I love the look and taste of red cabbage – and its more than just a pretty face…I mean more than just a pretty head! Its beautiful rich colour is due to a high concentration of powerful antioxidants called anthocyanin polyphenols. Research shows that these antioxidants boost immune system function and deliver protection against inflammation and numerous diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Red cabbage is also loaded with vitamins and minerals and contains up to 8 times more vitamin C compared to green cabbage. In fact, a cup of cooked red cabbage provides 85% percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C! No wonder Mother Nature provides us with this veggie just as cold and flu season arrives.

Shredded raw red cabbage is a great addition to any salad. It can also be added to soups and stews. This recipe turns it into a delicious sweet-and-savoury side dish that goes particularly well with red meat mains. Enjoy!

What You’ll Need:

• 1 medium-sized head of red cabbage
• 1 medium onion
• 2 TBSP butter (organic is best)
• 1/4 tsp unrefined sea salt (a bit more or less to your taste)
• 1 TBSP honey (local and unpasteurized is best)
• 1/4 cup Bragg apple cider vinegar (or any organic, raw, unfiltered brand)
• 2 tart apples

Prepping & Cooking – Step 1:

Slice up the onion and add it to a pan with 2 TBSP of butter. Sautee over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft, stirring from time to time. While the onion cooks, coarsely chop up the cabbage.

Prepping & Cooking –  Step 2:

Add the cabbage to the pan, mix well and sautee for about 5 minutes or until cabbage is soft/wilted. While the cabbage is cooking, grate the apples.

Cooking Continued…

Add the apples, apple cider vinegar, honey, and salt to the pan. Mix well, turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring ever 10 minutes or so.

Serving:

Viola! A delicious savoury-and-and sweet side! Served here with a grass-fed beef stew – a wonderful combination! Feel free to garnish with freshly chopped parsley to add a bit more colour (wish I would have done that before taking this picture!).

Enjoy!

Need a dessert in a hurry? These delicious grain-free, egg-free, and dairy-free treats are delicious and quick to make. After you’ve made them once or twice and get a feel for how the ingredients all come together, feel free to improvise and ‘mix-and-match’ the ingredients to suit your taste and include your favourite nuts, dried fruits, and spices. This recipe makes about 24 pingpong-sized balls that can be made and eaten right away, refrigerated for days, or frozen for weeks or months. Enjoy!

You Will Need:

• 1 cup of raw almonds (you could also use pecans, or walnuts … or a mix of all three)
• 1 cup of raw unsweetened shredded dried coconut. 1/2 cup will go in the ball mixture. Set aside the other 1/2 cup for rolling the formed balls in. I sometimes toast this 1/2 cup by spreading it on a baking sheet then putting it in a 375F oven for about 5 minutes, giving it a shake after a few minutes. Keep your eyes on it make sure it doesn’t go beyond a light golden toastiness – it can go from golden to burnt pretty fast! This toasty-roasty step is completely optional (after all, I did call these no bake…).
• 1/2 cup EACH of: organic dark chocolate chips, pitted dates, and raisins
• 3 TBSP of almond butter (or your favourite nut butter)
• 3 TBSP of coconut oil (not pictured above)
• 1 to 2 TBSP of raw local honey depending on how sweet you like your treats (I used 1 TBSP)
• 1 to 2 tsp of cinnamon depending on how ‘cinnamony’ you like your treats (I used 2 tsp)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt depending on how much you like salty-and-sweet (I used 1/2 tsp)

Step 1: Mixing

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor. Remember to use only 1/2 cup of the coconut in the mixture and set the other 1/2 cup aside for later.

Step 2: Rolling

Scoop the mixture out in heaping tablespoons and use your hands to form them into dense balls. Once you’ve formed them, roll them in the shredded coconut that you set aside in Step 1.

Step 3: Serving

You can serve the balls right away, or refrigerate them for an hour or two to give them a more solid consistency. They also freeze well, so you can make them weeks in advance.

Enjoy!

This broccoli salad is packed with nutrient-dense foods and makes a great side at any time of year. Use pomegranate seeds, diced red bell pepper, or dried cranberries instead of (or in addition to) the raisins for a festive look! Enjoy!

What You’ll Need:

• a large head of broccoli (or 2 smaller ones) – you’ll use the stalks too!
• one small to medium sized red onion
• 1/2 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, or pomegranate seeds, or diced red bell pepper)
• 1/2 cup of unsalted, raw sunflower seeds
• 1 – 2 TBSP of honey (local and unpasteurized is best)
• 1/2 cup of kefir (organic and whole fat is best)
• 2 tsp of Bragg apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste (unrefined is best)
• optional: bacon bits. Make your own from real bacon (get it from a farmer’s market if you can!). If you’re vegetarian, you may want to try Phoney Baloney’s Coconut Bacon – that’s what I had on hand this time around – and it was pretty tasty!

Step 1: Dicing and Chopping

Dice up some red onion and set aside. I diced up about 1/4 of a medium-sized onion and didn’t end up adding it all. When assembling the salad, you can add as much or as little as you’d like to suit your taste. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets and bite-sized stalk pieces and steam until slightly softened but still crunchy. About 3-5 minutes.

Step 2: Prepping

While the broccoli is steaming, prep the dressing by mixing together the kefir, honey, and apple cider vinegar until well blended. I used 1 heaping TBSP of honey. You can use a bit more or less to suit your taste. Set aside.

When the broccoli is to desired ‘done-ness’, drain and rinse it under cold water. This will stop the cooking process to keep it crisp and maintain its beautiful, vibrant green colour.

Step 3: Assembling

Reserve a small amount of the raisins, sunflower seeds, and bacon to use as garnishes to sprinkle over the salad just before serving, then add all the ingredients into a bowl and toss until evenly mixed together and coated with the dressing.

Step 4: Serving

Just before serving, sprinkle with the reserved raisins, sunflower seeds, and bacon to garnish. You can make this salad several hours or a day ahead.

Enjoy!