Green Apple, Purple Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw
I don’t know about you, but I love colorful food. The visual presentation on a plate is important too, don’t get me wrong. But unless I see some vibrant reds, greens, crisp yellows, deep purple, and bright orange on the plate somewhere, I’m not too enthused about eating it.
One of the things that really bothers me about the typical African American “soul food” diet is the monochromatic, dingy brownishness of the plates of food.
Most of what constitutes “black” food is either a starchy carbohydrate or a fat-laden meat product. Just about everything is some shade of brown, or white, or possibly slightly yellow. The variance in color can usually be attributed to a few standard dishes: collard greens, cabbage, okra, corn, green beans, macaroni & cheese, or yams.
Here are some typical examples of what I’m talking about.
How much better off would black folks be if the variety of food we ate were greater, and our meals included more colorful vegetables? There is a whole world of produce out there that black people generally don’t touch. I’d like to see that change.
Anyway, here’s a great recipe that will make your eyes pop with color and your taste buds sing.
- 3 cup of red cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 6 carrots (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 1 Granny Smith apple (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup of sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup of raw apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- handful of pecans for garnish
- Use a knife or food processor to chop the cabbage, carrots and apple Julienne style.
- Throw your sesame seeds in raw (I like using black and white sesame seeds) or toast them lightly in a frying pan. Toss all of this together.
- For the dressing, combine the ginger, vinegar and oil and stir with a spoon. Add this to the cabbage, carrots and apples evenly.
- Top with more sesame seeds (fantastic source of calcium).
- Salt and pepper to taste and add pecan nuts for a delicious nutty taste.
Category: Side Dishes
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