Make-Do Slaw

Sometimes I just don't have time to follow a recipe. I'm late for work, need to bring a lunch, so I grab what I have and make do. I don't mind eating simply, or eating meals that are unconventional for the time (salad for breakfast? Let's do it!). 

I try to remind myself of this: Do what you can, with what you have, right now. Because if you wait until you (or it) is perfect, it'll probably never happen. 

And so t'was the case for two heads of cabbage I bought. Originally I had planned to use them for a scrumptious-looking recipe I saw in Yotam Ottolenghi's book Plenty, however, I was missing a bunch of ingredients, and I decided to take the original recipe as a brilliant suggestion that is open for changes (as all recipes are!). I used what I had on hand at the time, and savored the simplicity. 

Make-Do Slaw  

Dressing: 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tbsp coconut aminos teriyaki sauce (Coconut Secret) 

1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil 

Salad: 

red cabbage

savoy cabbage

cilantro 

mango, cut into chunks (variation: papaya) 

black sesame seeds 

Directions: 

1. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small jar. Adjust to suit your tastes. 

2. For the purple cabbage, cut about 1/4 the head, then thinly shred using a hand held mandolin. For the savoy, cut thinly using a knife (seems to work better this way than the mandolin). 

3. Place the cabbage in a bowl and toss well with the dressing. Add the mango and cilantro, then top with the black sesame seeds. 

4. Pile high on a plate, and chew well. 

Nutritional Highlights: 

Cabbage is an excellent nutrient-dense, low calorie food that offers some of the highest cancer protection out of any other vegetable. The glucosinolates in cabbage are helpful in defense against colon, prostate, lung, and breast cancer by increasing antioxidant defense mechanisms and improving the body's detox abilities. Cabbage also provides an abundance of other nutrients, including potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, calcium, magnesium, and manganese.