Winter Salads

Want a fresh salad made from local ingredients in the middle of winter? No Problem! Here are some winter salads to help keep you healthy ‘til spring.

Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

1 cup green cabbage, shredded

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp dried mint

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Remove the stem and outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half, lengthwise from top to bottom. Remove the inner portion of the stem, then place the cabbage halves flat side down and cut them in half, lengthwise again. Slice the cabbage quarters widthwise as thinly as possible. This is much easier and safer with a sharp knife. Ideally, the slices should be no thicker than the edge of a nickle.
2. In a small dish, combine the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and mint, and whisk with a fork. Let it stand for five minutes. Then whisk it again and add it to the cabbage, seasoning it with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Allow the salad to sit for 20 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to develop.

Optional: Use a half pound of green cabbage and half pound of red cabbage for more colour.

Carrot, Beat, and Kale Salad

Ingredients

½ cup julienne of beets

¼ cup julienne of carrots

½ cup chopped kale

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

When selecting kale for this salad, choose the smallest leaves that are available as they tend to be more tender. Prepare the beets last to reduce the amount of staining they will cause.

1. Remove the centre stalks from the leaves by cutting along both sides of the stalks to separate them from the leaves. Stack the separated leaves and cut them in half. Cut these into pieces approximately 2 cm wide and place in a bowl large enough for all of the ingredients.
2. Wash, trim, and peel the carrots. Cut the whole carrots in half, then julienne the carrots by placing each half section flat side down and cutting it lengthwise into slices the thickness of a nickel. Cut each of the slices into strips the width of a nickelut the strips into pieces 3cm long and add to the beets.
3. Wash, trim, peel, and julienne the beets following the same process as the carrots. Cut them in half, place flat side down, and cut into thin slices. Cut the slices into thin strips and then add to the kale.
4. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the extra virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar in a separate container. Add it to the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.

Option: To make a more substantial meal from the salad, add dried lentils cooked according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You can also add a small amount of finely minced garlic to the salad.