Stay healthy with this Vitamin packed red cabbage salad! This salad is perfect for detox but also great with barbecue. It is light, crispy and yummy!
A few days before New Year’s Eve, I bought red cabbage. I don’t even know why I did that. I just liked its color! So on Sunday I see this cabbage in the fridge and I know I have to use it finally. But what to do with it? Well, I wanted to create a light red cabbage salad recipe that would be packed with Vitamins, be perfect for detox and will also taste amazing! So I put a few veggies and fruits together and this detox salad recipe was born!
I think this red cabbage salad has it all! It’s light, tasty, rich in Vitamins and most of you will love it! You can enjoy it on its own or as a side! It’s up to you!
Did you know? (I didn’t…)
Some people call this cabbage purple cabbage but where I come from it always was, is and will be red cabbage. Now that I think of it, why do we actually call it a red cabbage when it is not red in color at all? Isn’t it weird? It’s purple so why not all of us call it purple cabbage? Who started with the whole “red” thing?
So I did some research and this is what I found out:
“The red cabbage is also known as purple cabbage, red kraut or blue kraut after preparation. Its leaves are colored dark red/purple. However, the plant changes its color according to the pH value of the soil.” (source: Wikipedia)
So this is how it goes:
Acidic soils = reddish leaves
Neutral soil = leaves will turn more purple
Alkaline soil = green-yellow colored cabbages
Isn’t this interesting information? If you grow red cabbages you can actually figure out what the pH of your soil is.
Thank you for educating us, Wikipedia!
How to make red cabbage salad:
The prep is pretty straight forward. Rinse, peel, core, grate & slice! Nothing more nothing less!
Toss the ingredients around a bit, season and you are ready to go! This perfect red cabbage salad is ready in no time! Isn’t that great?
I simply used a knife to thinly slice the cabbage but if you have a mandolin, go ahead and use it.
Mandarins, apples, carrots and red cabbage go really well together and with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and some seasoning you are in for a healthy treat!
By the way:
I removed the thin skin from each mandarin segment. It was a tedious work and I don’t think I would be doing it in the future. However, if you want to impress your guests, then go ahead. Note that it took me 4 minutes to do one mandarin. So you will have to count with extra 20 minutes if you decide to peel all of them as well.
Why is this red cabbage carrot salad with mandarins good for us?
- It is rich in Vitamins (particularly Vitamin C)
- Boosts our immune system
- Good for digestion
- Rich in antioxidants & minerals
- Detoxifies our body
All in all this is a great and light salad so if you are on a diet or trying to eat healthier I highly recommend this! Also if you are after vegetarian salad ideas, this is the recipe to try! It rocks!
Looking for more healthy ideas? Check out these recipes:
Healthy Kale Salad with Mango Dressing
Body Cleansing Lemon Ginger Water
Healthy Chickpea Salad with Apple and Celery
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- ¼ Red Cabbage (250g/8.8oz)
- 4-5 Mandarins
- 3 Carrots (Medium)
- 2 Apples (Medium)
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Himalayan Salt to Taste
- A Pinch of Black Pepper
- Wash the fruit & vegetables. Peel and grate carrots, peel, core and grate the apple. Grate or finely slice red cabbage.
- Throw all the ingredients in a serving bowl including mandarin segments.
- Pour over extra virgin olive oil and season with salt & black pepper.
- Toss it around, taste for seasoning and when happy, serve!
- This salad is perfect on its own or as a side dish especially with a heavy meal. It will also be great with barbeque in summer!
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Olivia says
This cabbage salad sounds delicious!! Never buy red cabbage, but will now. Lol. I like how there is no mayonnaise involved. Less calories that way.
Julia | HappyFoods Tube says
Thank you, Olivia! 🙂 Let me know if you give it a go! Hope you’ll like it!:)
Sherri @ The Well Floured Kitchen says
We buy red (purple!) cabbage all the time, but we mostly use it for an Asian salad or stir fry. Now we definitely have to try your salad! The colors are so vibrant and beautiful- yum!
Julia | HappyFoods Tube says
I am glad you like this recipe! I must try using the cabbage in stir fry – never tried before! 🙂
Monique says
I’ve never used red cabbage before. I think I’m going to try it with a hint of apple cider vinegar. On another note, I make my lunch grapefruit the way you peeled those mandarins. It is tedious, but oh so worth it!
Julia | HappyFoods Tube says
Oooh, apple cider vinegar, how interesting – I think it will go well with the cabbage. Let me know when you try it! Hahaaa, yes peeling mandarins is a tedious task but you are totally right, it’s worth it! However, not sure I will be doing it again any time soon!
Gabriella says
This really does look totally yummylicious! I LOVE mandarins and any excuse to eat them, really 😉
Julia | HappyFoods Tube says
Gabriella, the mandarins there are the key ingredient 🙂 – the more the better! 🙂
Wajeeha says
This salad looks amazing…I love how colorful and healthy it is…I’ll be trying it soon! 🙂
Julia | HappyFoods Tube says
Thanks Wajeeha! I hope you’ll like it. 🙂
Leslie says
I’ve made this salad a bunch of times and I LOVE it! Naturally sweet and a wonderful flavor combo. And its super healthy. I made a few small changes – I don’t peal the carrots & apples – the skin on gives it a bit more flavor. I use a can of no sugar added mandarins – drain the juice and add them after you’ve tossed the oil in.
Using the canned mandarins makes it a really fast, easy salad to make. Thank you for such a great recipe!!!!!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
It’s so good to hear you love this salad. Canned mandarins are a great substitution and definitely a way to go to save time. Thanks so much for finding time to write the feedback, Leslie! 🙂