Chef Julie’s Kale Slaw
In Western Washington, it can be a very rainy time of year. Nutritionally, our bodies need lots of healthy foods to continue maintaining lots of vitamins from foods such as dark leafy greens and citrus fruits. Did you know citrus fruits including lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit are at their juiciest in the wintertime?
Keeping with our vitamin routine and taking a look at other vitamin rich foods, it’s great to also consider an important aspect sometimes overlooked or lesser known called folate or folic Acid. One of the many functions of folate is that it helps to create normal red blood cells and hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a red, iron rich protein that gives blood its red color. Hemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen from our lungs to all parts of our bodies and to carry carbon dioxide from other parts of the body to our lungs so that it can be exhaled. Rich sources of folate include dark green vegetables, winter squash, beans and fortified cereals. Some fruits, such as cantaloupe, honeydew melon, oranges and grapefruit are also good sources of folate.
I remember when I started cooking, and creating food for caterings. Its a skill to make food look appetizing by arranging it to have an appealing color palate. Just like in a painting, you want some color contrasts and clean lines. The food should look organized and make sense. Especially in a buffet where food is truly art. There was a point where I remember the curly kale leaves were always for filling in on a buffet and for arranging on platter to set other foods on top of. At the end of the day, we would save the leaves that still have play and were not wilted. They were refrigerated and used again for display and the wilted kale leaves were composted.
Today, however, the popularity of kale and its usefulness is unmatched. As I spoke about in the beginning of this post, kale has a large amount of vitamin benefits and it is easily known to be both the star of the show as well as the assistant. The flavor is not strong but requires a good amount of seasoning to stand out. I love the deep rich color of this vegetable and how easily it is to shine and compliment the color and flavor of citrus fruits.
Here is a good recipe for a sweet and folate rich hearty winter salad to eat on its own or as a side dish.
Citrus Kale Slaw
A sweeter slaw with kale and citrus fruit. A refreshing treat.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 Tblsp lemon juice
- 2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tblsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 tsp celery seed
Salad
- 1 cup mandarin orange segments canned are okay, fresh are better
- 1 cup grapefruit segments canned are okay, fresh are better
- 3 cups coleslaw mix red and green cabbage and shredded carrots
- 2 cups shredded kale
- 1 stalk green onion optional garnish
Instructions
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To mix the dressing, start by mixing the lemon juice, honey, vinegar, salt and celery seed with a small whisk.
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Then into the lemon juice mixture, slowly drizzle in the olive oil while slowing blending with a whisk at the same time until all the oil is incorporated.
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Reserve the fruit and add the coleslaw and kale together and gently mix.
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Next combine the dressing with the kale and coleslaw mixture and gently mix.
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Pour in the oranges and grapefruit segments into the salad mixture and toss into the salad with two or three gentle quick tosses. The fruit segments are fragile and will separate easily. It is best to add the fruit at the end like this, to keep the fruit as whole as possible.
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Garnish with a sliced green onion. (optional garnish) Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
When adding delicate fruit to a salad like this, it is known to break apart when you mix it too much. It's best to toss the fruit in at the very end.
This recipe and picture are my own. Please do not reproduce or use this this information without permission of Chef Julie or Emeraldmenus.com. This post contains affiliate links which help sustain recipe testing and grocery bills. Image of Kale Slaw from Google Images and Whole Foods Market.
