Apple Cabbage Salad

Fresh ingredients

This Apple Cabbage Salad is delicious! I love a crisp, cold salad in the spring and summer. Fresh ingredients make for a perfect side dish as the weather gets warmer. Not to mention the full benefit of vitamins and minerals you get from consuming whole, raw foods.

This time of year I often swap out the usual sautéed vegetables for roasted vegetables or a fresh salad. Either one is a perfect pairing for all the hotdogs, hamburgers, or chicken we will be grilling.

This salad has great crunch and texture with the cabbage, cucumber and apple. The dried cranberries add a little sweet. I feel like all these ingredients pair so well together. For this reason, I chose a simple Dijon Vinaigrette to finish it.

I am a HUGE advocate for vegetables and the importance of serving them with just about every meal. Not only for the health benefits, but lighter foods just make your body feel better in the warm months.

Going organic

With all of the local farms and farmers markets, there are so many options for fresh fruits and vegetables. I always recommend going Organic whenever possible, and finding local produce is an extra bonus.

There are some items you can get away with not eating Organic if you’re just starting on your journey. The goal would be to eventually buy all Organic. Here’s a quick list of the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen provided by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website. For more information, visit the site HERE.

Dirty dozen:

(BUY ORGANIC WHENEVER POSSIBLE)

-Strawberries

-Spinach

-Kale

-Nectarines

-Apples

-Grapes

-Peaches

-Cherries

-Pears

-Tomatoes

-Celery

-Potatoes

Clean 15:

(OKAY TO BUY CONVENTIONALLY GROWN)

-Avocados

-Sweet Corn

-Pineapples

-Sweet Peas Frozen

-Onions

-Papayas

-Eggplants

-Asparagus

-Kiwi

-Cabbage

-Cauliflower

-Cantaloupe

-Broccoli

-Mushrooms

-Honeydew Melon

Recipe tips

-I recommend serving this salad chilled

-Salad will keep 2-3 days in refrigerator

-Servings are only 4-6 for this salad since the shelf life isn’t too long. I would only make as much as needed. If using this recipe for a large group, just double or triple it.

-Use a slightly tart apple that will hold up longer. This ensures the salad is still crunchy and not too sweet after a few days. I’ve used Golden Delicious and Gala, but find Fuji to be the best!

-Once fruit and vegetables are chopped, immediately toss in vinaigrette to prevent apples from turning brown.

-I try and slice cabbage and cucumbers as thin as I possibly can so it’s easier to eat.

-It’s best to make this salad an hour or two before serving, so the flavors have time to marry and it has adequate time to chill.

Apple cabbage salad

I hope you enjoy this fresh Apple Cabbage Salad and serve it as a side to all your spring and summer BBQ’s and gatherings. Let me know in the comments if you try it! If you’re looking for a quick and easy roasted vegetable, check out my recipe HERE.