WINTER
Seasonal Veggie Crunchy Slaw with Lemon Yogurt Herb Dressing
Winter in the Pacific Northwest doesn’t have to mean a lack of fresh local produce! You’ll notice farmer’s markets and co-ops around the state offering various root veggies, cold weather greens, greenhouse goods, and more year-round. This slaw is a great way to use your winter produce in a way that requires no cooking and gives you that fresh vegetable goodness even in the coldest, darkest months.
Below are some cold weather veggies that are great to eat raw, delicious, and packed with nutrients:
Kohlrabi – Part of the cabbage family, kohlrabi is an excellent source of vitamin C, B6, potassium, and fiber.
Watermelon or Daikon radish – Radishes are low in cabs and rich in calcium, vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, vitamin B6, potassium and more.
Carrots – A well known excellent source of fiber, beta-kerotene, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants.
Beets – Beets are rich in just about every major vitamin and mineral that a human body needs to thrive. They are particularly rich in folate, manganese, and copper.
Turnips – Another cousin of broccoli and cabbage, turnips are a great source of fiber, folate, iron, calcium, and vitamin C.
Dinosaur (Lacinato) kale – Nutrient-dense, packed with antioxidants and fiber, and loaded with vitamins including A, C, and K, calcium, and iron.
Directions
Chop your kale into the desired size (I like to chop it into thin strips, julienne style) and add to a bowl with a small amount of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Massage the seasoning into the kale for a couple of minutes. Let sit for an hour or more, ideally for a few hours before use.
Grate your preferred quantity of winter veggies into one bowl. You can also dice or chop your veggies – it all depends on the texture you are aiming for!
Optional: some of these veggies have a high water content. To get rid of some of this water, grate veggies into a fine colander or strainer and let sit until excess water is drained.
Mix massaged kale with grated veggies, and toss with dressing (see below ingredients) and enjoy!
Note: feel free to get creative with additional toppings such as avocado, almonds, chopped walnuts, goat cheese, pickled onions, dried cranberries, etc.
Dressing Ingredients
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced dill
3 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Herbs can be exchanged and adjusted based on personal preference. I made this for Thanksgiving this year and used parsley, mint, chives, and a bit of za’atar seasoning – delicious!
