Two favorite salads

Happy New Year!!! Time to think about nutritious and low calorie salads:  Here are two of my favorites:
Purple cabbage slaw:

purple cabbage slaw

This is perfect for adding to a yummy taco or a stand alone salad.  One of these great salads that doesn't wilt the next day.  Choose purple cabbage over green, red bell peppers over green.....yellow or orange would be good too. Choose red onion over white.  The more colorful the vegetable the more antioxidants they provide.  Purple=anthocyanin and resveratrol.  The red bell pepper=beta carotene!!! Even the cilantro has quercetin.

Here's the recipe:

purple cabbage - 1/2 head- sliced thin - by hand is better than by a food processor

red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin

red onion, about 1/4 or two slices, then chopped

cilantro, 5-6 sprigs chopped fine

your favorite vinaigrette*  here's mine:

                                           1/3 cup lemon juice

                                           2/3 cup good olive oil

                                           2 cloves garlic minced

                                           1 tsp Dijon mustard

Toss the vegetables with the dressing lightly. You can always add more later

mise en place

Salad #2  Carrot salad - sometimes I just call this my orange salad because of the color.

The only dressing is the citrus juice flavored by fresh ginger.  Absolutely no fat or salt in this recipe.  January is a great month for California citrus: oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, blood and cara cara oranges, kumquats.  Use any of these that you have or like.  The grocery stores have a great selection.  Or if you're lucky enough to live in California you can go outside and pick your own.   SOOOOO jealous right now. (It's 17 degrees outside in Denver)

If everything is perfect I choose rainbow carrots, tangerine juice, fresh blood and cara cara orange segments, fresh ginger,  dried blueberries and crystallized ginger.

Antioxidants: anthocyanin, beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, gingerol, lycopene!!!

carrot salad

mise en place

try adding dried apricots ( another orange ingredient) or Trader Joe's dried mandarins

orange segments, crystallized ginger pieces and dried berries

Segments of one blood orange and one cara cara orange, about 4 pieces of crystallized ginger cut bite size and a small handful of dried berries

Here's the recipe:

The only essentials are carrots, citrus juice and ginger

rainbow carrots - pound grated...use your food processor

oranges- 2 segmented ( tangerine, blood orange or cara cara) 

orange juice - 1/2 cup
fresh ginger, about 1 inch grated on a fine rasp or grater

crystallized ginger- 4-5 pieces, cut bite size

dried berries - 1/2 cup 

Toss all together...add more juice if too dry.  The juice helps to reconstitute the dried fruit.

This salad will keep about a week

carrot salad serving

I made both of these salads today.  They will last me all week both lunch and dinner.

Tonight I'll add the slaw to my short rib tacos

I'm sure I'll be healthier by the end of the day!!!

Watermelon ginger limeade- Ahh! refreshing on a 95 degree day

It's hot today!  So watermelon limeade  should hit the spot.  I was tempted by this recipe in last month's Epicurious by Emeril Lagasse http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/watermelon-limeade?mbid=nl_fig_010_07072016_Daily&CNDID=43579668  and then had some new ideas.

Mis en place

Recipe:

1quart watermelon juice  (1 small watermelon- made about 1 .5 quarts of watermelon juice)

1 cup lime juice

1/2 inch grated ginger

Agave nectar- to taste

lime slices

crystallized ginger pieces

sparkling water

tequila for later in the day

Cut watermelon into about 1 inch squares and place in blender a batch at a time. Use fine mesh strainer over a bowl to separate the pulp.  Grate about a half inch of a piece of ginger.  Add the lime juice and the ginger to the watermelon juice and stir.  Add the Agave nectar (or sugar) to taste.  I used less than 1/4 cup for the whole batch.  Choose a glass; add ice and rub the rim with a lime slice.  Then rub the rim a second time with the crystallized ginger.  Pour the limeade into the glass.  Add sparkling water for daytime or a shot of tequila at 5 o'clock!