This red cabbage slaw is deceivingly simple but packs a real flavor punch. It was my mom’s staple cabbage slaw and I’ve been eating it for as long as I can remember. Since my mom is no longer with us, I make this salad often and think of her whenever I do.

Red cabbage is a must-have in my garden. I love making ruby sauerkraut with it. Did you know that red cabbage has six times more antioxidants than green cabbage?!

This simple little salad is a nutritious addition to any meal. It’s also a great way to add a little crunch and zest to sandwiches!

A couple of things to note. Slicing the cabbage thinly makes a better slaw, in my opinion. I like to use a mandolin or just a really sharp knife to get fine slices. I don’t like to use the food processor in this case because I find it shreds the cabbage too small. This slaw consists only of sliced cabbage and dressing, so as you can imagine, the dressing plays a very key role here. I must warn you and implore you of one thing: please resist the urge to use soy sauce in this dressing. I’ve tried it and it just doesn’t work. Or more specifically, the deliciousness factor of the slaw is dramatically reduced. This dressing requires tamari sauce, which you can find in most grocery stores and in all health food stores. You may want to consider buying an organic or certified GMO-free kind since most soy out there is genetically engineered.

I find this slaw quite perfect in its simplicity, but if you wish, you could get creative and add some cilantro, slivered apples, roasted sunflower seeds, and cranberries…

Happy slaw-making!

Zesty Red Cabbage Slaw

Food blogger Aube Giroux share tips for slicing cabbage and preparing the dressing in a full post on the Kitchen Vignettes blog.

Ingredients

• 1 small red cabbage
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons, preferably freshly squeezed)
• 3 Tbsp. organic tamari sauce (not soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• 2 medium cloves of garlic, minced

Directions

1. Very thinly slice the cabbage using a sharp knife, or preferably, a mandolin.
2. In a jar, mix all dressing ingredients and shake vigorously. If you are using anything larger than a small cabbage, increase the measurements in the dressing since this salad should be generously dressed.
3. In a large bowl, pour the dressing over the sliced cabbage, toss, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving so it absorbs the flavors.

Yield: 6 servings

Aube Giroux is a food writer and filmmaker who shares her love of cooking on her farm-to-table blog, Kitchen Vignettes.

Aube is a passionate organic gardener and home cook who likes to share the stories of how food gets to our dinner plates. Her work has been shown on television and at international film festivals. Her web series was nominated for a 2014 James Beard Award. In 2012, she was the recipient of Saveur Magazine’s Best Food Blog award in the video category.