton of Italian parsley. It’s healthy eating and beyond!

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Red Cabbage Slaw To The Rescue!

I make detox salads whenever I feel a little bloated or commit to eat less carbs for a few days. Since summer is barbecue season, I thought a detox red cabbage slaw would be a good dish to serve alongside meats.

Salads are great because they require no cooking skills and are very hard to mess up. Tossing a bunch of fruits and vegetables in a bowl and coating them with a citrus dressing is about the easiest meal a person can make. It’s also a feel good food because we know we are doing our bodies a service by ingesting so many wholesome ingredients.

This salad is bright and tangy but also a little sweet. I added pure maple syrup to the simple lemon and olive oil dressing to elevate the natural sweetness of the apple and orange slices. It’s as summery as a salad can get!

I personally prefer a lighter fare when the weather gets warm and humid – I forgo most meats and opt for dishes like cold soba or somen, chilled soups, bean or seafood curries, veggie burgers and of course, salads like this one. And if I feel like going all out, I’ll make myself a cheese plate with crackers, olives, smoked salmon and fruits. That and a bottle of rosé is the ultimate summer meal, one that makes me as happy as a clam!

Other bright and delicious summer salads:

• Watermelon, strawberry and tomatillo salad
• Italian pasta salad
• Chopped salad
• Japanese caprese salad
• Kani salad (crab salad)
• Japanese coleslaw

Did you like this Detox Red Cabbage Slaw Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share?

Detox Red Cabbage Slaw

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 people

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper (core, seeded and thinly sliced)
• 3/4 pound red cabbage (shredded or thinly sliced )
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley (Italian parsley) (chopped)
• 1 orange (peeled and segmented )
• 1 apple such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady)
• 2 tablespoons cashews
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

For the dressing:

• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup (optional but highly recommended!)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ground black pepper ( to taste)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the slaw and pour the dressing over.
3. Toss well and let sit for 10 minutes to let the cabbage soften a bit and absorb the flavor of the dressing. Serve

Notes

This detox red cabbage slaw will keep refrigerated for up to a day.

Alternatively, you can prep all the ingredients ahead of time (and make enough for the week) and keep them separate in containers, stored in the fridge. The only ingredients that cannot be prepped in advance is the apple since it will start to brown as soon as it’s cut.