Purple Cabbage, Apple and Mint Slaw

Name: Purple Cabbage, Apple and Mint Slaw
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 cups shredded purple cabbage (I buy a head of cabbage and use a mandoline to slice it evenly); 1 green apple, sliced in strips; 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped; 1 scallion, finely chopped; 1 lemon, juice only; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp red pepper flakes; salt and pepper to taste; 1 haas avocado (peeled, seeded and sliced)

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This quick Purple Cabbage, Apple and Mint Slaw makes the perfect summer side dish or a bright and healthy base for a dinner salad.

Summer is slowly coming to an end and there’s a little part of me that’s crying inside : (I always get excited for summer because the sun is shining, there’s plenty of seafood and my birthday! It’s sort of funny though because every year I get pumped for summer vacation, like I did when I was a kid. I always forget that summer as an adult means you stay in an AC pumped office and watch the sunshine from the inside. As a way to keep the nostalgic summer feeling going strong I like to make bright, fresh meals until the tail end of summer! This cabbage slaw is the perfect pick me up after a long day in the office.

Pro-Tips for 9 – 5 er’s reflecting on lost summer days:

Just because you have to work doesn’t mean you can’t savor that summer feeling!

Take a long lunch walk to soak up the warmth and breathe that fresh air
Make outdoorsy weekend plans
Request some mid-week PTO days so you can visit nearby vacation spots sans crowds

I love eating meals that are full of colors. The more colors your ingredients have (assuming it’s not a bowl of skittles!) the more nutrient rich your meal will be. Purple veggies have always had a soft spot in my heart. Eggplant, Radishes, Potatoes, Carrots and Beets are a few of my favorite purple veggies.

There seems to be some debate over whether you would call this red cabbage slaw or purple cabbage slaw. Syntax aside, all I know is that it’s so pretty! Since this cabbage slaw is studded with various shades of purple and green, it’ll really brighten up any table.

When you’re building a slaw you’ll want to have a nice balance crunch, tang and dressing. I’ve never been a huge fan of cabbage slaw with mayo because it tends to be more heavy on the mayo than the veg. When the dressing and vegetables are in balance though, you have something pretty special on your hands.

Essentials for building the PERFECT slaw:

Crunch: It’s slaw after all! Don’t just limit yourself to cabbage though. Consider other crunchy fruits and veggies like apples, carrots, fennel, kohlrabi, celery root and radishes
Tang: Acidity actually helps your body digest raw vegetables. Be sure to have your apple cider vinegar (loaded with probiotics!), lemons and limes ready
Dressing: You need something to tie it all together so you don’t just have a plate of shredded cabbage. You can go creamy or light!
- A creamy option would be to whip an avocado with some lime juice and coat your slaw in nature’s mayo (aka avocado)
- For a light version, check out the recipe below!

When assembling a cabbage slaw, I like to buy a whole head of cabbage rather than bagged lettuce. The main reasons for that are the cabbage stays fresher longer when it’s not sliced and it’s cheaper. Don’t get me wrong, on lazy work nights I definitely have the bagged lettuce ready to go, but just know that you can slice a whole head of cabbage in no time with a mandoline. P.S. Be super careful and use the protective gear, the mandoline blade can be very sharp. I lost the tip of my pinky on a sharp mandoline, but that’s a story for another day…

Are you ready to add a colorful new side dish to your rotation? Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments.