You might call this a slaw… although my husband distinctly said “I can’t even taste the cabbage” and then the words “this tastes amazing” came out of his purple mouth.
What we use for dressing can make or break a salad (and the number of calories in a meal, for that matter).
If I’m going to lather on dressing, I have 2 requirements:
- It’s Delicious. because obviously
- Low Calorie or Smart Calorie: are the fats in the dressing good for me?
I think the dressing here fulfills both requirements and you’ll likely have most of the ingredients in your pantry stash.
Purple Salad
Equipment
- cutting board, knife, measuring spoons, large bowl
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Red Cabbage (purple)
- 1 lbs Jicama
- 1 cup Cilantro (8 oz)
- 4 oz Goat Cheese (optional)
Dressing
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we like California Olive Ranch)
- 2 tbsp Organic Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Lime
Instructions
- Prep your cabbage: remove the outer leaves (wilted? cracked? brown? discard.) Wash the cabbage. Cut in half and begin to slice into long strips. Feel free to cut in half. Put these in a colander and rinse thoroughly and dry. Place in a large bowl.
- Prep your jicama: wash and scrub the outside. Slice the top and bottom root ends off and begin to cut and peel off the skin. Next, slice your jicama in half (short-wise) and then into medallions. Then, slice these in half and into 1/4" thick pieces. Add this to your cabbage.Alternatively, you could use a mandoline to finely slice them. You do you. Want it diced? Then do that.
- Prep your cilantro: thoroughly wash and pat dry. Mince or finely chop the cilantro. (I like to keep the stems, so I chop these too). Add this to your large bowl.
Dressing
- In a small bowl or mason jar (great for shaking up homemade dressing!), mix together your olive oil, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and balsamic vinegar. Add this to your salad and toss until coated. Enjoy!
- Optional: Crumble goat cheese on top. This salad is really wonderful without the cheese and (surprisingly), a lower cost per calorie without it!
Notes
- Jicama vs Apples: I cut open the saddest toughest jicama the other day and I just couldn’t bring myself to add it to my salad. Instead, I added apples, which gave the same juicy crunch and added sweetness to the flavor. Apples are a great alternative if you can’t find a good jicama!
Nutrition
Looking for something cheaper? Vegan? Serves more folks? This table is for you.
I Can’t Find Jicama… and related troubles.
Strange but true: Jicama can sometimes turn out to be tough and dry. It’s a huge bummer. They’re supposed to be juicy and crisp, kind of like an apple. If you buy a jicama and it’s a sad one – don’t be afraid to return it to the store. Ask an associate if you can’t find this magical disk-like root. It almost looks like a huge brown, rough turnip.
Got a Tough Jicama? The best thing you can do is:
- Return the sad jicama
- Buy 2 – 3 organic apples instead! Fuji, gala, jazz, honeycrisp … whatever sounds good and fits your budget!
Substituting in Apples for Jicama:
Pick 2 or 3 medium yummy apples that fit your budget.
Wash and peel them. Remove the core and cut them into cubes like you would cut jicama! Add to the salad & toss to coat with dressing.
Don’t waste the peel.
- Grease baking sheet with minimal coconut oil or line with parchment
- Roll the peels in 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, 1/2 tbsp of sugar and a tiny pinch of salt.
- BAKE in a preheated oven at 250*F for about a 30 minutes or until crisp. Flip once. Middle rack works best to avoid burning.
- Congratulations! You just made part of dessert. Serve with ice cream or cool whip. Savvy and fancy.
$ – SAVVY: Cabbage is available all-year-round, though its peak season is technically around wintertime, a low cost veggie staple for our home and can be for your’s as well. Soups, stews, crock-pots, salads, warm salads, stir-fry…
Here’s a table with external links for each recipe ingredient (plus a few alternate ingredient ideas). As previously mentioned, prices vary per region, season, city, store and personal preference for brand or specific type of food item.
| Purple Cabbage | Jicama | Cilantro or Organic |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil we prefer California Olive Ranch | Balsamic Vinegar or favorite brand | Black Peppercorn or Costco |
| Limes | Goat Cheese (Costco best price) or Sam’s or TJ’s | Apples (organic – dirty 12) |
*TJ’s = Trader Joe’s . Sam’s = Sam’s Club
